WHAT A GOOD STORY CAN DO FOR YOU

A good story stays with you long after you have finished reading it.  Writers are lucky in that if it is their story coming under this category, they also get the pleasure of writing it (and reading it first!).  Stories, for me, count as good if the characters are memorable, the plot gripping and I like them even more if there are one or two lines that I can recall word for word and which make me laugh.

Other signs of a good story are:-

1. You can't put it down until you have read it through.
2. If you are unlucky enough to have to stop reading it through first time, the very second you are free of whatever called you away sees you back to reading the story.  Nothing but nothing gets in your way.
3. You have to tell others about it.
4. The ending isn't necessarily happy but it is appropriate for the tale and memorable.
5. You feel as if there isn't a word out of place.
6. You feel as if there is nothing that could be added to the tale.
7. You are very pleased if others read the tale and share your views over it.  Equally if you have written the tale, you are thrilled with the good feedback it generates.
8. The story can be a short piece, flash fiction or a novel but whatever the length of the tale, it is right for that tale.
9. The story takes you out of your surroundings for a while - and this doesn't just apply to fantasy and/or science fiction (where other worlds are taken as read).
10. Whenever you re-read the story, you feel the same way you did the first time on finishing it.
11. On re-reading the story, you pick up things you missed first go round and those things add to the depth of the tale.
12. You appreciate the more subtle aspects of the character and plot (particularly on re-reading when you are more likely to be looking for these).
13. If the story is nominated for a prize, you take any opportunities to vote for it to boost its chances of success.  However, if you are the author, this is (a) taken as read you will do this so it reduces the value and (b) is probably cheating as there is something underhand about voting for your own work unless this is specifically allowed.
14. For writers, you appreciate the efforts behind a good story whether it is your own work or not.  For work which is not your own,  you play the "Guess how many edits it took to get to this stage" game!
15. You can quote significant pieces of the tale at will.