What makes you stop reading an episode story? I’m writing one and I wanna know all the things NOT to do! Share anything lol
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For me, it’s the longing of the plot.
So, add some action in every chapter to get readers hooked!
Hope that helps,
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Narration is good, but when done a certain way, or to describe a situation. I hate being hit with the “My name’s ___, I’m eighteen, and I live alone.”. No! A good example of a nice story I binged yesterday was ‘Turbulent Ties’. It showed the MC’s life with just scenes at the start. I didn’t need narration to know that she had a dog, or that she lived alone in an apartment, because it showed it all through her routine. I hope this helps 
Also, a good first chapter is long but not too long!! And like Sams said above, get the readers hooked with that first ep
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Absolutely agree @catdelray!
Sometimes, the narration of the introduction puts people off!
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too much second hand embarrassment, i physically cannot keep reading if the main character is embarrassing themselves every two seconds 
also if someone’s coding is really bad. i understand that it may be someone’s first story, but if the character is standing in the most random spot talking to another character or the layers are all wrong it really puts me off 
Seriously! I don’t wanna shade any episode stories but I know some that are like that
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I will discontinue reading a story if the directing is bad or if the plot is boring or too fast paced/ choppy or if the main character does not fit the personality that I thought they would (but the last one is just a personal preference)
Long introductions are so boring the point is to show not tell.
For example starting an introduction with the first interaction your main character has with another character is a great way to start a Story without the boring narration.
I also prefer stories with customization but if I don’t know how I want to customize a character just yet, I prefer having a way to customize again if I need to. For example in my story there’s customization at the beginning but it is listed as an option and you can go right to the beginning of the story without customizing first if you would like. There’s also a way to customize at the end of every chapter.
For me it’s too much(!!) flashbacks in the first chapter, probably an unpopular opinion but let me get to know you first before your trauma events (lol)- just so I can see for myself why you act the way you do instead of throwing it at me. Also, perfect MC’s or MC’s without an opinion feels empty to me. Last but not least, probably unpopular, having to CC the first second the story starts with a black bg; I don’t know if I’m gonna read yet and you could use that time to captivate the reader! I don’t CC most of the time, but idk I just don’t like the idea
But, all things can look good when executed the right way ;))
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Tbh this is actually so understandable and most of the time the flashbacks are unnecessary
Bad grammar
Showing future scenes at the very start of the story
A weak MC
Toxic love interest
Hey samaya.3xx,
What I don’t like to see in a story:
- The LI is mostly an over the top handsome mafia leader (with tattoos and scars), while in real life mafia leaders aren’t handsome at all. The most of them are in reality old ugly men;
- The MC’s ex has cheated on MC and is jealous when she meets LI.;
- There has to be always a mean girl, that wants to make MC’s life a living hell, because the MC and the mean girl both want to be with the LI;
- The MC and LI love each other instantly, without learning to know each other;
- For the MC it’s always easy to get pregnant from LI (except if the MC is a guy of course, but mostly MC’s are female.) and the pregnancy doesn’t have complications.;
- Those pregnancies are ‘unexpected’, mostly discovered when the LI runs away from MC, or is on a business trip or for an unknown reason away for a few months (or even years);
- The mean girl needs to fake pregnancy to convince LI not to be with MC but with her (get a real life, sis. Faking pregnancy is so outdated. );
- Parents die by cancer, a (car) accident or murder, or are alcoholics or drug addicts (really, let the parents live a happy life.) (sorry had to say this, but if there are no parents around, they always are dead because of those circumstances.);
- MC is mostly innocent and ‘not as the other girls’.;
- and LI needs to be an handsome young bad boy who is still attending high school or college.;
- toxic relationships, violence against the LGBTQ+ community and/or racism.
I have the following things I like to see (or don’t like to see) in a story:
- The story needs to be one of a kind. (Almost) no clichés and unsuspecting storylines.;
- For me it doesn’t matter if you have no CC, no art scenes and no choices, as long as I see (as reader) that you the author took the time for his/her story and as long as the storyline and plot are captivating me I will read your story;
- I’d like to see more stories about after high school and college (I am older so I’d like to see also stories about character that are 20+ year old);
- Stories with character developing especially between the main character. If it’s a love story, lovers don’t fall in love immediately (in real life), I’d like to see the story spread over several episodes/chapters (they start their feelings for each other in episode 15, for example, and not in episode 1).;
- No toxicity in stories, especially not between MC and LI. Or it has to be a background-story with something unexpected happening (in my latest story I have a male best friend of the MC that is victim of domestic abuse);
- A story with a MC and/or LI that develops an suffer with an addiction (for alcohol, drugs or something else);
- If you write a fantasy story → more diverse supernaturals. There are more supernaturals than only vampires and werewolves. Write your story about were-cats, elves or hellhounds (yep, one of my latest stories has this diversity of supernaturals and a were-cat as a MC);
- Stop making LI’s criminals. → Give me some sweet LI’s that aren’t murderers or beaters. That some other character deserves to beaten up or killed doesn’t justify the crime. Criminals aren’t funny or interesting.;
- Stop making the MC overly innocent. → No one has a happy life (I wish we all had), real life can be really hard. So, you can show the world the hard struggle of real life.;
- Give some unexpected details, like MC falling over a banana-peel while she walks or MC bumping into a lamp (because she’s tall) or MC falling over a threshold (if you need fillers for an episode, use this.);
- Give me some older MC’s and/or LI’s, like I said before I am almost 40, so I like to see stories around my age, too.;
- Stop only using the car or motorbike for transportation, MC and/or LI can use public transport, the bike or walk.;
- Let the MC and LI meet in an unexpected → I read to many stories where MC and LI met at a party, at school or in the office. Why not let them bump into each other on the street or they meet each other by a mutual friend or family-member (should be nice to see that the MC met the LI, because LI helped MC’s grandma crossing the street.);
- Avoid taboos → please no relationships between a 40 year old and a minor (that’s gross) or a relationships between family members.
Hopefully this helps and if you need more advice or help PM me over here on the forum or contact me on IG (@angelwings_1983).
Stay safe,
Love A-W
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I know that episode stories are mainly made up of dialogue, but if there is a lack of punctuation I cannot finish the story. Also, an aloof main character is a big one. I like to see a main character with common sense for a change.
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When there is too much narration. Only use narration sparingly if showing it through a scene is not possible ex when the mc is faking being happy or scared you can have them narrate that. If you want to show a character being immature, for example, have them instead prank their friends or make irrelevant comments in a conversation etc . Don’t assume your readers don’t pay attention to small details like that.
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Filler chapters . Even if its still far from the climax, have something go on in the chapter.
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Having each character walk and introduce themselves In the beginning of chapter 1
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“Badass” MC who is actually in fact just rude. You can be badass with a backbone but be nice to people until they are rude to you. Thats the time to clap back. I read one story by a new creator where the MC smoked while waiting for her flight. When the airport staff told her to stop, instead of complying, she slapped and pushed the airport employee. What made it unrealistic was she was not even rich. She was waiting for her flight to start a job as a house keeper in a hotel where she is meant to fall for her boss. She’s not even rich yet and she already acts like that. I noped out right away, new author solidarity be damned.
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Poor direction. No need to make it cinematic but if everyone is as tall as slenderman in the room or they’re taller than the door, thats a no for me.
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lack of zooms
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criminal love interests
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no sound effects. Music is awesome but no music isn’t a turnoff. But lack of sound effects makes it less immersive.
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vampires/werewolves who don’t have the element of horror anymore. This one is just a personal preference might be an unpopular opinion since these types of stories seem to trend on episode, but the inner wolf split personality thing and the mate that is linked to you since birth put me off.
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