What makes a story good...?

Ive been wondering for a while now...

I know what makes a story good for ME, that is things that make you think, things that have to do with real life, and deep underlying messages about real life, then of course there's characters that you can relate to, or just characters that are just fun...

So what makes a story good for other people...?

This isnt just a random stupid thread since Im actually using this as reference...

for something...

Assuming you're doing everything "right," usually any story with an elaborate and unexpected plot twist makes a story interesting. Code Geass is a perfect (and painful) example of this.

a interesting question, but you should know that make a good story, is like sympathize with all the persons in the world, there is going to be many persons that will say: "ugh, this sucks" but many others will like it.
but also unspected things and situations out of plans and out of the normal develoment of the story helps.
PD:i'm latin, so sorry for the bad writing that you may find.

The most important part is to keep the reader interested and that is done by keeping him guessing, though there has to be a balance of being secretive and telling the story. End chapters with just the hint of what could happen, never reveal the master plan till the very end.

The rest is the usual stuff. A somewhat likeable character, if he cant be likeable make sure that you communicate a good reason why he isnt likeable. Also, whatever he does, he must be good at. If hes a detective, he can solve every case, if hes a doctor, he can heal every patient and so forth, though he has to struggle for the solution. Only the menial stuff should come easy. Dont turn him into a Mary Sue, give him flaws that wont upset the reader too much, maybe quirks, an addiction, a dark past...anything to make him more human.
This also applies to the antagonist, and even though he tendencially is not likeable (once identified as the antagonist) he still must have his reasons why he is doing what he is doing. If he is just evil incarnated it makes him one dimensional which is boring.

Dont rely too much on deus ex machina or similar plot devices that conveniently rescue a character out of a tough situation.
The characters (and plot for that matter) should be coherent and situations where they act out of character should be due to heavy circumstancial pressure.

One thing that usually is underestimated is this simple advice:

Only tell plot relevant things. This can of course be a longshot, but if it does not improve the plot, scrap it.

If its centered on a single character, give him a sidekick. Its best when there is (at least some) tension, everything going too smoothly between them is not interesting.

If you are fairly versed in the human psyche you can also try to elaborate on the more detailed reasons for your characters moodswings that they themselves are only vaguely (if at all) aware of.

Most stories start in some sort of safe haven, where the protagonist is usually a somewhat respected person renowned for whatever he does. Circumstances bring him to leave that place and start the adventure.

Well, thats all I got out of the top of my head.

The first thing that makes a story good is the style. Your choice of words, sentences structure, and general thoughtfulness are always welcome. Even if the story is amazing but you have the vocabulary of a five year old no one will like it.

The second thing would be to have a brilliant plot. It should be descriptive enough so that the reader can visualize it inside of their heads but not so much that it becomes bothersome reading through several dozen adjectives in one sentence. Have plot twists and try to leave no holes that may confuse people.

Also, have interesting characters and dialogue. The dialogue can be anything from funny to serious depending on the story. That's about it. Ultimately what makes a story good is how well the writer presents it. Flawless is a good word to describe it. Having no plot holes and different styles of writing will keep the reader interested. Give the read enough information to understand what's going on but don't always give them an omniscient eye.

The only thing that comes to my head immediately is whether conflict is natural or forced. I find natural conflict between the characters to be a lot more interesting that forced conflict. Natural conflict in a story is something along the lines of characters coming into conflict because of a difference in motive, or personality, or something that is really their's... I don't know exactly how to put it.

Forced Conflict would be more like, "Well, we don't like each other because we're on opposite sides of a war", or, "There's conflict right now because I'm an emergency room doctor and that has conflict."

It's hard to get into more specifics than that, for me at least.

One thing that makes a story interesting is having a clear theme or message the author is trying to get across to the reader.
It's normally done by having the theme being actively brought up in the plot but also being a constant subconcious thing (Use of metaphors, double meaning to events)
It allows the reader to search for things in the text beyond the plot and normally helps develops the characters as well

You'll have to pardon me if I don't really make this worthy of Series Discussion. I'm just too lazy to elaborate right now, but for me it's characters. A story doesn't even have a chance of working on different elements if the characterization is poor.

The sudden development of the plot...

Like if the hero thinks that his enemy is someone who did something to him or his loved one in the past and turn out to be a very close person to him then he knew that that person is being controlled by someone else... - or something that falls to that description.

it spices up the viewer's/reader's senses and stirs their inner thoughts, making them think of what'll happen next - making them wanting more of the story... and of course the personality of each characters...

for the protagonist... I like him/her to be very straight forward. very active to say the least... as for the antagonist, if there's any, to be a very smart one - where he just toys with the hero...

The most important thing has to be the plot. A good plot will be the difference between something being read and something being passed over.

Next, developed characters. You have to spend time to give characters unique personalities. Noone likes a one dimensional character who's just there for the sake of being there. Make your characters change a little over time as well. They should keep their overlying traits, but have them do little things that they would never do before so they develop even further as the story progresses.
To go along with that, cast control. You don't want a cast that's too large or too small. If it's too large the reader will want to know what happens to everyone, while if it's too small there isn't much room for conflicts to happen.

Conflict is important because it keeps things interesting. Whether it's a love quarrel, a fight over something, or even small fights that take a few seconds just because of a couple of character's personalities then it adds spice to your story.

Well I'm no expert but i say a good story is one that attracts the reader. so really it depends on what your target audience is. A lot of people like certain things, so some might love your story, while others will say it is shit.

One thing I notice, is that people seem to like stories based on fiction if they are realistic to a degree, meaning that the fiction has to be able to be proven possible by like a scientist or something. Others are into love stories, as long as it is enthralling (enthralling? I think thats the word for it), and you have a believable storyline. I don't know how you make it believable to EVERYBODY, but just try it out first, then rewrite it a few times to see how it all works.

A tip would be to write what your feeling. Sometimes just sitting there thinking "what should I write?" may not work. do something that MAKES you want to write, and write what you are thinking.

Now, I could start of with a scientific analysis of how a good story has to look due to education regulations for the average 12'th year student, but let's put that aside... In my opinion a good story/book needs:
A) A good and intriguing introduction, which leaves enough possibilities for the story to continue, but does not give out too much information
B) A lot of scenery fitting adjectives. A book without the proper mood is just not right... I mean what would be the forlorn mansion without a creaking door, the thumping heartbeat of the person entering, the howling sound of wind through the broken glass ... and so on
C)Comic relief - humor. Now that is of course a topic open for discussion as humor is something personal, but in the end, if I read a story, even if it is a dark one, it should have it's humorous moments.
D)Plot twists, quite a few of them and in a fast pace, and not towards the end, which leads me point
E)The point of no return. What would be a good story, when you wouldn't be able to see that something in this chapter (or the whole book, though that rather happens towards the end), is going to change drastically now, possibly twisting the outcome.
F)A good finish, maybe with a bit of irony or something that gives your gray cells a bit of fodder to think about.

Today is very hard make a good story but i think a good point is... do something that makes it unique, work on a good coherence on the storyline

What makes a story good? Hmm.. I like stories with lots of depth and emotion. If it can affect me in any way(Ex: makes me laugh hard or cry for an hour) then it's a good story. I like lots of description, but not too much. Things that are realistic tend to attract me too. I sometimes like stories with the same base too, because each person has their own way of telling the story with their own vivid descriptions and all ^_^

I like developing/dynamic chars that changes overtime but i also love/hate bittersweet romance maybe thats why i am so into shoujo mangas .

One thing I've noticed is that I'm drawn into stories which put the most emphasis on the characters' emotions. I'm always amazed at how some authors can make the most simple situation seem so lively and dramatic due to strong character interaction/dialogue. One prime example is the anime/manga "Hikaru no go". If it didn't have such strong drama between the characters than I would've been bored to tears. To me it doesn't matter how good the plot is, if the characters aren't believable than the series will be flatter than a week old open can of pop. The story is even more enjoyable if you can relate in some ways to the characters' struggles and conflicts.

its the quest which turns most people onto a story.(including me)

Take a charicter who is not perfect and has some personal growth to undertake-ex: adolecent

Designate a place to go to (quest to)-ex: supermarket

Mix in some chaos: bully

then quest for an object or person: girlfriend or trinket stolen

I think the most important thing is if I care about what the characters care about. If this happens, everything else falls in place. Ponder it for a bit, and you'll realize that in every good story, you care about what the character do.

Valid point, however, does what you think about a charicter affect the story line? If one looks at a story like K-ON for example-
I love Mio and all of her friends, but what was the story? If one disengages from the personas of the charicters, one can see the story is simple and bland:
A girl forms a club in highschool which is also a band.
The story wasnt "good", however the anime as a whole (in my oppinion) was "good".
Therefor, I cannot see the chaticter contribute to the story line, aside from his/her actions.