Why do you keep reading a book? Usually to find out what happens. Why do you give up and stop reading it? There may be lots of reasons. But often the answer is you don't care what happens. So what makes the difference between caring and not caring? The author's cruelty. And the reader's sympathy...it takes a mean author to write a good story.
Gail Carson LevineI'm more interested in plot than theme, but I hope my values find their way into my stories: kindness, sympathy, effort, and humor!
Gail Carson Levine