Slice of Life Novels - Do they work?

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

For some time now I've been working on a story and recently I'm having doubts about whether it's a waste of time. It seems most stories feature a crisis of some kind, with villains, maybe sorcery, and high adventures and battles to be fought. However, I seem to be always writing stories without a clear bad guy or major crisis. I guess they could be classified as "slice of life" tales.

Lately, though, I've begun wondering if slice of life is just not enough in a novel form. Maybe slice of life flies better in comic or animated forms because of the visual appeals.

So, my question to readers &/or writers is, "Is slice of life a successful story type in novel form or do I really need a dire crisis to have a story that will engage a reader?"

[Kelheor]

I am not sure if slice of life is a right definition here. But in any way, yes, I think they work. Right now a lot of "cozy" subcultures as cottagecore are very popular, all the "light academia" stuff and some more, so I absolutely believe there's an audience for that.
I recently read "Anne of Green Gables" that I suppose people are intended to read in middle school and it was such a wholesome, cozy, everyday little story I'd definitely pick up more of such books.

[bulgariansumo]

Well, I would hope so, I'm writing one. Though out of the stories I've read, I think I've only read one, Adventures of a Traveling Fisherman by Keraca808 on Wattpad. (I recommend it. It has a really nice, easy-going vibe to it as the main character travels around meeting new faces.)

So I don't have the most experience actually reading the genre, but I've noticed things that make it work that also make me confident in my own writing.

In slice of life, characters are key. Recurring? One-off? Whatever. You gotta have standout characters, characters that the audience will want to see in situations.

The characters do not have to change, but it's probably easier to hold a reader's interest if some do. Slice-of-life gag comedies where every character stays stagnant are probably harder to translate to written form. But if your characters change over time? Congratulations, that is your plot.

It doesn't have to be the main characters. In fact, in the story I mentioned above, the main character doesn't really change all that much. He's kind of mysterious. It's the characters he meets on his journey that changes through meeting him, and it's often done in such a heartfelt or fun way that it made me interested in seeing how he affects the next person.

My writing tends to have characters going through a bunch of arcs, affecting each other's development along the way. That's an option, too.

I've always kind of resented the idea that a story must have a big conflict to work. Though, this is just my take.

I recently read "Anne of Green Gables" that I suppose people are intended to read in middle school and it was such a wholesome, cozy, everyday little story I'd definitely pick up more of such books.

Oh, I have that laying around my house somewhere. I should read it.

[Mallory]

When a bunch of readers were surveyed about what exactly makes them stick with a book, the overwhelming majority, regardless of genre, said “good characters”. Since it’s kind of the appeal of slice of life comics, I can’t see why it couldn’t work (in fact I might even argue that a lot of what is considered literary fiction actually is slice of life, in a way).

The only caveat I would say is that successful slice of life =\= nothing happens. The hallmark of any good book that retains readers is interesting characters - characters who have internal conflicts, goals, and things that stand in the way of those goals. A slice of life just scales those conflicts, goals and obstacles waaaayyy down, and in the process makes the story a character study (with the smaller stakes, it becomes imperative that the audience is sold on the importance of those stakes to the character).

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

Thank you to everyone who replied. I'm somewhat encouraged but still unsure if this story will ever see the light of day. I do add & edit scenes, occasionally, but nothing is gelling like my other writing did, and I'm questioning whether that's a sign that this project is dying.

[panpanwuvmgau]

Sharing my two cents: There are published and popular novels that are recognized under the Slice of Life genre so yes, they do work. I don't think Slice of Life novels require a clear bad guy or a major crisis since it's supposed to showcase a portion of a character's life. That's why works under this genre can sometimes lack a coherent plot, conflict, or ending unlike most literary genres.

What I think makes Slice of Life captivating though is how relatable or interesting the featured character or experiences in the story are to a reader. Why is this particular slice of life worth reading? What makes this particular portion of someone's life worth sharing to a wider audience? What will readers get out of reading a character's experience?

And of course in novel format, narrative style is important in hooking and maintaining reader interest especially in this genre. The same applies if it's translated into comics - the art style needs to complement and even enhance the experience of exploring the featured character's life.

As for your uncertainty about the story you're writing, recalling the purpose for telling the story can be a good way to help you decide whether continuing the story or sharing it is still worth your effort or not. What was your goal to begin with and is the material available to you wright now satisfying or meeting that goal? This will also help you figure out if adding, editing or deleting scenes in your story is appropriate.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

recalling the purpose for telling the story can be a good way to help you decide whether continuing the story or sharing it is still worth your effort or not. What was your goal to begin with

I think I don't write with a goal, per se, I just kinda fall in love with the idea of certain characters or a certain scenario & begin imagining bits & pieces that could go together puzzle-fashion to tell a story of sorts.

TBH, the general lack of feedback to stuff I've already written & posted makes me question whether the kinds of things I fell in love with are interesting to others. I'm pretty sure I'm not a writer who can derive pleasure from writing for myself alone. Every time I write a scene, there's a part of me anticipating how it might "hit" the reader.

[panpanwuvmgau]

TBH, the general lack of feedback to stuff I've already written & posted makes me question whether the kinds of things I fell in love with are interesting to others. I'm pretty sure I'm not a writer who can derive pleasure from writing for myself alone. Every time I write a scene, there's a part of me anticipating how it might "hit" the reader.

This is a goal for your writing already. You want to share something that you're interested in to readers and gather their positive feedback. I'm not saying writers should write for themselves. I know that not everyone can have that mindset. I'm just saying you need to be aware of the purpose behind your writing, and why you want to share it. What do you hope to achieve through your story?

For example, if your goal is to write something that will be a "hit" to readers, then you need to find topics, themes, or premises that won't just be relatable or interesting to you. It also needs to be relatable and interesting to the people you're sharing it too.

And yes, the only way to figure this out is feedback. Get people you trust or anyone you're willing to receive honest critiques from to review your work. You can also observe the people around you, get up to date on what people are talking about on the news or social media, and talk to various people in your target demographic to see what is interesting for them.

[vapidink]

Stories without a villain or world ending event as the conflict are usually about inner conflict. They're like Catcher in the Rye, where it's a glimpse into the mind of a troubled teenage boy. There isn't really a villain, but it's still interesting. Or look at the myriad of romance and drama books with no villain, just the inner conflict of the main character.

I wrote a story some time back that was all about inner conflict. It's a story about loss, moving on, and depression. I expected a small audience from the start, because there is no flashy hook, but it's gotten a decent audience at Wattpad and is now a Paid Story.

If you love the idea of the story, then write it. You really have nothing to lose, and there's always someone else for whom the story will resonate.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

And yes, the only way to figure this out is feedback

Catch 22, kinda, huh?

[panpanwuvmgau]

Yes, so the question that probably should be asked here is not if Slice of Life works - because it does. It's if your Slice of Life works for your target audience. And the only way to answer that is to ask readers or potential readers of your work.

[TheLemmaLlama]

Yes, so the question that probably should be asked here is not if Slice of Life works - because it does. It's if your Slice of Life works for your target audience. And the only way to answer that is to ask readers or potential readers of your work.

I think their point is that it's a Catch-22 because they've already posted and not gotten much feedback, but they need feedback to write someone that people will read and give feedback on

TBH, the general lack of feedback to stuff I've already written & posted makes me question whether the kinds of things I fell in love with are interesting to others. I'm pretty sure I'm not a writer who can derive pleasure from writing for myself alone. Every time I write a scene, there's a part of me anticipating how it might "hit" the reader.

For me, it's more like I'm unlikely to check something out in the first place without first knowing why the creator has fallen in love with it. But if you can communicate why you fell in love with something, that sounds pretty suspiciously like a goal, in that you're trying to evoke X, Y, Z specific things that made you fall in love, so that the reader can also fall in love.

So it may not be that 'the kinds of things you fell in love with aren't interesting to others' (although with the huge range of tastes out there, this is probably still a factor), but rather we never got around to SEEING the kinds of things you fell in love with in the first place, because you didn't tell us upfront in 50-foot flashing neon signs and we couldn't be bothered to dig it out of your skull/manuscript.

Maybe your goallessness is a sign that you don't really have a clear sense of why you fell in love with those characters/scenarios/etc? (That certainly was the case for me with my earlier comic attempts, at least :P)

[panpanwuvmgau]

I think their point is that it's a Catch-22 because they've already posted and not gotten much feedback, but they need feedback to write someone that people will read and give feedback on

I understand. My point was that the question asked in the beginning of this thread - "Is slice of life a successful story type in novel form or do I really need a dire crisis to have a story that will engage a reader? - might not be the question that should be asked, because the genre itself isn't the problem.

Posting one's work online isn't the only way to gather feedback. I've seen determined writers here seek honest critiques from other writers/readers. Some join various writing groups on Discord. Feedback can also be gathered from people offline like friends, family or anyone else a writer might openly accept honest critiques from. That's what I meant when I said ask readers or potential readers about whether the author's Slice of Life works for them. If that's still not a valid answer to the problem, then I'm sorry. I guess I didn't really get it.

[cherrystark]

So, my question to readers &/or writers is, "Is slice of life a successful story type in novel form or do I really need a dire crisis to have a story that will engage a reader?"

I think slice of life style novels work if you have a solid plot line. For example, there are a lot of classic US plays such as "Raisin in the Sun", "Barefoot in the Park", and even "Death of a Salesman", which are all "slice of life" style stories. They pick up at a random moment in the characters' lives. They had lives before the story started and will after the story ends. The stories work because there is a plot. I don't think they work quite as well if the writer tried to cover every aspect of the character's life.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

I've seen determined writers here seek honest critiques from other writers/readers.

I've refrained from soliciting reviews here because I suspected such would be interpreted as a ploy to get some views numbers & maybe new subs & subsequently be ignored. I did friends & family requests but those fell upon stony ground. Crickets. Pretty sure I included solicitations for comments in my longer that one chapter offerings & that doesn't seem to have worked much, either.

Anyway, the silence from what I hope were readers was why I wondered if the genre wasn't very interesting (reason for the post). So, if the genre is okay, then maybe my stories suck or my writing style is off-putting or maybe the average Tapas reader is just rarely leaves feedback & I shouldn't expect any. So much to think about still.

[panpanwuvmgau]

I still think it's too early to say that the writing sucks, unless you receive comments or feedback that proves it. And I understand your challenge with feedback now that you've shared how you've exhausted the offline options.

I've refrained from soliciting reviews here because I suspected such would be interpreted as a ploy to get some views numbers & maybe new subs & subsequently be ignored.

I understand this too. A lot of review/comment swaps I've done earned me superficial comments. At least from my experience, it's because writers - especially new ones - hope to receive more positive and encouraging feedback in return. But there are still people on the forums who willingly provide honest (no holds barred) critiques, mostly in the Review/Feedback section.

While soliciting reviews do seem like a self-promotion, I think its still important to do because it increases the chance of finding authors who may be open to providing constructive feedback on your work.

You can also try to share your work on other platforms. Royal Road has a structured way of reviewing works, but you still need to actively solicit reviews from other people. And at least from my experience, review swaps there can be more constructive than here.

Asking for general advice on how to make a story under a particular genre work is good, but it can't completely address challenges in a specific work especially if you think you've already ticked off all the boxes and you're still not getting what you're expecting to receive.

The best solution here is to address the real cause of the problem which is receiving constructive feedback. And the way to do that is to ask for or explore various options to get it.