What Agents & Readers Want: How to Write a Story That Works

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST | LISTEN ON SPOTIFY | LISTEN ON YOUTUBE

Have you ever sat down to write a novel and thought, ‘Where do I even begin?’ Or maybe you’ve started writing, but something feels... off. You’re not alone. Most writers struggle with this because they’re missing the five key elements that make a story work.

I see it all the time as a book coach and editor. Writers come to me with beautiful sentences, lyrical descriptions, and pages that could make you cry... but the story itself? It’s not working. And here’s the truth: agents and readers don’t fall in love with beautiful words. They fall in love with compelling stories.

Take Amanda, for example. She spent three years perfecting every sentence in her manuscript. Her beta readers raved about her ‘stunning prose’ and ‘lyrical voice.’ But when she sat down to read it, something felt off. The story wasn’t working. She realized she’d been so focused on writing beautiful sentences that she’d forgotten to build a story readers could connect with.

Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Most writers don’t struggle with writing beautiful words—they struggle with creating a story that works.

By the end of this post, you’ll understand the five key elements every successful novel needs—and how to start weaving them into your story. These are the things agents and readers are actually looking for—the things that make them fall in love with your story and keep them turning the pages. Whether you’re just starting out or revising a draft, these elements will help you create a novel that works. Let’s dive in.

The 5 Key Elements Every Successful Novel Needs

So, what makes agents request full manuscripts and readers stay up all night turning pages? It’s not just about plot twists or poetic prose—it’s about creating a story that makes people feel something.

But here’s the thing: these five elements aren’t standalone ingredients. They’re part of a system. Each one needs to work in harmony with the others to create a story that feels cohesive and emotionally resonant.

#1: A Character Worth Caring About

First up—and this is non-negotiable—you need a character readers actually care about.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Of course I need a good character!" But here's where many writers go wrong: they think "likable" equals "perfect." That's not what agents and readers want at all.

Agents don't need to love your protagonist, but they need to care what happens to them. So how do you create that? By making your character feel real, flawed, and deeply human. Someone who wants something desperately—and here's the key—whose want matters to us because we understand it on a gut level.

Let me show you what I mean. Take Evelyn Hugo from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Evelyn isn't always likable—she's manipulative, selfish, and willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. But we care about her because underneath all that, she's deeply human. She's spent her entire life being defined by others—by men, by Hollywood, by the media. Her desperate need to finally control her own narrative? We get that. We've all felt powerless at some point. We've all wanted to scream, "That's not who I really am!"

See the difference? It's not about making your character nice. It's about making their deepest desire something we recognize in ourselves.

Without this emotional connection, even the most action-packed plot feels hollow. Readers don't just want to watch things happen—they want to feel invested in who it's happening to.

Which brings us to...

#2: Stakes That Actually Matter

Your protagonist needs to pursue something difficult—something with real consequences if they fail. But here's what trips up so many writers: they create external stakes without connecting them to internal ones.

Let me explain. "The world will end" is a stake. But unless we understand what that means to your specific character on a personal level, it's just noise. The stakes that really matter are the ones tied directly to your character's emotional journey.

Take Where the Crawdads Sing. On the surface, Kya's fighting for survival in the marsh. That's an external stake—will she live or die? But the real stakes that make us turn pages? They're internal. It's about her right to exist as she is—wild, free, different. It's about her desperate yearning for love while being terrified of abandonment.

Those are universal fears. We've all worried about not fitting in. We've all wanted to be loved for who we really are. That's why we care so deeply about whether Kya succeeds or fails.

So when you're creating stakes, ask yourself: What does my character stand to lose emotionally? What fear will they have to face? What part of themselves might they have to sacrifice?

And speaking of what characters have to face...

#3: Conflict That Tests Character

Here's a mistake I see constantly: writers create obstacles that are just things to overcome. But challenges can't just be external problems to solve. They must force your character to grow, change, or reveal who they really are.

Think of obstacles as mirrors that reflect your character's true nature—especially the parts they'd rather not see.

Take The Hunger Games. Yes, Katniss faces physical survival in the arena. But notice how every challenge forces her to make impossible choices. Save Peeta and risk her own life? Protect Rue and paint a target on her back? Play the romance angle to get sponsors even though it feels fake?

Each obstacle strips away another layer of who Katniss thinks she is (selfish, just trying to survive) and reveals who she really is (someone who will sacrifice herself for others). That's transformation. That's what readers crave.

So for every obstacle in your story, ask: How does this force my character to change? What truth about themselves do they have to confront?

But transformation alone isn't enough...

#4: An Emotional Journey That Fits Your Genre

Readers pick up your book expecting to feel certain things based on your genre. Romance readers want the butterflies, the tension, the swoon. Thriller readers want their hearts racing. Fantasy readers want wonder and escape.

But here's the trick: you need to deliver those expected emotions in unexpected ways.

Look at Beach Read by Emily Henry. It's a contemporary romance, so we expect the attraction and banter. But Henry doesn't stop there. She makes us feel January's grief over her father's death, her creative paralysis, and her sense of betrayal. We feel her walls coming down bit by bit. The romance works because it's woven into this deeper emotional journey of healing and rediscovering who she is as a writer.

The key is layering. Yes, give readers the emotions they came for. But surprise them with depth they didn't expect. Make them feel things they didn't know they needed to feel.

This emotional complexity is what transforms a good story into an unforgettable one.

And finally, you need...

#5: A Resolution That Satisfies (Even If It Doesn't Make Us Happy)

Your ending needs to do two things: resolve the external plot AND complete your character's internal journey. Miss either one, and readers will throw your book across the room.

But here's what confuses many writers: satisfying doesn't mean happy. It means the ending feels inevitable—like this was the only way the story could have ended—while still surprising us.

Take Romeo and Juliet. Is it happy? No. But is it satisfying? Absolutely. Why? Because every choice the characters made led them to that moment. The tragedy feels both shocking and inevitable. Their deaths aren't random—they're the natural conclusion of the story's themes about love, hate, and the price of division.

Or consider The Great Gatsby. Gatsby's death is tragic, but it completes his arc. He lived in an illusion and died for it. The ending delivers on everything the story promised, even if it breaks our hearts.

A great ending ties together every thread—character desire, stakes, obstacles, and emotional journey—into a moment that feels both surprising and like it couldn't have happened any other way.

Ready to Write a Novel That Works?

Remember, these five elements aren’t just boxes to check—they’re the foundation of every great story. And the best part? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

If you’re ready to stop polishing sentences while your story goes nowhere... if you want to finally write a novel that agents request and readers devour... then my Notes to Novel course is exactly what you need.

Your novel deserves to be more than just pretty words on a page—it deserves to be finished, and it deserves to be read. Let’s make it happen!