Writing Entertaining Slice of Life

[Shamiko]

Hi all! I was wondering, what makes slice of like enjoyable for you as readers? I've read a lot of slice of life, so I myself have a general idea for me, but I'd like to hear other people's opinions too. Thanks!

 

[Eldoria]

Well, as a reader, I've read and watched a lot of SoL fiction. This genre is engaging as long as it's well-narrated, especially when it touches readers' real-life emotions. Therefore, SoL is usually closely tied to emotional and intimate relationships such as family, friendship, or intrapersonal relationships.

However, personally, I enjoy SoL that touches on family themes such as mother-daughter, father-son, or brother-sister (siblings) relationships, and how their stories are organically narrated from everyday scenes.

 

[ShrimpShady]

As a certified slice of life enjoyer, I'd say a charming and dynamic cast of characters as well as a wide emotional palette go a long way

Or you could just be really really funny

 

[BearlyAlive]

I personally love the fluff and lull between stuff happening as well as people just bouncing around during their interactions like "ruthless" friend groups where banter is free-for-all.

 

[Zagaroth]

Personal goals.

This one is sort of a hiding-in-plain-sight trait that's easy to miss, but part of characters being interesting is that they have personal goals. They don't have to be big ones, they can be little ones, such as getting better at a specific skill or hobby, but they still have something they are working for.

This is part of how slice of life and progression fantasy can overlap. You just need characters whose hobbies include training because they like the feeling of pushing their bodies and their limits, and like having a good, friendly spar.

But this should not be their only goal. I love Goku, but a good Slice of Life protagonist he is not.

Relationships, dealing with family, dealing with the *other* person's family, all of these interact, but a character who does not have something that they, personally, want to do will tend to come out a little flat.

Perhaps a guy just wants the nice quiet life of a farmer and sets about making that happen. He travels out to the edge of civilization, meets a cute girl, starts getting to know the locals of the nearby town, and everything is going great.

Then shenanigans happen that make life difficult. I've now introduced you to "Beware of Chicken" (one of my favorite mixes of SoL and PF).

 

[FRWriter]

I think SoL needs to have an interesting theme to draw in the viewers.

SoL can never be a true standalone genre IMO.

 

[Eldoria]

I think SoL needs to have an interesting theme to draw in the viewers.

SoL can never be a true standalone genre IMO.

Dude, you should watch Non Non Biyori and Yuru Camp. They're solid SoL anime, even without the added genre. The main focus of the story is on everyday life and hobbies.

 

[FRWriter]

Dude, you should watch Non Non Biyori and Yuru Camp. They're solid SoL anime, even without the added genre. The main focus of the story is on everyday life and hobbies.

I know them, and I also know the classics like Lucky Star and TMOHS.

Anyway, they work for Anime... but I thought we were talking about writing here? Any book needs a draw. It's much different from anime or Light Novels (which have a ton of art).

Even so, the examples you listed have a draw and a clear theme.
Yuru Camp has a draw, that's camping.
Non Non Biyori also has a draw of the countryside and the age gap among the girls.

My point is simply that you need to choose at least some overall theme and then build your SoL around that theme.

4 random girls having fun = not something you'd be interested in.
4 girls living in the countryside, going to school together despite their huge age gaps = that's something that draws you in.

 

[CinnaSloth]

It could range from just daily tasks and the nonsense of getting them done like going to the store and seeing bananas on sale, to Diary style writing focusing on day to day emotions of a high school girl just going through classes. Slice of life can be anything and as long as it's written well, I wouldn't mind reading.
But, by the end, I'd like to, at the very least, feel as though I know this person as if they were real, or if I could have been their friend in another life.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I like it as a change of pace from a story, not as a genre itself. Give the characters some down time, let their personalities show, and maybe have the main plot creep forward a little when nobody's looking.

 

[DismaiNaim]

Hi all! I was wondering, what makes slice of like enjoyable for you as readers? I've read a lot of slice of life, so I myself have a general idea for me, but I'd like to hear other people's opinions too. Thanks!

Question: what is it about SoL that makes it SoL?

 

[TinaMigarlo]

I find slice of life to be much like pure romance (not sex). Bor-ing by itself as the only theme. But mixed with another genre, they become more than the sum of their parts.