I ran across a great article the other day HERE. And almost ten years later (hello 2021), that post is still up!

It mentions a bunch of cool things but a particular idea caught my attention. It's the SO WHAT factor.

From the post:

"It's easy to confuse concept with plot, and that's not it. Because that leaves out something that Lisa Cron's recent book WIRED FOR STORY calls the "'so what?' factor." She goes on to explain that the "so what?" factor is what clues a reader in on the point of the story, the relevance of everything that happens in it, what the story is about."

Basically, why should we care? Empathy is SO important in books. I think empathy and curiosity are the two biggest things that will keep a reader turning pages. 
What do you think?

If you've got a WIP, check out your first page and ask yourself if it piques curiosity or empathy.
Think of a book you couldn't put down. What kept you reading? How can you work that "So What" relevance into your WIP?

I would also call this STAKES.What does your character have to lose if he or she does not reach the initial goal? Stakes, stakes, stakes. That's what makes the story matter, in  my opinion. 
Think even of movies, since they tend to go faster. Immediately the viewer is thrust into a situation with a character who needs to accomplish something OR ELSE ... something bad will happen. This is what keeps us hooked into a story. We have to care about the character. 
Whew. So this is a repost almost ten years later but I still feel just as strongly about it. Now I need to revise, I think. LOL And maybe rewrite all my books.