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What Do You Hate In Books?
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These are just my opinions and I hope I don't offend anyone....I get really annoyed at characters that I feel are too selfish or shallow. I don't actually mind if the character is a big jerk as long as they know it and they own it - and the author doesn't gloss over the fact that their character is a big jerk. I dislike when a character is supposed to be amazing, beautiful and talented and it seems like whole world revolves around them even though they are just very self-centred and undeserving. Sometimes I feel like an author will use the dual pov format just so the male character can gush about how gorgeous and perfect the female character is, but the audience is not convinced because the author is telling us these things and not showing us. Also, I know this this is a cliche but I hate INSTA-LOVE. Insta-love is like taking a delicious piece of cake and injecting it directly into your stomach (sorry for the terrible analogy). You don't get to enjoy it, but you still get the sickly sugar rush. And I think its important for the audience to fall in love along with the characters. One of the most important things I look for in a romance is that I want the author to bring two characters together and make me fall in love with them. Make me feel like I their love is real. Insta-love can make a good character seem very 2-dimensional.
I don't like when the character is really just an extension of the author's wish fulfilment. And I've written these kinds of stories a few years ago, too so I'm not judging. But the thing is, its hard for the audience to connect to a character that was created to be (basically) a perfect version of the author because we find ourselves criticising the author and then the illusion is destroyed.
I don't hate love triangles but I hate when they make the main character into someone very selfish. I don't like it when the main girl has one guy on the side and gets angry that the other guy is not paying attention to her as well. its just too childish for me and I don't think that this type of love is real love.
When I read I like to be entertained, when I write I try to entertain. Much of what Bree says could apply to me too.
I don't like it when the book is written in a lot of "purple prose" just for the sake of having purple prose, especially in run-on sentences. It can annoy the reader because if multiple objects/actions in a sentence are introduced and each object/action has many descriptive words attached to it, (especially if the author wrote the sentence incorrectly) this means that the reader might have to go back and read the sentence several times just to understand what the author is trying to say. I don't mind purple prose much as long as it's written that way for a reason or if it's an older book, and not just written for the sake of writing it.
I agree with what Paulina said. It goes along with my distaste for writing that tells you instead of shows you.There's no bigger Melville fan than ol' Steve here, and I realize he was guilty of it. But he was trying to excite his readers' imaginations, while most writers make it seem like they think their readers are too stupid to get the point unless it's spelled out for them.
Ratchet it down a notch, overwriters. We get it. WE GET IT!
I don't like predictability or storylines that contain no mystery whatsoever, so as to present you with the entire plot in an instant. This leaves no room for the imagination to run with all the possibilities of what could potentially happen, therefore the story itself looses its charm. I like to be taken on a journey, to be left to decide what the characters are like for myself and to ponder on what the outcome of the tale might be.For example, if one was told instantly that Harry kills Voldemort in book 7 and everyone lives 'happily ever after' then that would certainly detract from the enjoyment of reading the series to find out what may or may not happen. What if Harry does die? Will Voldemort battle him or run? all these questions linger in your mind until the very end ~ its what makes you want to keep reading.
I'm loving the hating here. I don't enjoy pretentiousness in books and creating words for the sake of creating words.
I agree with Bree for most of this especially the selfish part. But I also get annoyed when an author has a different image in their head for a character that I do. It can't really be helped, but it is frustrating when the author, for example, says the character has long hair, but you thought the character had short hair.Doesn't normally happen, but when it does it really really annoys me.
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To add on i hate when i already have this amazing finale scene for some twist ending and the author ends it...not to my expectations. something that youd think would have this controversial complexity to it only to find out that its just one big unsolvable hoax. What suthor cant sum up their own story?
Anyways, just my twocents on that....
I hate long description. Basically, anything that is described in more than 4 sentences.I generally skip over it unless it's extremely necessary.
Totally agree, Jayda! I like description, but some authors add way too much.
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Harry Potter is my favorite series, but JK Rowling went over the top during quite a bit whilst describing things.I think if you can't describe something in 5 sentences or less, that you're describing it too much. I skip almost all description in books unless it's important.
Description needs to flow with the writing, but most of the time it just stops the flow and makes it boring.
There is a fine line between using detailed descriptions for setting, atmosphere and ambience to having too much which breaks the 'flow'.
I agree with what Paige said about it being annoying when I have a perfectly clear picture of a character in my head that I am beginning to really feel a connection with, and then the author goes and tells me she is blonde or he has long hair. Undeniably irritating.But then I was thinking, now isn't that a contradiction all writers struggle with? We want our readers to really "see" our characters the way we see them, but we must always be aware never to cross the line into overdetailing our descriptions.
Where is that line? How can you really know when to stop? Like the poet who never thinks his work is done, When do you say enough! they get it!?
Good point. I struggle with that, too, sometimes. :)
I struggle with that a lot. I find that if the character I've come to picture starts getting described differently, I kind of block out those details and continue to picture the character as I have been.
When there's a character who in the beginning is awesome, but then in the end he/she sorta becomes stupid and annoying, and you just want to slap him/her and yell "SNAP OUT OF IT YOU IDIOT!"I just read a book like that. It was really annoying.
The fact that every book that falls under the fantasy and supernatural genres are usually the same thing. If it's not about vampires, then it's about werewolves; if it's not about werewolves; it's about demons; if it's not about demons, then it's about angels; you pretty much know where I'm getting at.
*Don't mention writing cliches! There's a separate thread in this folder for that. :)