I’m reading a book right now that has managed to hit several of my writing pet peeves. Boring openings, plot points that come out of nowhere (and not in the cool, “I totally didn’t see that coming, but wow it fits” way), motivations and characterizations that are far too on the nose. Everyone feels exactly what they say they feel, which is also, conveniently, exactly as they are supposed to feel.
These are a bit general, I know. It’s not so specific as “characters with red hair” that some people find annoying (I don’t, btw. Love me some Anne Shirley). The specific things that I tend to find annoying in characters is the otherwise practical historical heroine in extremely dire straits (not in genteel poverty) who turns down the otherwise eminently suitable, respectable offer of marriage that will save her. I don’t like it when the main characters make none of the decisions that drive the plot. Some things, of course, are out of their control, but if they are just along for the ride… bleh.
But then, some people get majorly peeved by scenes that don’t bother me at all. One of my friends hates anything she terms a “Scooby Doo” scene: when the characters sit down and have explained to them everything that was going on that they didn’t understand. That doesn’t bother me, though I suppose it depends how it’s done. For instance, I am annoyed when the villain could just choose to kill the good guys but instead feels the need to explain himself, thereby giving them time to escape (parodied most excellently in both Austin Powers and The Incredibles). But in some cases, it’s necessary for a non-POV character to explain what may be happening behind the scenes. I have what I suppose you could call “Scooby Doo” scenes in many of my books, and often, they are my favorite scenes. I love those moment of revelation, when everything a character thinks she understands about another are shattered, and I love being able to peek into those moments.
What about you? What are your reading pet peeves? Or what do you love in a book that other people do not?
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:02 am
I will not read a book without a plot.
OK, I think I’ve finished some, but it has to be EXTREMELY interesting for me to keep reading if there is not conflict for which I want to know the resolution.
Hence, I’ve been “In Progress” with Owen Meany and Jitterbug Perfume for about 3 years now. Every now and then I pick them up and read a chapter, but I can always put it down, because there’s no incentive to keep going.
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:45 am
I hate watching an action sequence where somebody is managing to run away from 30 guys firing Machine Guns.
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
You hit on my pet peeve, which is passive characters. Even when bad things are happening, I like strong characters who retain a sense of agency. It wasn’t until a few months ago during a reader’s advisory (librarian speak for recommending books) training session where we were talking about “appeal characteristics” that I realized passive vs. active characters is a preference and not a marker of writing quality.
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
My pet peeve is blatantly expository dialogue. I’m not talking about “Scooby Doo” scenes, I’m talking about random characters babbling on about the back story of the main character while within her earshot in the prologue (true story: started reading a NY Times bestseller that opened this way and immediately tossed in the goodwill pile). I’d rather find these things out in bits an pieces than have them shoved on me.
On the other hand I am awful fond of dense, meandering narrative. I have limits of course, but I find that my tolerance is much higher than a lot of other people I know.
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Mine is loose ends that never get tied up, and at the end of the book you are flipping back through going, huh? Did I miss something?
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I hate passive characters too. Also heroines we are repeatedly told are smart who do incredibly stupid things like exploring the spooky mansion at night, alone without making sure their cellphone is charged up. Okay that’s not from a book but there are lots of instances of people doing incredibly stupid things which I wouldn’t mind if they were meant to be stupid but not if they’re meant to be smart. Oh and being told characters are funny/witty but they never get any funny dialogue.
But if I am really enjoying the story I can forgive just about anything!
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
1) heroes and heroines who fall instantly and madly in love
2) babies or toddlers or small children belonging to heroine
3) dialogue that is not realistic
4) sarcasm treated as humor – typically heroine character
5) any TSTL moment
I am sure there are more. Oh, and ANY book that starts with the character looking in the mirror and checking himself/herself out (that includes you, DaVinci Code!).
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
1. Using 5 pages to describe a simple setting.
2. Two characters that have similar names or even the same name. It makes things too confusing.
3. Character traits that are meant to be cool and quirky, but it really seems dorky. I have read all of the Stephanie Plum novels, but sometimes I think the author is trying to hard for quirky.
4. Long and elaborate sentence structure. I like things kept simple.
[Reply]
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Passive main characters are a peeve of mine, too.
Probably my two biggest peeves:
I really really hate it when everyone except the MC “knows” that s/he is meant to do something, and finally s/he “realizes” that they’re right after all. (This most often happens with love interests, where everyone knows two characters are “meant” to be together except one or both of the characters involved.)
I really really hate stupid misunderstandings that could be solved by two people taking a moment to talk to one another, but of course they don’t because then the conflict (and the book) would be over!
Things I like that others don’t… The only thing that comes to mind is I like endings that aren’t entirely happy. I like my endings to be satisfying and hopeful, but I don’t like every single loose end tied up and everyone having gotten everything they wanted, because that feels unrealistic to me. But I know some people are bothered when issues aren’t completely resolved, or are resolved in a way that isn’t quite what the characters would have liked.
[Reply]
October 24th, 2008 at 7:59 am
I am nodding along to a lot of these! And then, of course, I’m going, “But what about X — I love that!” to some of them.
For instance, CG, what about when, say, NEO runs away from 30 machine guns? I mean, it’s a well known fact that bad guy henchmen are always terrible shots.
Oh, wait, there I go using sarcasm as humor, and probably annoying Kristin in the process.
Alexa, that’s interesting about the characters who do dumb things. I tend to think that all characters do dumb things from time to time, just as all people do. I’ve received critiques of the SSG books that say they don’t like the books because if these characters are so smart, why are they always doing such dumb things? Why, for example, does Jenny let herself get manipulated by Micah? Why don’t any of the characters realize the perfidy going on right under their noses?
But I think that you can be smart and also make those mistakes. The other thing is that a lot of the characters in SSG have book smarts but not necessarily street smarts. All their thought processes are focused in this one little box that sometimes they can’t see the whole picture. Like Amy is very good at reading and analyzing literature — but that analysis aspect of her life actually handicaps her when it comes to decision making.
Megan, that “everyone knows but me” thing bugs me too — especially when everyone knows but they flatly REFUSE to tell the main character, even when it could help them. I wanted to throw a few Harry Potters against the wall for that crime.
As for happy endings, I love ‘em. But I agree with you that I like them more when they are happy, but not quite the way it was expected, or requiring a great sacrifice to achieve.
[Reply]