- The new cute / hot boy in school - This device is everywhere these days; I'm over it already.
- Love triangles - Maybe it raises tension, but I get a bit miffed to think the heroine (or hero) proclaims undying love for someone, and then thinks perhaps the other guy (or girl) would be a better choice. Seems flaky to me.
- Adverb ardour - yes, they can be useful, but does the author really need three in a sentence, one after the other?
- A prologue or beginning snippet that tricks me into thinking the book will move quickly, only to find I have to get to chapter 17 before anything happens - I know it's a way to sell books initially, but it's also a way to make sure I never buy a book by the author again.
- Characters who, after being silly and not bothering to think things out for themselves, get proclaimed "special" - Why? Why are they special? They didn't do anything to earn it.
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6 comments:
I hate those things too. I also hate seeing a character who is silly and shallow suddenly overcoming things with grace and wisdom that is far beyond them.
That's another good point. I've also learnt recently that I hate POV switches in the middle of scenes (without a scene break). I spend half of the next few paragraphs trying to work out what's happened and whose head I'm in.
I hate the handy friend to explain it all to which means I'm in for several pages of unexpurgated infodump. Yours are all irritating things too!
Oh, yes, absolutely! It's almost a red-outlined sign saying, "Infodump coming", isn't it?
You've hit the nail on the head. Now I don't have to write a post about this stuff. I hate love triangles--makes the characters seem unable to make a descision. If they can't make up thier minds about the love of their life, mercy, how am I as a reader supposed to believe/trust them to save the world? LOL.
I agree with that entirely. I certainly wouldn't trust them to save the world. They'd probably go between two viable options, and while they were deciding, the world would end ;).
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