What truly ANNOYS you in books? And not in a good way.

KBHumphrey said:

You people are weird

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Thank you!

KBHumphrey said:

I dislike when a character is introduced and then followed by several chapters/pages of backstory. It strikes me as clumsy writing, rather than weaving that backstory throughout the book. I liken it to meeting someone in real life. If they dominate the first few minutes of conversation by telling all about themselves, it becomes a little off-putting. Those people become the people you don't want to ask 'How are you?' because you know they will tell you...and tell you...and tell you.

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That's a really good comparison!!

Anna_Hedley said:

I've found recently that reading the line, "It wasn't a question." following a piece of dialogue sends me into a short, irrational rage fit.

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Just tagging another similar phrase onto this. For some reason, I've noticed it everywhere in the past month or so, especially in young adult or urban fantasy.

When a character is explaining something, blaming someone, or stating a truth no one wants to hear and adds the annoying, "and you know it" to the end. Gahhh, isn't that something twelve year olds say?! I don't know any adults who say this in real life. It instantly makes me see the characters as immature.

Passive characters drive me nuts.

[FONT=&quot]“Active” characters are the ones that go after their goals, even if they fail. More passive characters do not. If the writer just keeps the MC actively pursuing his /her goal, it will keep the plot moving forward. Even he/she is doesn’t obtain it, that still advances the storyline. [/FONT]

I think Roxx and others bring up very good points that we need to keep in mind when beta-reading (and mining the nuggets from our beta-reader advice). I know since joining AW, and even before with an IRL beta-reader I have who is a fellow author, that fellow writers may gnash their teeth over things that your average Joe reader (or your intended audience) just doesn't care about. If it's good story that keeps them turning the page and they love to love or hate your characters, well...hey, you're on to something! So I try to test some suggestions back on my "Book Club Beta-Readers" before I do anything drastic.

As far as other annoyances, I hate when sex derails a character's development cycle. (And I'm looking at Ms. Hamilton on this one - I still grit my teeth at what happened to Anita Blake, vampire hunter extraordinaire.) I think it bothers me when the MC, whether it's male or female, becomes defined by sex rather than by their other actions (unless you're reading erotica, which is a different kettle of fish). It's a copout, and it makes me sad when a great character's knee jerk reaction is to solve it through the bedroom, rather than relying on brains or other kick-ass actions. Come on, if he's a jerk, just punch his lights out, right? Do you really need to seduce him? But I'm starting to digress into a rant...(and yeah, I do like romance, despite how this may read).

I thought I would ask this here instead of in a new thread. What would your reaction be if a book switched from first person past tense to first person present tense for the second half?

Justin K said:

I thought I would ask this here instead of in a new thread. What would your reaction be if a book switched from first person past tense to first person present tense for the second half?

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Negative, probably.
It'd have to be done very well, and there'd have to be a pretty stark reason for it.

KBHumphrey said:

I dislike when a character is introduced and then followed by several chapters/pages of backstory. It strikes me as clumsy writing, rather than weaving that backstory throughout the book.

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Most of the time, that's probably true. But OTOH, I recently read an excellent book that gave the backstory of every character you meet the first time you meet them. The POV was omniscient, and for this style and this book, the technique worked brilliantly. This was a story that had strong roots in the past, and the reader really did need to know where the characters came from in order to understand the story going forward. Plus, it was all interesting backstory.

Seems like the older I get, the more open I am to just accepting the way a book is written and setting aside prejudices until I see whether it works in context, rather than pre-judging based on the "rules."

Lately in fantasy when one character tells another character, "You're not like the others. You're different." This now makes me face palm.

Justin K said:

I thought I would ask this here instead of in a new thread. What would your reaction be if a book switched from first person past tense to first person present tense for the second half?

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Probably to stop reading, unless the book was already damned outstanding. (I dislike present tense to start with, find most efforts don't carry it off well, and might be annoyed by what I'd regard as bait-and-switch.)

M.W. Palmer said:

Lately in fantasy when one character tells another character, "You're not like the others. You're different." This now makes me face palm.

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My clone siblings said this to me....