...I was going to say that.Anah said:
It seems as if the Dresden Files are more popular then I thought.
OT: I can't really think of any.
Literary Pet Peeves
- Thread starter tkioz
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It seems as if the Dresden Files are more popular then I thought.
OT: I can't really think of any.
Really? What's wrong with the first person? I think you're the first person I've seen to have that objection. I'm curious.burntheartist said:
The OP and others who enjoy dissecting bad prose in books might be interested in The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest (just type in Google "It was a dark and stormy night contest")
It's part picking at things in books (under sticks and stones), purposefully written bad lines and a link to possibly the worst Sci-Fi story ever written. Ever.
For my own literary gripes, I dislike it when the author goes on and on to paint a picture of a certain attribute (cleverness, stupidity, quickness) by constantly using that word. I actually stopped reading an author that I really liked before because of this.
What I really can't stand is a book that presents an interesting situation that might put the main character into a less than favorable light. However, in the context of the story it would be a realistic choice. Then the situation is quickly resolved because oh no, we can't have the main character do that. FFFFT.
It's part picking at things in books (under sticks and stones), purposefully written bad lines and a link to possibly the worst Sci-Fi story ever written. Ever.
For my own literary gripes, I dislike it when the author goes on and on to paint a picture of a certain attribute (cleverness, stupidity, quickness) by constantly using that word. I actually stopped reading an author that I really liked before because of this.
What I really can't stand is a book that presents an interesting situation that might put the main character into a less than favorable light. However, in the context of the story it would be a realistic choice. Then the situation is quickly resolved because oh no, we can't have the main character do that. FFFFT.
A major pet peeve of mine is when there is no indentation for the pages. It was quite common in older literature and made the story seem even longer. Mainly I speak of this from when I decided to read An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser in the 8th grade because it was worth a lot of points if I took a test on it. Another pet peeve that annoys me is when the main character isn't really a rounded character and thus never seem to change. This is a tad rare in what I've read but some small stories I've had to read for English did have characters that seemed like that they were stoic instead of rounded.
-A huge buildup to a climax only to resulting in a disappointing slap-fight. Screw up a climax and the reader will feel like they read the book for nothing.
-Poorly designed characters that you can't actually feel sympathy for whenever they get hurt or something, i.e. the characters in Twilight.
-Characters talking in a way that is completely out of their personality.
-Simulated dialects in speech. It just makes it harder for me to read the book.
-L. Ron Hubbard.
-Poorly designed characters that you can't actually feel sympathy for whenever they get hurt or something, i.e. the characters in Twilight.
-Characters talking in a way that is completely out of their personality.
-Simulated dialects in speech. It just makes it harder for me to read the book.
-L. Ron Hubbard.
I don't like fantasy or sci-fi books that introduce too many made up words right off the bat. Try to keep the language grounded in reality, or at least add new made up terms gradually. This is one of the main things that made it so difficult for me to read Dune. I had to flip to the glossary every 10 seconds to figure out what the fuck everyone was talking about.
One thing that gets to me EVERY time is when an author (usually an old man I noticed) tries to emulate the main character as themselves following a set genre for it. Usually slasher Horror and the main character is usually an oldish man in his 40's with a 20-30 year old girlfriend with the added tragic past.
Every time. <_<
Every time. <_<
Of course film noir belongs in film. Books that use the "noir" style are often referred to as neo-noir. Thinking that the term film noir is applied to books is just silly.burntheartist said:
OT: I don't have much of a problem with anything in literature, i suppose. I like dialects, I like first and third person narration, I like post-modern style broken narratives...WAIT, I just thought of something; I hate it when a character has a completely absurd reaction to things that don't seem to matter, but it becomes quite a large subplot anyway.
EXAMPLE: Some of the love stories in The Wheel of Time series. "Oh noes, the world is relying on me to save them , I may end up goind mad and people are trying to kill me left, right and center, but whatever...I have to understand women!!!" It drages on and on and on and on and on and on and on.... *sigh* As much as I love that series, it makes me a little touchy lol.
BLOODY ORBS! ARGH!!! *ehem* yes, I feel rather strongly about that too. I also hate the word perfect. I once read a book where someone kissed someone 'perfectly' and thought to myself what a waste it was. Perfectly doesn't describe a goddamned thing.Spinozaad said:
I don't like it when it starts with the "It was just another day" into and makes me sit through the whole generic modern day dull normalcy that I normally read books to escape. The same applies to movies.
I also can't stand a book that is just a hurricane of tragedy, even if it eventually builds up to a very satisfying conclusion. If a book crushes my soul too much, I won't even make it to the satisfying conclusion. No David Copperfield for me.
I approve of the Dresden Files love in this thread... *points to custom title*
And before I read Codex Alera, another series by the same guy that wrote the Dresden Files, I couldn't get into high fantasy. I just never really gave it a chance. I didn't feel like learning about a whole new world when I already knew so much about Middle Earth. Needless to say, after I'm done with this series, I'll be looking for more fantasy.
I don't like books that take too long to start, either. Have some opening that grabs my attention!
And before I read Codex Alera, another series by the same guy that wrote the Dresden Files, I couldn't get into high fantasy. I just never really gave it a chance. I didn't feel like learning about a whole new world when I already knew so much about Middle Earth. Needless to say, after I'm done with this series, I'll be looking for more fantasy.
I don't like books that take too long to start, either. Have some opening that grabs my attention!