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[RokofAges75]

I know we had another thread like this back in the day, but I had to do a search to find it, and no one had posted in it in two years, so I thought maybe it was better just to start fresh with a new one!

This is to vent about all our writing, reading, and fanfic-related pet peeves - general annoyances, not criticisms of any specific writer or story.

I have three to start with:

1. Using obscure colors or comparisons to food, gemstones, or objects in nature to describe a character's eyes, hair, or skin.  Think Edward Cullen, with his "ochre" eyes.  WTF.

2. Song lyrics in the middle of stories, for no apparent reason other than to set the tone of the scene.

3. Writing in the passive voice.  ("A hand was offered to him" instead of "She offered him her hand."  The first sentence makes me think of a severed hand on a plate - awkward!)


I'm totally guilty of two out of three of these in my older work, and reading over some of my older stories recently reminded me of how much they make me cringe now!

[MadisonAve]

This totally reminded me of this. http://www.whodamaninc.com/new/frames.html

One of my pet peeves:

Writing about every tiny moment in the characters life

Ex. "...Nick walked down the hallway and went the bathroom, after five minutes with his new issue Good Housekeeping he got off the toilet. He walked out and started back to the living room before thinking to himself, Oh, I should maybe wash my hands"

I just want to get to the drama. I know there needs a little monotony to be realistic, but I want it to have a purpose in furthering the plot or character development, etc.

[Rose]

I'm so guilty of the lyrics in the middle of random stories to set the tone LMAO. I did that once a few years ago.

Now if I do it, it's either because it's a song fic, or cause someone's singing it. I give the song a purpose lol.


Fanfic pet peeves...the author's name being the lead of the main character! At least TRY to be subtle! If you put your name as the main character, you're basically waving a banner announcing "THIS STORY IS NOTHING BUT MY FANTASY. ENTER MARY SUE FIC AT YOUR OWN RISK!" <-- I mean I did that at one point, when I was 15 LOL. No excuse when you're an adult.

Another pet peeve, self inserts into the banner. It's a more shameless example of the previous one. I mean for the love of all that is holy, to me, I feel like shaking the person. I don't want to read your fantasy, so thank you for making it VERY clear that this is what that is.

Dialogue being too wordy. And by this, I mean dialogue that doesn't flow. For each bit spoken, there's a paragraph of backstory or description attached. Now, this isn't a sign of bad writing. Hell, I've seen very well written stories guilty of this. It's just for my own personal liking, dialogue should flow quickly, it's supposed to move everything along. Personal pet peeve, cause it makes me skim things lol.

Descriptions of a character every single scene, down to the change of clothing. No. We don't need to know. We just don't. It's not that important. Vividness in description is awesome, but it goes overboard.

Overly flowery writing, this goes with one of Julies. Over the top descriptions that are written with obscure colors or synonyms for common words. Just for the purpose of sounding pretty but actually describing very little.

Convenient plot twists. If you write yourself into a corner, don't try the easy way. (I'm looking at you HP script writers and your "Horcrux sensing Harry!". If you'd stuck some backstory in, you wouldn't have had that issue!) Work your way out. Don't just toss something in, research every option and realistically write your way out of that corner.

[RokofAges75]

This totally reminded me of this. http://www.whodamaninc.com/new/frames.html

One of my pet peeves:

Writing about every tiny moment in the characters life

Ex. "...Nick walked down the hallway and went the bathroom, after five minutes with his new issue Good Housekeeping he got off the toilet. He walked out and started back to the living room before thinking to himself, Oh, I should maybe wash my hands"

I just want to get to the drama. I know there needs a little monotony to be realistic, but I want it to have a purpose in furthering the plot or character development, etc.

LMFAO at that example!  Oh Whodaman.. I loved that site back in the day.  That is so true, though.  Show, don't tell... but no need to show us OR tell us EVERYTHING.

[RokofAges75]

LOL at "Horcrux Sensing Harry," Rose - so true!

I agree with all of yours too.  I know I am wordy, and I like to be descriptive, but if there's no point to the description - if it's not helping to set the scene or reveal something about the characters to make it clearer for the readers - it shouldn't be there.

With the dialogue, I just don't like unrealistic dialogue - dialogue that is too formal for the character, so that it sounds awkward (for example, never using contractions or slang), or dialogue that is too witty to sound like it was made up on the spot.  I like dialogue that sounds like real people talking.  Real people aren't always eloquent.  They don't always speak in complete sentences; they don't always use proper grammar.  They don't have a witty one-liner quip or comeback for everything the other person says.  Dialogue shouldn't be boring either; it needs to have a point and move the story along, but in a way that is believable.

[Rose]

OH! Here's another one!

Those who do flashbacks in an irritatingly obvious way. How so?

Like this...

*FLASHBACK*

Rose mused on how much she hates people doing this.

*END FLASHBACK*

Wtf man. Just...wtf. Stick a date in there, italicize. Anything, but THAT. It's lazy, cheesy and annoying.

[RokofAges75]

I'm so guilty of the lyrics in the middle of random stories to set the tone LMAO. I did that once a few years ago.

Now if I do it, it's either because it's a song fic, or cause someone's singing it. I give the song a purpose lol.

Oh god, so many otherwise good chapters of Broken and BMS were RUINED by the lyrics, and I didn't see it that way at the time, because the songs were so inspiring and meaningful to me.  Years later, I just cringe at the cheesiness!  Oh well... live and learn!

I think it's different if the characters are actually singing the song, so it's part of the story, not just something stuck randomly in the middle to distract from it LOL.

[Rose]

LOL at "Horcrux Sensing Harry," Rose - so true!

I agree with all of yours too.  I know I am wordy, and I like to be descriptive, but if there's no point to the description - if it's not helping to set the scene or reveal something about the characters to make it clearer for the readers - it shouldn't be there.

With the dialogue, I just don't like unrealistic dialogue - dialogue that is too formal for the character, so that it sounds awkward (for example, never using contractions or slang), or dialogue that is too witty to sound like it was made up on the spot.  I like dialogue that sounds like real people talking.  Real people aren't always eloquent.  They don't always speak in complete sentences; they don't always use proper grammar.  They don't have a witty one-liner quip or comeback for everything the other person says.  Dialogue shouldn't be boring either; it needs to have a point and move the story along, but in a way that is believable.

It was one of the only things that bugged me lol. Way too freaking convenient, especially since that result could've been avoided. Description is awesome. There's times I've been wordy. But it needs to serve a purpose. It's when there's like a full paragraph describing how pretty Nick is. No lol. He's pretty, but no.

And you're right about dialogue. It's not easy to do. Actually what I recommend for people having the issue of pointless dialogue is writing a short story with nothing BUT dialogue. Just a short one shot. Mare made that a challenge once, and it was far from easy. But it helps, you get careful about what you have them say, how they say it so readers can tell who's talking without tags... it helped me a lot.

Oh god, so many otherwise good chapters of Broken and BMS were RUINED by the lyrics, and I didn't see it that way at the time, because the songs were so inspiring and meaningful to me.  Years later, I just cringe at the cheesiness!  Oh well... live and learn!

I think it's different if the characters are actually singing the song, so it's part of the story, not just something stuck randomly in the middle to distract from it LOL.

LOL been there. But we learned!

I agree, it's one thing if someone's singing (and part of the song, not the entire thing lol). But sticking the full song tends to make everything drag. Guilty of that too.

[Carter-Orange]

I'm probably not wordy enough with descriptions and when it comes to dialogue, I try to make it seem like something people would actually say, rather than too formal, but it might not always come out like that.  I need to pay more attention to American slang  

I hate bad spelling.  I know spell check might not pick everything up, but at least run it!  I can forgive the odd mistake as I know that I'm far from perfect, but when a story is full of them it's off putting.

[mare]

"You have all made my usually periwinke orbs, turn a bright magenta!" Mare said while making a giant banner of herself with Nick Carter.

LOL

A far as song lyrics of any kind. I look at them as filler when people use them. You know, like back in the day when you had to write a book report and tried to make it longer by inserting nonsense? LOL I picture people who put in lyrics doing just that. It makes my reading easier because to me it suddenly becomes a game of Chutes and Ladders. I see the lyric and my eyes automatically fall to the next real sentence.

I agree with everything else that was said. I HATE wordy stories. They do not hold my interest just like people who don't know how to shut up do not hold my attention when they talk. LOL I am always thinking, I could have said in one sentence what took you three hours/pages to say!

I'm not a fan of overly descriptive stories either. Leave some things up to my imagination.

Another one just for this BSB fandom, is when the author bothers to go into a detailed description of what the boys look like. We ALL know! Yes if this wasn't a BSB fanfic site and you were putting it out there for the general public, maybe? But by now we all know what the guys look like so save your breath. LOL

I'll add two more: Please edit your stories!

and..... wait for it.....

BANNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure i'll think of more.

[Carter-Orange]

I quite like banners, but sometimes it's obvious that the author has spent ages creating this wonderful banner and then the story is so poorly put together.

[mare]

^ Yup!

[KrazyKelsey87]

I am not sure what it's called but I hate this kind of format:

I look and see him talking to her. It makes me feel angry. So angry in fact that I walk over and slap him.

Sorry it's just odd to me.

[Sakabelle]

Wouldn't that be present tense? I don't particularly enjoy it either.

[mare]

I don't mind present tense I think it's in the way it's presented that makes a difference.

I see a coin. I pick it up. It is shiny. I like shiny things. I put the shiny coin in my pocket. I'm happy now.

I picked up a shiny coin and happily put it in my pocket.

wordy lol