Pet Peeves

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?

Posted in writing life

10 Responses to Pet Peeves