forum Things You Want LESS Of In Books

Started January 21, 2019 by @evastardust groupRRAAAARRL

tune

One thing I don't like is if people communicated properly it would have had a chance at happy ending.

Personally, I like it when the story hints at a good ending but never commits when everything is over. It's heartbreaking when you know there's a chance everything could go well, but it keeps going downhill in such an entertaining fashion, like a trainwreck you can't look away from.

Personally, I like it when the story hints at a good ending but never commits when everything is over. It's heartbreaking when you know there's a chance everything could go well, but it keeps going downhill in such an entertaining fashion, like a trainwreck you can't look away from.

Voltron

I'd really love some fairlytale retellings, but like….not the same old 'she gets kidnapped but the captor is a hot guy??? and he loves her??? look at my batb retelling!!" I want some Lunar Chronicles style fractured fairytales

I’m not sure where I read this, but I believe it belongs in this thread:
Don’t write strong female characters, write strong female characters.

Rey. Superwoman.

Rey is a strong character who happens to be a woman, excuse you.
She's fucking amazing.
And Superwoman doesn't exist, it's Supergirl.

Why is she more than a Mary Sue?
Lol.
Whoops.

Rey is kinda…..basic actually. Very altruistic and naive, like most female Disney characters.

1. Mary Sue is a term made up to demonize female characters for traits that male characters get away scott free with.
2. I don't need a reason for liking a character? I don't have to justify why I like or dislike a character?
3. No matter what variant of 'Mary Sue' you go with, it doesn't work. She doesn't click the boxes, despite what the manchildren who make youtube rant videos would have you believe. She has no canon love interest, sure she has skills but they make sense in context (the flying is because she has a flight simulator, she's not even skilled with a lightsaber, her technique is sloppy and unrefined) she only defeated Kylo because he'd literally been shot with a weapon we've seen throw fully armored stormtroopers across a room and Finn got some hits in too, not to mention the extreme emotional turmoil of patricide. She would've lost the battle in the throne room if Kylo hadn't been there. Hell, she wasn't the one to kill Snoke, that was Kylo.
   Tl;dr, she's a woman with powers and guys got Offended.

I'm really really really sick of books that are just way too long. This usually happens in YA, authors will think good=long and they'll write these bricks that's mostly fluff. It's just really annoying.

Legit.

Love interest or no love interest, Rey was kinda boring

I'm really really really sick of books that are just way too long. This usually happens in YA, authors will think good=long and they'll write these bricks that's mostly fluff. It's just really annoying.

What is considered a brick, because I hate short books. 300 and less is too short.

Also I'd like some antiheroes who are antiheroes beyond 'broody bad boy'. I want antiheroes who are excitable and energetic loose cannons who don't see what's wrong with killing a guy who gets in their way. I want antiheroes who are talkative and can filibuster their way out of situations. I want antiheroes who start off doing the wrong thing but then join a cause by being pressured in. Basically I want lovable con artist characters.
I just really really want fun characters who aren't perfect!

I'm really really really sick of books that are just way too long. This usually happens in YA, authors will think good=long and they'll write these bricks that's mostly fluff. It's just really annoying.

What is considered a brick, because I hate short books. 300 and less is too short.

Like 800-900+. I'm fine with long books (like Harry Potter, Cress and Winter, War and Peace) but they need a reason to be long.

1. No. It's not. There's also Gary Stu, we just say Mary Sue because that is the more widely said version. I call guy characters Mary Sues as well. There's nothing sexist about it. Sure you can call female characters Mary Sues without good reason, but that doesn't mean the term is wrong or sexist.
2. Well I do. But not really I guess. You can do what you want.
   3.The videos were not actually that bad. Rey is OP for no decent reason. Has she ever done anything morally ambiguous? What's her personality? Everyone loves her without due cause. As far as I know (Which to be fair is relatively limited.) she has yet to make a mistake.

1. No. It's not. There's also Gary Stu, we just say Mary Sue because that is the more widely said version. I call guy characters Mary Sues as well. There's nothing sexist about it. Sure you can call female characters Mary Sues without good reason, but that doesn't mean the term is wrong or sexist.
2. Well I do. But not really I guess. You can do what you want.
   3.The videos were not actually that bad. Rey is OP for no decent reason. Has she ever done anything morally ambiguous? What's her personality? Everyone loves her without due cause. As far as I know (Which to be fair is relatively limited.) she has yet to make a mistake.

Yeah they were that bad. She just has high midichlorians, why does she need a reason? No one asks why Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Yoda, Kanan, and literally anyone else are powerful. She literally left training to go talk to the villain, I'd call that ambiguous. She's a caring, naive, and insecure girl. Not everyone loves her, there's a difference between loving someone and being intrigued by them. She makes mistakes, she left her training early, she got herself caught by Kylo first and then Snoke, and we're only on the second movie, she still isn't a fully developed character. She still can make mistakes.

Anyways, this isn't a debate chat so can we get back on topic please?

GIVE! ME! MORE! ENSEMBLE! CASTS! 2K19!!!

1. No. It's not. There's also Gary Stu, we just say Mary Sue because that is the more widely said version. I call guy characters Mary Sues as well. There's nothing sexist about it. Sure you can call female characters Mary Sues without good reason, but that doesn't mean the term is wrong or sexist.
2. Well I do. But not really I guess. You can do what you want.
   3.The videos were not actually that bad. Rey is OP for no decent reason. Has she ever done anything morally ambiguous? What's her personality? Everyone loves her without due cause. As far as I know (Which to be fair is relatively limited.) she has yet to make a mistake.

Yeah they were that bad. She just has high midichlorians, why does she need a reason? No one asks why Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Yoda, Kanan, and literally anyone else are powerful. She literally left training to go talk to the villain, I'd call that ambiguous. She's a caring, naive, and insecure girl. Not everyone loves her, there's a difference between loving someone and being intrigued by them. She makes mistakes, she left her training early, she got herself caught by Kylo first and then Snoke, and we're only on the second movie, she still isn't a fully developed character. She still can make mistakes.

Anyways, this isn't a debate chat so can we get back on topic please?

BUT! BUT!

_{Meh. Okay.}

I really hate the thing where a book (usually fantasy or sci-fi/dystopian) has an awesome summary, but the plot never gets focused on and it becomes a romance set in a cool setting. Like the whole "I'm going to overthrow the governmen-ooh, a hot guy!" thing.

Divergent I think had a good relationship.

Also I'd like some antiheroes who are antiheroes beyond 'broody bad boy'. I want antiheroes who are excitable and energetic loose cannons who don't see what's wrong with killing a guy who gets in their way. I want antiheroes who are talkative and can filibuster their way out of situations. I want antiheroes who start off doing the wrong thing but then join a cause by being pressured in. Basically I want lovable con artist characters.
I just really really want fun characters who aren't perfect!

So……Deadpool.

I really hate the thing where a book (usually fantasy or sci-fi/dystopian) has an awesome summary, but the plot never gets focused on and it becomes a romance set in a cool setting. Like the whole "I'm going to overthrow the governmen-ooh, a hot guy!" thing.

Oh my god don't even get me started. I hate this so much.

Also I'd like some antiheroes who are antiheroes beyond 'broody bad boy'. I want antiheroes who are excitable and energetic loose cannons who don't see what's wrong with killing a guy who gets in their way. I want antiheroes who are talkative and can filibuster their way out of situations. I want antiheroes who start off doing the wrong thing but then join a cause by being pressured in. Basically I want lovable con artist characters.
I just really really want fun characters who aren't perfect!

So……Deadpool.

I meant Dmitry but Deadpool works too

I really hate the thing where a book (usually fantasy or sci-fi/dystopian) has an awesome summary, but the plot never gets focused on and it becomes a romance set in a cool setting. Like the whole "I'm going to overthrow the governmen-ooh, a hot guy!" thing.

Oh my god don't even get me started. I hate this so much.

Yeah, it's not good…..

THE SAME LOVE TRIANGLE RECYCLED AGAIN AND AGAIN!!!!!
The bad boy vs. childhood friend 'nice guy' one…..I hate it!

Yes.

What if….just this once….MC didn't abandon her life-long friend for a 'bad boy' she sees 1 glimpse of?

Even better what if the lifelong friend was the bad boy?