forum Things You Want LESS Of In Books

Started January 21, 2019 by @evastardust groupRRAAAARRL

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Ooh thoughts on the Boar's Head characters?
_{Don't @ me, the only bits of it I've read were the Boar's Head parts when I played Hostess Quickly last summer lol}

ssss I haven't gotten that far, I'm still in Act I Scene I lmao

Oof nevermind lmao
You said "middle" so I was like OH SHE'S MET THEM!!!

I use "Middle" as like…not actually in the middle but not in the beginning either? Idk lmao
but I generally read Shakespeare stuff doing an Act a night, then reading something else because my brain can't take too much Shakespeare without breaking, so last nght I finished Act I and then read "Stay Gold"

I kinda hate resurrection in books. Not in like a "reanimating a corpse" way, but in a "Character X died and so we just magically brought them back more or less unharmed" way. It just feels like a cheap way to get an emotional response from readers without actually committing to the death, and also lowers the stakes for the rest of the book, because if you resurrect one character, why should I believe that you'll actually kill off another?
Although I do like a good botched resurrection-

I think it just has to be handled very carefully and done well.

I've got a resurrection in my story, of Henry, but it's more of…like his body is in a coma and Richard has to save his soul? It's not a true resurrection I suppose, because Henry never actually died, they just thought he did

I guess I almost have a resurrection with Cordelia, but she's not dead yet when Arthur saves her. She's mortally wounded, but the Pond water (long story) heals her and also triggers her latent fae magic, oops!

big oops lol but yeah. See, I think that resurrections just have to be handled very carefully, and done well. But yeah, most of the time resurrections are just cheap ways for authors to cheat death

I have one resurrection in Althalos, but it’s because he’s assumed dead for very good reasons and would be dead except he was helped to escape. It also launches important social/cultural change so there’s that too.

Resurrection have to be done really really well for me to be ok with it Spoilers for the Final Artemis Fowl Book below

I kinda hate resurrection in books. Not in like a "reanimating a corpse" way, but in a "Character X died and so we just magically brought them back more or less unharmed" way. It just feels like a cheap way to get an emotional response from readers without actually committing to the death, and also lowers the stakes for the rest of the book, because if you resurrect one character, why should I believe that you'll actually kill off another?

Oh my god I hate this so much! Resurrection has to be done in a really specific way for me to enjoy it because yeah, it feels like a cop out otherwise.
The closest thing I have in my writing to a resurrection is one character who was thought to be dead for like four years, but turns out he just faked his death. Doesn't really count I guess since he was never actually dead to begin with.

I kinda hate resurrection in books. Not in like a "reanimating a corpse" way, but in a "Character X died and so we just magically brought them back more or less unharmed" way. It just feels like a cheap way to get an emotional response from readers without actually committing to the death, and also lowers the stakes for the rest of the book, because if you resurrect one character, why should I believe that you'll actually kill off another?

Oh my god I hate this so much! Resurrection has to be done in a really specific way for me to enjoy it because yeah, it feels like a cop out otherwise.
The closest thing I have in my writing to a resurrection is one character who was thought to be dead for like four years, but turns out he just faked his death. Doesn't really count I guess since he was never actually dead to begin with.

Bad resurrection is bad because it can be so good. An entire arc or even story to try to bring back the character, lasting plot consequences, character development? Good stuff if done right. If resurrection is used well it becomes part of the story and not a cop out or easily repeatable thing.

sudden romance in a teen novel sucks. Especially when it’s like they stay with them all their life. Because you won’t stay with the person you date in high school all your life, it’s natural for people who fall out of love or have bad break ups.

^ Agree 1000% Not everyone meets their soulmate while they're in their teens but you'd never know that based on like 99% of YA novels. And like, yeah, some people do end up marrying their high school sweethearts but let face it- most people don't.

Yeah, I feel SUPER weird being the exception to that. I'm engaged to my hs sweetheart (we started dating 4 years ago, and we're probably getting married 2 years from now, once we're done with undergrad), but I wouldn't advise others to do the same necessarily. In fact, I would typically advise against it. I think a lot of people need time to mature or date around. And that's definitely the case with a lot of the characters we see in YA. They can't be faithful, or they think it's okay to fight, have manipulation in their relationship, and otherwise experience things that are otherwise not very healthy. Besides, you are NOT going to be 100% the same, even just a few years from then. Go through some major life changes and events together? Okay. Maybe then we can talk. Still on thin ice though.

Side note: if you're going to spend a lot of time developing a relationship and having them be adorable and wonderful, and then they break up and MC starts dating someone else and marries them, you have to make it feel like it's better than the other relationship. Develop it. Make MC happier and more comfortable. Show them being in love. Because if you do a bad job, everyone will end up hating the new person and resenting you

Also I want less betrayals that aren't fake and immediately followed with "I was just pretending so I could help you." I'm a whore for actual betrayals, stop using cop outs.

All that is valid.

The trope that yesterday I dubbed Big Yikes Chad. Where a dude is after a girl, she refuses, and he continues his advances until she finally falls for him.

that’s a really great name for that trope

Thank you. I agree.

That name is iconic and I'm going to use in on every "nice guy" ever

I call those the Petruchio but I prefer Big Yikes Chad and am now adopting it for myself

Good. I am proud.

I'm really tired of the thing when the main character keeps referencing a Big Thing in their past, but won't say what it is or give enough context for you to figure it out on your own. Did someone die? Did you go to jail? Did you get a terminal illness? Ma'am I have no idea, please stop referencing "Before"

Yes thank you!! Especially when they're super vague, like "something awful happened at school"
Like, do you mean bullying? A school shooting? Sexual assault? Murder? Those all have pretty different impacts, I'd say.
I read a book that kept referring to some traumatic incident in the character's past that made her drop out of school and basically become a nervous wreck, and it's never explained.

I like it when it's kind of left a mystery and slowly unveiled, but i hate it when it's hinted at and then never revealed

I like it when it's kind of left a mystery and slowly unveiled, but i hate it when it's hinted at and then never revealed

Agreed. Like, if you say "something awful happened" but give clues and explain it, that's fine and good. It lets you draw your own conclusions, but also confirms a canon one.
Constant hinting at "oooh this was awful" and never saying what happens is usually just bad writing.

Yeah I don’t think it needs to be directly stated. But it needs to be able to be guessed or at least in a few close options by a good reader.

I like it when it's kind of left a mystery and slowly unveiled, but i hate it when it's hinted at and then never revealed

Agreed. Like, if you say "something awful happened" but give clues and explain it, that's fine and good. It lets you draw your own conclusions, but also confirms a canon one.
Constant hinting at "oooh this was awful" and never saying what happens is usually just bad writing.

Yeah exactly

Less "breaking up and getting back together" being depicted as a healthy relationship dynamic. Like, hello?! There's a reason you guys broke up in the first place!
Exceptions: It's depicted as a toxic relationship. Or the circumstances have to do with them parting ways for like, college, or a long journey, or they were forcibly separated, and couldn't handle a LDR for some reason.