When you called out mysognistic and abusive relationships being idealised or normalised I FELT that; it sucks so badly - there are some books written so well but normalise this that I can't enjoy anymore :'). Paranormal (romances) had/s these - I wonder how you avoid it with vamps and werewolves? (Though, I suppose if you're reading urban fantasy that's usually better - or horror). Thanks Alexa!
Just on a note since you said you’re ere interested in the classical music world, as a classical musician myself I found that Night Music (can’t remember the author) was a good representation of that
My quest!!!! To find books that Alexa Donne would hate! 1. YA novel : Izzy, Willy-Nilly , by Cynthia Voigt. Ticks two boxes: disability theme and good/bad girl. In fact it also ticks the teen being so adult they are not teen. That is bonus hate! 2. Any book in the Willard Price's Adventure series. 3. Any novel about a murder mystery that is solved by finding the clues in food and recipes. This is such a done to death trope; there is a website that lists novels with this trope! One such book series is by Avery Ames: The Cheese Shop Mystery Series. Main Characters: Charlotte, Co-Owner of Cheese Shop, & Rags, Her Ragdoll Cat, Ohio. [NOT A JOKE] Titles in this series include : The Long Quiche Goodbye, To Brie or not to Brie, and For Cheddar or Worse.
Honestly, I strongly dislike childish romance’s where the premise is that they have a big misunderstanding that could be easily solved by Communication
I dont know what wattpad is. And I feel like this is like a sexual fantasy. I read that the most common sxfantasies are authority types like: teacher student or robber and i dunno home owner or something. But on first place was nurse/stewardess. Actually nevermind me, the book i read was written and traditionally published before internet pron was a thing. . . I think people just getting weirder
I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but I usually auto reject a book that has a shirtless man on the cover, especially if there is a wolf and big breasted woman thrown into the mix. There is A LOT of self published books like this.
I'd never read a book with a cover like that, simply because it signals to me that the main focus of the story will be the romance. I like a bit of romance in my plot, not a bit of plot in my romance. For some reason I just can't get into MCs whose biggest concern is their love life. Just can't relate to that, somehow, though I do like romance as a side-arc.
The thing I hate in books is very specific: I don't like the "we're in the deepest middle of a fight and getting our asses royally kicked but we have time for the first passionate kiss right now!" Yes it's very specific but I've seen it a lot in books, and movies too. It's just a hard No. I don't want three pages describing what that kiss feels like. Stop it it's getting awkward and your friends are dying.
Right there with you. hahaha I console myself with the knowledge that I'm not out there to please everyone. I also console myself with a lot of chocolate.
I mean that's just what Alexa dislikes but you do you! High Fantasy is very fun! And Alexa tends to gravitate towards scifi, thrillers, romance etc (this isn't to say she won't read fantasy) Love her advice but most of my books don't fit her reading list 😅.
Convenient trauma/emotions. Like when in fantasy books the main character has a trauma that gets triggered and unleashes their magical ability but only when it benefits the character and the narrative. If you wanna claim your character is triggered by sudden touch don't make them only lash out at villains. Make them hurt a friend, someone powerful they needed on their side, a creature that wasn't doing any harm... Anything. Just please don't only pull that shit out when it fits you. I promise trauma isn't convenient
yes i agree.... reading this as somebody who suffers with ptsd, i’ve unfortunately hurt many friends (without meaning to of course). It can be very hurtful on both sides and books need to showcase this part of trauma, not just bringing it up when it’s convenient.
I wrote a short novella that had the whole "magic originally triggered by convenient trauma" though it was because the character had an irrational fear of pool floats 😂 To be fair his neck was stuck in one when he was younger (of course this was something dropped in through character dialog early in the story, I didn't info dump lol)
@@thatperson278 i would say that makes u guilty of this yes. If that character's trauma is having their head stuck in a pool float probably pool floats aren't the only trigger, something else that could trigger them would be the smell of certain plastics, the feeling of being stuck somewhere, doesn't necessarily have to be the head, certain dates, possibly the music that played if there was any, water and pools could be triggers..... Like. Plenty of things that could be inconvenient. Also. You decide what the trauma is. Like. It doesn't just happen to be this way
Honestly the biggest things I dislike are characters shrugging off extreme trauma or injuries as though they are nothing and true love can fix anything even mental illnesses better than therapy or medication. I live with mental illness and while I can say me friends and family are important as a source of support, and no matter how much my boyfriend and I love each other, I'm not going off my meds and I'm still going to have sessions with my therapist.
Yes! This is a HUGE thing I dislike. Like, mental illness and trauma doesn't just disappear because you fell in love or suddenly became the chosen one or whatever.
Exactly, and in all honesty my illness puts a lot of strain on my loved ones, it's not really a happily ever after. It's a lifetime of accepting the difficulties of being with someone who has problems that will never go away.
This comment is so, SO relatable that it almost made me cry. I spent so much of my teenage years desperately wanting to recreate the ‘fixed by love’ element I saw perpetuated throughout media and books. I believed wholeheartedly that because I was incapable of loving myself due to mental illness, that I wasn’t worthy of being loved and could never be capable of romantically loving someone else. I also believed I needed a relationship to make me ‘lovable’ and ‘happy’ which just led to me getting involved in a toxic mess. Representation of supportive relationships in terms of mental health and trauma alongside counselling and medication is vital to all ages, but especially teens.
Hard agree. Having a love interest “fix” a character’s mental illness (or even just personality flaws) seems a lot like having a love interest fix a character’s diabetes or something. 🤔
yes! and i hate it even more if its just casually thrown in there, like, "oh you know just some side character getting raped, nothing to worry about." makes me throw up in my mouth every time.
I think it can be used in a story, but with extreme care. It has to carry the weight that it would carry in real life. I agree with Victoria Luther's comment. It's not something to write about lightly.
Xanna Renae I’m physically disabled too, and another trope I hate is the ‘disability is bad / Needs to be cured’ ‘trend’ I find in books. Particularly contemporary and fantasy. There’s a fine line between showcasing the struggles that come with disabilities and presenting them as the overall worst case scenario. I’m determined that the book I’m currently working on does the topic of disability justice in all areas. We may be limited in certain ways, but that doesn’t mean our lives are limited to such an extent that their worthless.
Now I'm torn on my current book plot. A teen gets injured and is struggling through the changes (loss of his "personality" as a jock, day to day life, feeling all eyes on him and some initial internal hatred.) By the end of the book, I want him to discover new hobbies and things about himself, and ways to incorporate his past hobbies. He also struggles through a romantic relationship due to paranoia that it's all out of petty. I want it to be a journey of him finding himself again, and I'm not sure if that is what is meant by making an "inspiration PRN"
Shaun Williams I personally don’t think it is, as you’re showing realistic struggles with realistic changes and overcoming of obstacles. Inspiration porn is essentially where the disabled character exists purely to either make non-disabled characters look or feel better about themselves, or is labelled as a ‘hero’ for doing the tasks that they would normally do anyway I.e. a wheelchair bound person being an ‘inspiration’ because they’ve done the basic task of food shopping or going about their lives. Your story isn’t either of those things, and definitely sounds an interesting and realistic take on a very real situation. I’d definitely read it 😊
Ditto, the internalized misogyny from the author/character/real life person is just off the charts. I'd only ever get through something like that if I knew beforehand that the author intentionally addresses/subverts it by the end.
Ben Wilson True. If all 3 are fine with a poly relationship why not. I read A Lesson in Thorns and there is two males with one female and I love it (it’s a very taboo and kink filled book though so beware but it’s so good)
@@Brakiros Not everyone is into having two partners though, some people are probably too jealous for that. And, maybe the other person doesn't want that. Although it would be a nice change for the protagonist to just choose both...it's not that easy
I personally don't like abusive relationships in books either. To me a bad boy shouldn't solely be an asshole who then abuses the girl emotionally or physically. I think authors can get that vibe without going there personally.
I don't mind stories about abusive relationships, except when they are romanticized and the abused stays with the abuser (unless it's framed as a tragedy and not something romantic) and the main character changes the bad boy/girl's bad behaviour because it's 'true love'. If you're going to write a bad boy/girl love interest, it has to be done well, with a lot of nuances and even if the bad boy/girl is redeemed, I don't think they should end up with the protagonist.
@@happychaosofthenorth I agree! Romantasizing that kind of behavior just isnt healthy for any one! And yes Alexa! I agree. I love a good misunderstood/layers trope Overall I think nuances in characters are important because people are dynamic and complex and the better characters in stories usually mimic that.
I call it Bad Boy Good Man, where he's got that look and feel and sense of risk, is independent, confident, unpredictable, doesn't give a shit what others think, but instead of also being a selfish, immature, abusive asshole he's a decent person. Maybe he's a good leader, takes care of his friends, stands up for his ideals, etc. He still has issues and room to grow, but they're not related to literally abusing people. The Bad Boy Good Man trope is a big weakness of mine. (Ironically, Mal from Firefly is an amazing example of this.)
Even if he only shows his sweet side to her (because she's "the only one who understands me") doesn't work if in his free time he's punching senior citizens and kicking dogs. Then that makes me dislike the girl because she appears self-centered and has horrible taste.
Some things I don't personally like in books: Instant-romances, overly naive MC's, unrealistic relationships (give me ALL the realism,) gore for the sake of gore just feels cheap to me, cliffhangers that don't really lead anywhere (or ending a chapter in a place that doesn't make much sense JUST to have a cliffhanger,) and cheats like a finale victory that comes completely out of nowhere and wasn't foreshadowed at all. Not tropes as such, but these things have been known to really get my goat. Honestly, I could have made this list much longer lmao.
@@JayBenjamin9214 If it is necessary to the plot, I don't mind it so much. I have a strong constitution haha. It's more when it isn't necessary to the plot or character building or whatever, and is there purely for the shock factor, thars when it bugs me, you know what I mean?
@@foundinfiction24 just so you know, the last one with the non forshadowed cheat is called Deus Ex Machina. This comes meaning ‘God from the machine’ because in Greek myths whenever the heroes were in trouble, gods would just swoop in and save the day. Don’t worry, you aren’t on your own with hating that one.
Love triangles are almost an automatic no for me. Specifically when it's pitched as the main character has to choose between two guys. I just.... can't. Most of the time the guy I personally prefer is the guy she DOESN'T pick and it just pisses me off and I don't have a good time of it. Also, I don't like the stringing along of two nice guys because she just "can't decide". It truly bugs me. The only time I can deal with it is if the love triangle isn't really a "pick me" deal. For example... girl & guy love each other but they can't be together and there's this other guy who loves her but she doesn't love him the same way.... kind of thing. I can deal with that because unrequited love is real and sad and I can empathize.
I’d be in for a love triangle with a pansexual or bisexual and the struggles of sexuality. Otherwise I don’t like it either. I almost always prefer the guy the female doesn’t choose either -.-
I feel the same. Having read the Twilight Saga I don't understand why it was so popular. (I love how it strikes off almost all the "hard no's" on this list lmao). I did like the dilemma in the Hunger Games where Katniss was honest and up front about her emotions. The love triangle was a sub plot, not the main plot which is where Stephanie Meyer fucked up. I like authors who can explore the complexity of human emotion rather than being lazy and relying on the surface level "gasp OMG she loves TWO GUYS" aspect of it.
I hate love triangles too and this comment made me realize that I accidentally decided to write one. My MC is a lesbian and her (toxic) male best friend has feelings for her and gets irrationally angry when he can’t control her life, especially when she tells him she has feelings for a new girl in her life, he never got the memo apparently lmao
@@samuelandrade6986 To be fair, I don’t think Harry Potter is the sort of book she was referring to, considering Harry is forced into occasional struggles while trying to survive school, rather than being a Cool Elf who decides to go find the cool magic rock.
This "not like other girls" trope is sooo overly annoying. And in these books, where the MC is the "not like other girls" girl, all the other girls are described as being bad for liking make-up, doing their hair and dressing well for school and like to party. And the precious MC is the good gal because she's into reading and punk music and wants to be an artist later yadda yadda yadda. As if it's impossible that a girl or young woman can be into reading AND shugging tequila shots at 3AM in the club. The worst thing is, back when I was 13/14 and was reading these kinda books I was also trying to be "not like other girls"... yikes.
Insta love drives me insane. I loathe when the only thing about a female characters identity is that she loves a guy, like she can’t be her own complete person without him. Yuck
Or sometimes as the story progresses the woman actually evolves with it and the guy kinda stays two-dimensional but she still sticks to him like glue even though you can't see why when there are other (better) potential love interests for her. And the man can always count on her being there for him, like it's a given that she will never break up with him because he's the hero(tm) and being with him should always be a blessing for every woman. I'd love to see more good breakup stories where the hero has to come to terms that he messed up big time and maybe learns something from that.
I tried to overlook the insta-love in Daughter of Smoke and Bone because the world is so rich, but the disappointment was too great. I couldn't continue the series.
@@soniccookie655 the subversion in frozen sucks because it contradicts the small moments established during that time and comes out of nowhere. there is no actual reason why Hans was a villain.
I'm working in a novel about a coming of age story set in a medieval Russian folklore world, and the main character is blind. However her being blind is not the plot focus and I hate when people ask why she is blind. Why not have a main character that can't see? There are people in the real world who can't see and in fact the high prince of Moscow in the mid 1400s was blind. So why does there have to be a specific reason your character is like other people?
That's a ridiculous question to ask. Some people are blind. Asking why (excluding the actual curiosity how they became blind, if they weren't born that way) is silly. I would be extremely interested in reading a book with a blind protagonist. I love authors who know how to write good sensory descriptions. Removing sight can be a fun challenge for yourself as a writer to rely on other senses to describe what's happening.
Alexa, incredible video as always!! Everyone, I got really curious when Alexa talked about teens being written like they're 25. I'd be interested to hear her expand on that more maybe in another video...maybe tips and tricks for writing people at the correct age. Anybody else with me?
That point got me worried that I accidentally wrote my character as a 25 year old because she’s supposed to be pretty emotionally mature after a few years of therapy. Then I realized that I’m 16 and if I can relate to the feelings and thought process she has then she’s a realistic teen lmao
I don’t know if I totally agree with that one. I think there’s a lot of different teens with different emotional maturity, speech patterns, tastes, etc. I think the only time it would be “this character is not a teen” is when they’re like worrying about bills or something, but even then there’s teens that have to work and go to school because their guardian(s) won’t or can’t cover the bills, so it’s... I don’t think someone can be written with an age. Exception being like really little kids. I have met some kids who are nicer and more mature than some adults that I’ve met but all of their thought processes seem to be somewhat simpler. There are like 7 year olds who have more complicated thought processes but it never crosses that line. And also little kids are less proficient in their native language usually. But anyways I think the “This teen is written as a 25 year old” is based off of generalizations and not actual “a teen can’t think/act like this.”
It comes up in women's fiction, also sometimes athlete stories. It's a diet culture thing, but for me it really sets off some compulsive thinking about food!
There's a book in Spanish called Corazón de Mariposa that focuses on an eating disorder. It's the only book that I've read that really focused on calories. Many of the days in the book were identified by "387 Calories" rather than "Monday". It was very insightful into an anorexic's mind space (as it was written by somebody who struggles with it, it is fiction though) but I imagine it's also very triggering.
Read Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls. I never got to finish the book 😅 but it is about a girl in a dangerous game to lose weight even after her bff died of doing it with her
Nylah Jade Yeah, I can see why it is used in that one though because the MC is bulimic and her lack of resistance to it is the plot. Catalyst is a better one of her books.
I'm sick of the scientist or scholar with "seven PhD's" who is an expert in every field. The same with the doctor who practices every specialty. What sounds more interesting: Super Doc who knows everything, or the OBGYN caught in a desperate situation, nervous as she is forced to intubate someone for the first time since med school twenty years ago?
I absolutely DESPISE sick-lit, especially in the YA market. It frustrated me so, so much when it became trendy to romanticize serious illnesses. Ugh, instant "nope" for me.
Same! I thought I was alone. Terminal illness constantly reminding you of how you're slowly wasting away is a horrible situation and unless you treat it with a lot of gravity and showing themfighting desperatly to get out like REAL PEOPLE, then you're just romantizising pain.
leif audrey I agree, implementing debilitating illnesses in a story for angst or any form exploitation is absolutely disgusting. It’s a very delicate topic that most authors don’t know how to properly execute.
@@bay_leaf1510 Couldn't agree more. I think YA literature about difficult situations (like terminal/serious illness) could work in theory but it definitely feels like many authors aren't executing it properly and it comes across as insensitive and exploitative.
Haaaate it when an adult fantasy book is based in a land with elves/fae- and the worldbuilding is basically "they're humans who just live longer and have bigger junk! and sometimes pointy ears!". No cultural differences, no real plot besides a mildly uninteresting main character, and a whole lot of Nope for me.
super duper big agree, there's so much potential for exploring the development of culture and society and characters but nope, nah, pointy ears and big dick energy for the masses
Aside from abuse tropes which I automatically hate (unless it’s done to show abuse as the horrible thing it is), I hate the Incompetent Dad trope-fathers get the short end of the stick in fiction and I hate that it keeps happening. And this one is odd-I hate scenes where the main character is deeply and purposely humiliated. I tend to have empathetic embarrassment so that makes me extremely uncomfortable. I’m likely to either stop reading or skip the rest of the chapter when this pops up.
Hard agree on that last one (well, the first two as well, actually, but I don't see as many people who dislike the last one). I really hate when drawn out embarrassment/humiliation scenarios happen. Or when situations are elaborately set up to be incredibly and unnecessarily awkward. The secondhand discomfort is just distressing. Can't watch most sitcoms, since that's basically the entire thing.
That last one. I mean I always enjoy a dose of humiliation for my children but not to the point where it’s just downright stressful for me to read because then I’ll just keep thinking about that one humiliating incident throughout the whole book without really focusing on the plot
I loved the video as always! I also don't like abusive relationships but it's interesting when the writer shows that the relationship is bad and removes the toxic person. I also really hate the glorification of mental illnesses, especially when they portray a depressed person and as soon as they get in a relationship they are magically "fixed".
Sofi's corner I hate when toxic relationships are romanize. It’s toxic and should be described as so. I also hate “romance heals mental illness” trope, especially since I have one.
to be fair toxic relationships aren't always awful. that is, they're always bad, but they often have a lot of gentle, beautiful, loving moments in them- right until the next bout of abuse happens. this is why some people find it hard to actually exit their abusive relationships, or even acknowledge that their relationship is actually abusive. the sweet moments keep giving them hope it'll get better (it won't).
@@rateater1857An important message to convey. Even toxic people aren’t monsters all of the time… but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leave them because SOMETIMES they’re gentle or kind or empathetic.
Hard agree on the disability points! I'm also not a huge fan of when characters who are supposed to be a certain nationality don't speak in the way people from that particular region would. Americans don't say they're going to ring their friends later for example. I realize that this isn't really a trope and more of an editing issue. It doesn't make me more inclined to dislike the writing, but it can take me out of the narrative at times.
Though haha I say ringing people all the time but I'm a SUPER WEIRD American :) (long story short, my grandmother was very Irish, my mother was very Anglophile, my dad is a Brit and here I am). My funny one is I grew up saying/using bog standard which is a TOTALLY NORMAL phrase for me, and I use it in books. Every agent and editor I have ever had has had to look it up b/c they didn't know what it meant (but hey they let me use it!). But yeah I do agree: I read an adult thriller last year with a TON of Britishcisms left in and it bugged me so much I talked about it in my review!
I honestly feel that way about people who write that a book takes place in a particular city or country and they dont get the setting right like you know theyre not from there yet their character is a native. I have so many pet peeves with books set in NYC 😅 because I live here and for some reason a lot of authors don't do the research sometimes
YES, I 100% agree about the normalizing of abusive relationships!!!! I’m so happy this is starting to fade out, but I still see it a lot in different mediums.
I just recognized this trope in a lot of contemporary YA literature, but I hate it when teenagers excessively party. I especially hate it when one of the characters starts out the story never having tried drugs or underage drinking or anything of the sort and then they meet friends who drag them into that kind of lifestyle and readers are supposed to accept them as good friends who helped the character come out of their shell. Uh sorry but turning your friend into a borderline alcoholic at 16 is not being a good friend, especially if the character is struggling with mental illness or other problems and is in need of a healthy way to cope. Yes, I understand that it is realistic to show teenagers partying because that does happen in the real world, but there are plenty who don't and they don't need to start to in order for the story to be good. Also, many stories like this tend to ignore the obvious complications that a teenager would face if they were to go partying at their age, such as parents and police. I mean, this trope won't stop me from reading a book, but it annoys me a lot.
That's a thing that really annoys me, because it happened to me irl. I had friends and acquaintances trying to drag me out almost every night in my late teens because I apparently I wasn't cool enough for wanting to stay home and watch movies or wanting to go for walks nearby our town's river. Nah, liking to stay in my bed and read or listen to music does not make me boring and isn't something that I should change in order to appear "cooler" and fit in. Me and everyone like me.
I tend to dislike books where someone goes on a morality rant and is really forcing the authors opinions on the reader, miscommunication being a plot device when the characters have been already healthily communicating the whole time don’t make sense and then books where the love interest is just an a-hole like I just dint care
I have a tiny question for my story. If your character 'monologues' about a life lesson or moral, if ir fits the character and the situation does it bother readers just the same or less?
@@artistica-artyc.9210 The reason the morality rant annoys people is because it obvious it's the authors opinion and not the characters. The author stating their opinion in the middle of the story breaks the immersion, and pretty much takes the reader out of the story. If the reader knows it's the character talking (like the monologue is connected to the story and not out of place) then it should be fine.
@@artistica-artyc.9210 I think it depends on how it's communicated in the narrative. Like, yeah murder is wrong, but if your character is literally fighting in a war for survival are you going to break up the flow of the battle to write a paragraph lamenting on how wrong murder is? You can present themes of morality without being preachy. The character can be guilt ridden, (example: when Katniss Everdeen shoots an arrow into a boy's throat, after he fatally wounded Rue. She later suffers PTSD and begins to strongly despise the Capitol, whereas before she focused mainly on her family's survival). Character development or expressing the character's views (in the context of their own world) is different than literally just projecting your own beliefs onto that character.
Alexa, most of what you say resonates with me, except your aversion to adventures/quests/journeys. From the Odyssey to The Lord of the Rings, many of the world''s greatest literary masterpieces have been structured around movement from one place to another, usually with some goal in mind. I can't fault this very basic storytelling framework.
I was confused by that at first as well, but maybe it’s because of all the “copycats” that weren’t as successful in pulling off what Tolkien and the classics did.
You may need to sit down for this, but there are some of us who find The Odyssey and The Lord of the Rings incredibly boring. People like what they like, and that's perfectly OK.
Agree with Lord of the Rings (plagiarized schlock), but the Odyssey is much deeper than a superficial reading in translation reveals. There's a good reason why it's been appreciated for almost 3000 years.
That's a great way to phrase it! I can definitely enjoy books where difficult mental and physical illnesses and disabilities are described in a nuanced and interesting way... But most of the time these books are so overdramatic and written by people who haven't come close to experiencing the things they're writing about and so just are basing their story on awful media based biases of these things! It really makes me question why they've chosen these specific things to write about for fun.
I'm laughing, because my favorite screenplay that I've written is about a MOTLEY GROUP of adventurers who go on a QUEST to find the world's most MYSTERIOUS CREATURES, led by a female hunter who is NOT LIKE OTHER WOMEN!!!
Funnily enough a ton of these I'm fine with in movies! Love a good heist film. Also LOVE procedural murder shows and movies! I think for me they don't translate well into books b/c I'm such a movie/TV person and love those things in visual mediums. The shorthand of film is so different!
@@saltyrattoes689 wasn't shadow and bone the name of another book by the same author? Yay for the Netflix series, though! I'll keep a look out for that!!
Nupur Chowdhury Yes it is! From what I’ve read, there’s going to be parts of the Grisha Trilogy in it and parts of Six of Crows, since they take place in the same universe. It’ll come out around the same time as the second book in the King of Scars duology, which has characters from both series in it.
I really don't like when there's a dorky/geeky/shy boy character who absolutely idolises a girl character because she's so "cool and mysterious and interesting". And then he magically ends up with her! I think mainly because there was a guy in real life who practically idolised me and I know he read those kinds of books. I did not magically fall in love with him, despite him trying endlessly until I got a boyfriend and he finally backed off. 🙄
John Green books are a good example of this: Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, Looking For Alaska... I've read all three and that always bothered me. The only difference is that none of these boys end up with the idolized girl. So at least there's that! But the girl always sort of acknowledges / plays into the idealization. Alaska makes out with the MC, Margo asks the MC to do things he normally wouldn't and uses him overall, and the main Katherine actually dated the MC. Although JG tries to have quirky / cool girl characters, they're often kind of negative.
It can also be a pretty dangerous trope when it gets normalized or internalized because it makes people think no means try harder AND idolizing real people never ends well tbh
Dude. Yes. Not to start any flame wars, but this is how I always felt about Jacob in Twilight. There was a guy I knew who was JUST like him. He even looked like him. And it was not cute or fun at all to have a guy continuously trying to pursue you after you repeatedly tell them you don't like them like that, and you're dating someone else. It's just annoying. It feels disrespectful when they aren't accepting your boundaries, while also somehow acting like they're the nice good guy that you should choose.
@@shaydawn7376 Personally I found that the point his books was often to point out that the relationship was unhealthy, and the male protagonist was projecting. I think JG also said in an interview that the MC in Looking for Alaska really saw Margot as a manic pixie dream girl, even though she was just another person with her own issues. She plays into the role a bit, but ultimately ends up realising that's not what she wants and they separate
I loathe the surprise pregnancy trope. It almost always ruins the book for me. Especially if the woman had previously struggled with infertility or thought she would never have a baby and then the hero comes along and BAM wow pregnant! He's magic for sure, I guess. Magical creatures are also usually a pass for me, haha!
I hate most pregnancy tropes in general. Ok, if it's a couple who wants to have kids and then she gets pregnant, all lit, high five, congratulations! But ever so often it's either, like you said, a woman struggling with infertility and then after just one night with the hero and his magical seed - BAM pregnant (boy, if onmy fertility doctors knew about that, he would be very popular at the sperm bank...); or it's about a woman who knew she never wamted kids but then she falls pregnant with hero(tm) and is suddenly ok with it. No regrets, no panic, no 'please drive me to PP asap!' She just quietly accepts her fate and it really grinds my gears, because that's not how any of this works in real life!
@@amy-suewisniewski6451I mean it’s like coughing. Everyone coughs now and then, but if a character coughs in more than one or two scenes… they’re probably dying.
Same here, I'm lgbt and so I tend to gravitate towards the ragtag found family trope and stories where the main character(s) are different from the norm along with the escapism of you and the people you care about going on an adventure together and having a purpose of some sort. Granted, there does need to be some solid subverting of expectations otherwise they do tend to get predictable/lack stakes, but i'd take a mediocre magical adventure over most other books.
The book I'm currently reading made sure to include the body types (literally hourglass, pear-shaped, fat, skinny) in the immediate description of nearly every female character. I do not approve.
Jennifer Wang I agree it was probably an attempt at diversity, and I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. Lots of belly flopping in the execution, though. 😬
Tom Oliver It’s all in the execution. Getting a generic body type when any character is introduced is clunky, at best. Is Betty’s brown hair and pear-shape the most important/interesting info we need to know about her? Since the body type descriptions were done disproportionately to the female characters, it came across as misogynist. It also came across as fat-shaming, another risk a writer takes when such an emphasis is put on weight. As writers, we can and should describe body types to represent all the shapes and sizes in the world. But perhaps be more creative than a standard sizing chart, and weave the information into the narrative so it’s revealed in a more organic way.
@@outoftheashlisa I agree! Personally I prefer when body types are left vague. It really has little relevance to the story. Unless someone is consciously attempting to break character archetypes that are associated with these descriptions. I.e. the mom character with a heart of gold tends to be round, the bitchy and/or bombshell girl has an hourglass shape and the not-like-other-girls protagonist has a "boyish figure" OR has the bombshell body and considers herself unsightly. I see it all the time especially in YA fiction.
I hate the "Super Soldier" in sci-fi. He's genetically engineered to be an absolute machine: strong, fast, calculating. He was raised for only one purpose: to be a soldier for the corrupt government. He's been raised to be 100% compliant with no love whatsoever (and is somehow not deeply emotionally and mentally scarred by that). He's just misunderstood and needs a hug! He should look like He-Man, but he actually looks like an underwear model. Bonus points for the woman super soldiers... they don't look like Olympic gymnasts or anything. No, you can only be a female super soldier if you have a c cup or bigger, a really tiny waist and long legs. (This isn't to body shame anyone at all. I'm not saying you can't be thin and big chested and also be strong. I'm just saying that Hollywood really only let's THAT body be classified as strong and "super" when we have hundreds of athletes with all sorts of bodies that can do amazing things.)
Brienne of Tarth onscreen was such a breath of fresh air. She was a physical type that made sense as a fighter. The actress originally sold it on her acting - her audition tape knocked it out of the park, and she was sitting at a table saying the lines. GRRM said that many women tried out for Brienne, and one came in and WAS Brienne. But physically, she really brought it. She went into training, and gained 20 pounds of muscle for the part. I remember an actress who was in Hunger Games saying that all the actresses were trying to slim down to play arena fighters, while all the actors who played arena fighters were trying to bulk up, and I thought 'You do realize that doesn't make sense in a fight-for-your-life story?'
Altered Carbon has the super soldier who needs a hug as the protagonist but in season 2 they just used another one as the main villain and it was a very interesting dynamic to see them go up against each other.
Ohhh man. Things I can't stand in books... 1.) An undeveloped character's mysterious power or ability is revealed as a plot twist/driving force in the plot. I don't know who this is and they can suddenly move mountains and make forcefields or sing to calm dragons down or fix extremely complex machinery with no help? Who are you??? 2.) It was all a dream/none or half of that didn't even happen! (dream sequences in general...I hate. Don't go on for PARAGRAPHS about your character's dream if it has no impact!!!) 3.) Undeserved villain reveal. Please...let me question if someone can be trusted before you tell me they're supposed to be the bad guy. Let me make my own enemies while I read! 4.) Best friend/parental figure dies to further the protagonist. DON'T DO THAT TO ME. I'm sure I could think of more things but most of my dislikes are style quirks rather than tropes.
#2 and #3 so much! I watched two shows because of a particular actor I like and in one there was all kinds of interesting character development which in the end never happened and in the other show he turned out to be the big bad even though he was nothing but sweet to the main characters for most of the series and his motives just made no sense at all. I hate when that happens! When it comes to books: at least with Dan Brown I learned to come to terms with it that the character I like the most usually turns out to be the main antagonist in the end - he always delivers ☹
Here are some tropes that I hate in novels and in movies: 1. Damsel in Distress. There were many things that ruined the Spider-man movies with Toby McGuire. One was KIrsten Dunst's character being a cardboard damsel in distress while Spiderman rescued her. I hate that. 2. One dimensional male sexuality. Especially in romance fiction. Where is the complexity? Or is he just a hunk of male meat who wants a bonk buddy? Where's his MIND? I don't care how ripped he is with a six pack. Does he have any fears? Maybe he worries that she might not be ready? Maybe he has a religious upbringing that screams in his head no no this is wrong. Or could he have a physical condition that complicates romance? NO, I was not thinking THAT. I was thinking psoriasis or acne that he is embarrassed about. I mean, he could be gay but that would be a whole other trope! [aghhh!] 3. Sci Fi with bad aliens invading earth versus the good humans. What about giving some layers to the aliens. Could the aliens have some good intentions? 4. Patriot fiction. Tom, the all American college football star, was poised to save his country! He had to save the day for The President! He could still hear his pa saying "boy, you're gonna do good!"
The trope you mentioned for number four... have you heard about Oliver Sipple? A real world All-American man, but... This guy's story is a perfect inversion of that trope. I learned about him from a Radiolab podcast, it's told in a really unforgettable way.
I honestly hate the tropes where a character pulls out of power completely out of nowhere and saves the day or to further the plot, unnecessary drama or misunderstandings that could be solved through just talking, stalkers portrayed as romantic and cute, and unanswered or unexplained things. I also don't really like psychopathic characters, ugly characters that become beautiful ( like losing A LOT weight), people loving and falling for the main character even though they are boring, and the strong female that's to over powered and has no flaws... Oh yeah... Also characters that are completely perfect in every way!
Starting the video: Biting my nails while worrying she's going to list my entire book. #2 - no! no! no! Oh... Werewolves are good. Cool. Although they aren't exactly werewolves in my book, but designed around werewolves. And... My book series is possibly safe from the axe!!!! Wooho! Although the MC has a disability, but it isn't the main focus, although losing your arm in a crash is kind of a big deal.
@@AlexaDonne Mine falls under this, unfortunately :-( The main characters are magical woodland creatures. There are no humans in the setting. The story is about interaction between different magical woodland races.
You were so nice about not liking these tropes! And I'm saying this as someone who loves quests and magical creatures (and have a soft spot for music in books as well). It's okay to not like the same things :) (although I did agree on all the others to be fair)
Personally, I despise it when I'm reading a romance (especially a slow burn) and we get to a kiss scene, and there is either no description of it, not enough, or it's very badly described
I kinda dislike that too. My brother, for example, once found an example of a first kiss where the people were really in love already, and it lasted for a sentence. That was one thing that bothered me a TON.
I don’t like it when an author writes in a character for the sole purpose of having a minority in the book. Representation is important but I see too many authors just having a minority character that doesn’t do anything useful in the book. If you’re going to represent something, represent it well!
Historical fiction: it’s my *favourite* genre so I kind of lose my biscuit when it sucks; like where the writer dngaf about *real* research- & just parrots misconceptions... I cannot express just HOW MUCH I hate that. Also, when the author is writing historical _fantasy_ & the audience isn’t made aware from the getgo- it’s infuriating- historical fantasy can be good- *if* you aren’t left in the dark
things that make me not wanna pick up books in the first place are: - military stuff (we agree!) - creative non-fiction (don't care about memoires, or realistic historic fiction etc) - zombies, werewolfs (love vampires tho), dragons, ghosts, unicorns, mermaids - when a book is praised for its inventive magic system (just don't care about those scienc-ey hard magic systems) - the words "coming-of-age", "autobiographical", or "familiy saga"/"multi-generational sage" in the blurb - stories about war (esp WWI&WWII) - blurbs that indicate people will be running away from something for most of the book (my least favorite plot is an escape plot) that was my humble list... love you alexa, thanks for uploading :)
The book I'm writing isn't one that Alexa would want to read (Fantasy her #2) but who cares? that doesn't mean your book isn't good, a lot of people do like it, myself included. Just like Alexa's Sci-Fi isn't for everyone
When you said Magical Creatures I held my breath to see if you’d list what I’m writing with currently (basically angels and demons but with my lore specific to the story) I was a little sad to see you don’t like them ^^’ I like when they’re handled well (which I hope I’ve done) (Also: being a teen myself, I find many many adults don’t know what teens actually act like, they say they know then see a piece of media that I recognise as realist teen portrayal and then say ‘thats not how teens act’ so I guess a lot of adults just don’t know what teens act like?)
Being a teen in each generation have many similarities and many differences. And remembering what it felt as a teen gets more anesthetized as one gets older. When I was in my early 20's I probably got it better than now. (Closer to my 40's.) Why I like writing older adults which I understand more. So I agree fully with you on many adults haven't a clue how teens act in any era. Cause of that length of time.
I agree about teens sounding like grown ups. I’m struggling with that lol. It’s so great when I can understand flaws in my books that I would like to fix. Thanks Alexa:) Also, I don’t have a heist, but I do have a quest with teens, although it’s fantasy but to each their own:)
I hate the "I'm not like other girls" trope. That kind of early John Green stuff gets a hard pass from me, where the guy admires a beautiful girl from afar and idealized her. The manic-pixie dream girl from books like Stargirl. Instant romances where the characters meet and then are willing to die for one another. Supernatural/magical elements coming out of nowhere to save the day like contemporary where the main character suddenly has a prophetic dream. Love triangles. Detailed physical descriptions. Books where a man describes a woman as his goddess or queen are just a pet peeve of mine (unless it's like a one-off that makes sense in context.) I don't know, there's just something really icky to me about a man promising to treat you like his goddess. Those are just the top ones that come to my mind.
Thought the characters in Six of Crows were in their 20's.... I wonder if it's marketing that pushes certain books to YA and pressures the authors to reduce the ages of their characters.
My book taste is situational, honestly. I have to want a particular 'flavor' to enjoy it. However, once I'm there, I can read nearly anything and not actively dislike it as long as the author's voice is something I can deal with and the storytelling is immersive. Beyond that, I read most genres and most tropes when the flavor urge happens and will rarely stop reading a book once I've begun it. However, there are a few 'flavors' that I want very rarely or not at all. - Sci-Fi (rarely) - Political Fiction/Government Espionage/Military Fiction- (never)
Thank you a lot for this video! There's a few of these things that I also don't like but wasn't sure how to verbalize. Disability Inspiration is one of the worst things for sure. People with disabilities already make a small part of the industry and MCs. It's worse to see them being used as plot devices, or promoting misconceptions about disabilities.
Alexa, I am so surprised (and grateful) that you mentioned inspiration porn! I'm a disabled writer and inspiration porn really gets under my skin. It is extremely prevalent in literature, though, and on top of it being incredibly harmful to the community, it's just an overdone trope in general. So few people in the book world talk about it though, or even know that it's problematic. It really means a lot that you mentioned it on your list - it makes me feel seen, and it's just another reason why you are my favorite author to watch on TH-cam. THANK YOU!!!! xo
Some things I personally don’t like: 1) Breaking up for the SO’s safety, especially when the protag doesn’t explain and goes the “I never really loved you” route. Bonus points if they go that route and they’re literally some kind of soul mates. Double bonus points if the SO is actually reasonably capable and could probably survive whatever perils might target them as our chosen one’s weak link personal connection. (Sweep hurt me real bad as a teen. I stopped reading the series after that. Maybe they get back together, maybe they don’t. I’ll never willingly find out.) 2) Incomprehensible world building, especially in regards to economic systems. One book I dropped had a system where people completely stop being able to earn money once they hit 18. And the way they earned money is basically playing a life simulator repeatedly that is actually Earth. (The whole Earth is a game thing was also revealed WAY too late to recover my suspension of disbelief over trying to figure out how they functioned as a society of only that. Only income, only entertainment, managed to build that system but never figured out flight before somebody lived as the Wright brothers, didn’t make their own art, straight up dump the kids who run out of the points they use as currency into hellish group homes to live out the rest of their lives too poor to do anything, etc. And it wasn’t presented as being a mega depressing dystopia??) 3) Powerful characters in relation to the rest of the setting. I’m just not a fan of power fantasy and I really like underdogs and protags who have to be clever to come out on top. 4) In litrpg type stories that use stats, if charisma is one of the stats, and especially if the way the author chooses to write charisma increasing is just like “everyone wants to bang the protag now and they win all discussions forever.” It’s just no good. 5) Instant attraction. I just can’t relate, as someone on the ace spectrum. Give me slow burns. Give me long-term friendships that blossom into something more. If the romance isn’t the main plot I’m going into the book for, I want it to take its time developing. 6) Hyper speed relationships that aren’t justified by outside circumstances like an arranged marriage or marrying for tax reasons or something. If Romeo and Juliet’s relationship progresses slower, I have a problem.
Toreador Rivera The Game by Terry Schott. It’s free on the iTunes Books app. I dropped it halfway through, but apparently it’s got 8 books in the series.
@@sarah4653 it sounds very similar to the Stargate Atlantis episode with that concept basically playing VR Civilization with real people and the Animorphs series from KA Applegate she had a side book that pretty much did the same thing as that as well as a VR simulation concept. But this sounds really poorly explained and set out it's just weird.
I HATE it when a book (or movie or whatever) is marketed poorly. I hate that it's not in the author's control but they tend to get the blame when marketing is promising one kind of story but delivers another. Like in your example. Don't say it's a romance when it's not, and don't claim to be not a romance and then have it become one. If you market the book to the right audience, then the right people will read it instead of people who give it one-star reviews because the book didn't do what it promised (especially when it comes to genre). I totally agree. I hope that when I become published one day, my book has a marketing team that understands this.
I think the worst thing in books or stories in general is when a really cool mystery ends up being a magic thing. It just makes all of the effort of trying to figure out the problem seem like a waste.
Honestly, I’m writing a book right now that has magical characters, specifically shapeshifters, and I can kind of see the where the dislike comes from. And it’s fine, I honestly hate romance and love fantasy. You might love romance and hate fantasy. My point is, is that we all have our own preferences for books and genres.
Present tense in stories is kinda strange for me, especially if it sounds like the person is remembering the events. Like, in reality shows. Also, 2nd-person seems to rile me. Why? I dunno, but I always react like "I would NOT do that!" or say that. Like, "you approach the alien ship, but you are terrified." Um, no, not me. I'm curious!
I have several hates, but most recently I've read a few books with intensely beautiful girls who have literally no idea that they are not hideous troll beasts, and it is DRIVING ME NUTS. Yes, I know women in general and teenagers in particular have body image issues, but when a lot of time is spent whining about it, I want to shake the character (and author tbh) and tell them to shut up. Because this is ALWAYS accompanied by having multiple characters telling them how beautiful they are, a half dozen lads lusting after them, but OmG I'M mORE (insert traditionally beautifuful feature) than everyone else, so everyone gasps and swoons when they look at me because I'm SO UGLY!!!1! Cue vomiting. This last happened in a book where it turns out the MC was the latest in a long line of magical women bred to be incredibly beautiful. She didn't know this for a long time, and then it's like 'oh I guess I was hot the whole time' and I nearly tossed my Kindle across the room.
1) Quests/adventures/journeys that the stories are centered around 2) Magical creatures 3) calorie counting/unhealthy food obsessions 4) casual misogyny/normalized abusive relationships 5) Narrative cheats 6) unexplained, unearned, or random plot twists 7) false advertising (marketed as a heavy romance, not actually a heavy romance) 8) disabled people being used as a plot device/sick kid book/magically cured disabled person (!!!) 9) "not like other girls" protagonist and b*tchy antagonist girl (who is usually very feminine) 10) in YA where teens talk/act like literal adults 11) military thrillers 12) based around music (music setting/niche) 13) "ragtag teams/misfits"
I hate "Second Chance" books. Because the heroine basically ends up forgiving him, without him doing anything. Inserts 'My body is betraying me' syndrome
Romance as a main plot point. I don't mind a love interest, but when I'm drawn in by an interesting concept only to be led to pages and pages about feelings and relationship conflict it's hard to want to finish the book
Anyone with half a brain cell HATES romantic pairings that are stalker-y or abusive. If the relationship is portrayed like it is, then it’s fine, but it’s really toxic to project the idea that it’s okay to want to control someone’s life.
I hate awkward talk during sex scenes, goofy humor (Firefly and Dr Who aren’t for me), most contemporary romance, and mysteries. I do love the Fae. Holly Black, Sarah J Maas, and CL Wilson are among my favorite writers in that regard.
Also not a fan of the “surprise psychopath” trope, but the main trope I absolutely cannot stand is the “they were actually dead the whole time” thing. Maybe if I hadn’t seen it done a million times before I wouldn’t mind as much, but I just feel like it’s so overdone at this point and it’s gotten extremely predictable to the point that I can detect it a mile away and start hating the book as soon as I do. I also don’t like when a multiple POV book starts out with a set group of perspectives only to add in a bunch more halfway through. Like, just introduce them earlier or don’t have so many! Grr. I love multiple POV, I just don’t like being tricked into how many characters we’ll be seeing.
Love triangles . . . not a fan. They have been done SO many times. But ya know just a personal preference. 😂 And that normalizing an abusive relationship is . . . really to be honest f*cked up. Something I also don’t like in books is when everyone ends up in a relationship at the end.
I hate charity porn/Mother Theresa syndrome; where the main character's defining personality traits is that they're "good" and must help every disenfranchized person, proceeding to praise themselves at every opportunity for doing charitable acts in an inner monologue.
Within romance, I really hate when it's all about their relationship and then she's suddenly pRegNanT because the author didn't know what to do with the plot and made them get a family. I didn't read for your baby, ma'am, I read for your relationship.
Funny--on both this and your 'love' list, there were some I was in total agreement with, and some that had me gasping in faux outrage (you... you don't care about the Firefly characters? Monstrous!). Do I ever feel you on the military/law enforcement protag, though. Takes my interest in a horror/thriller down several notches at least.
Haha, fantasy is still nice, as long as it isn’t just...boring? What I’m trying to say is that when it just feels very cookie cutter, no fun character interactions, no deeper plot, ect. Also that plot twist sounds interesting, as long as it makes sense haha
Started off the video with a disclaimer and I anxiously await to see if any of these things you hate will be things I enjoy. #1 adventure quest novels....damn you haha. But in all serious I know they're not for everyone but lord of the rings is dope okay.
"Cheaping out" on the writing is one of the top things that will turn me away from an otherwise decent book or story of any kind. It can even be a TV show, and I'm keen to notice when they've filled up too much time and had to "cheap out" and resolve the conflict "automagically" or by deus ex machina of some kind or other... and I HATE that. The next among my top dogs for despising something is "breaking the rules"... If something is absolutely impossible for the villain early on in the story, then it should be just as impossible for the hero at the end of the story... AND no. I don't care that the consequences might include the apocalypse... One should be willing to end his own world rather than break one of his "core rules" as laid out through the worldbuilding process... AND I feel personally cheated for having wasted time on it done so poorly... let alone whatever else I may have 'invested'. Being a nut for TTRPG's I'm also a nut for legends, lore, myth, and magical crap... From creatures to various items (like wands or mystically powerful swords)... BUT this ONLY works for me if the lore is relatively well researched. If you suddenly have all the vampires running around in daylight, there better be a good reason for it... likewise if silver suddenly no longer kills werewolves... I can appreciate the weird and wacky worlds of a huge variety of folklore, but it has to be researchable, and I'd prefer it stick pretty close to "the canon" for the creatures. Otherwise, the story better have something else going for it. AND yes, MY GOD... I hate the disability= inspirational and sick-fiction stuff for the sake of "inspiration porn"... I remember being compared to some character in a book when I had to get surgery on both feet and spent about six months getting around with a wheelchair... It was uncomfortable the few times that kind of crap happened and my condition was temporary... I can only imagine how an actual disabled person feels about that kind of thing... I think it would drive me completely bat-shit... Any form of normalizing a toxic relationship... That's just NOT cool. It's not edgy. It's not romantic in any sense of the term, and it sure as hell isn't sexy... It's toxic and by writing it up as anything else ENCOURAGES impressionable kids to think it is okay. It's not... It can even encourage impressionable adults to justify their horrible activities and toxicity "because fans"... ugh... It's not to say one shouldn't write about a toxic relationship... It just shouldn't be colored in as something other than what it is. Thriller villains that are "just psycho's"... I mean, you're probably not in the healthiest headspace if you've made a hobby of chasing and killing people with a big knife... I get it. BUT do something more inventive than "Well, he's killing them because he's a psycho"... I might even advise, if you're going for a psychological bent on a villain, maybe research the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths so you're not hopelessly ruining the read for those of us who might care. ...and yes, there's a difference. Granted, it has more to do with "villainous backstory" than necessarily the villain as narrated/described... BUT getting it straight and keeping it straight helps make a villain at least "more believable"... even if it's not going to get particularly relatable. I can empathize with a sociopath. He/she didn't ask to be raised and groomed into a monster. It takes a parent some hard work to manage to do that to a child... BUT "there but for the grace of God..." you know??? AND for what it's worth, I may not drop a book like a bad habit if this is the only issue... It's certainly not a deal breaker, but I will tend to lose interest... or lose respect for writers that do this. It's not hard research, and I don't expect perfection... just the basic terminology tells so much more about a "proper" murderous madman if it's consistent and appropriate terms as used. Finally, I rather dislike any poorly written MC's... If we're going to explore the Character(s) throughout a lengthy novel, it helps to have something nt only interesting to explore, but written pretty well. Particularly notorious are "strong females" in general. I still want them to be feminine... Not pasted female as an after-thought and Rocky Balboa or Rambo up to that point in physical description versus activities. Among the best done females (easily researched) that I can recall was Ms. Kitty from "Gunsmoke". She was indeed a very strong woman... She had no problems with handling a shotgun, but she didn't go brandishing pistols and shooting people when life didn't go her way... and it didn't go her way A LOT... SO if anyone wants a character to study, seek out some of the old seasons of "Gunsmoke" and binge that. Study Ms. Kitty's manners, methods, and style of "being strong"... and still being a "lady". There was a lot I didn't care much about watching "Gunsmoke", but they did good when they created Ms. Kitty. And a pretty damn good villainess (in case you're interested) would be Ruby from "Siupernatural"... Study how she very clearly plants herself between Sam and Dean... and survives consistently getting in Dean's way while influencing Sam to do exactly what Dean constantly warns him against... She didn't have to be all big or bad-ass. She could still seriously hamper them, countermand everything they were doing... and make herself just useful enough to stick around... time and again. Watch that... DO it like that. Okay, ranty part's over. It's just that I've played a LOT of RPG's... From D&D to Cyberpunk, and all manner and points in between... I get a lot of mileage out of villains and it practically hurts me physically to see when a villain is poorly done... particularly when it's SO poorly done I'd be ashamed of doing that myself... and someone's getting paid for it... while I "work" for beers and pizza at the best of times. ;o)
I immediately became aware that you and I have pretty much opposite taste in books but it’s really nice to hear that the things I love are things that people hate! I guess that means you can pretty much write about anything and somebody’s gonna like it, and at the same time why I try to please everybody because you just can’t 🥸
I do not recommend re-reading Bridget Jones's Diary. It was one of my favorites when I was in my early 20s, and I re-read it last year at 35, and WOW did I hate it. Bridget seemed realistic and relatable to me as a 20-year-old, but now that I'm just a bit older than she is in the book, I can recognize how painfully immature, self-centered, and emotionally stunted she (and every other character in the book, really) is. It was unbearable. Also, for #7, don't read In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Very misleading marketing. It is not a romance at all.
I personally really hate it when the MC has this main love interest for the whole book, but in the end they end up with somebody else who they have absolutely no chemistry with unlike the first love interest. Ex, harry potter
Things I don't like in books: instalove, abusive love interests (somehow he always finds a way to excuse his behavior and the MC lets him make it her fault), more telling vs showing, the "miscommunication" in romance. Like seriously... I just read a book with a miscommunication trope and they just wouldn't talk to each other!! The main love interest who did nothing wrong waited 6 months to speak to her and clear it up. 6. months. I cannot. And plot points that go nowhere. Why say the thing if the thing isn't going to be brought up again?? There's more I'm sure lol.
This is so important! How often the MC gets away with being a bad partner just because he's the MC. And ever so often when the love interest tries to communicate what's wrong with thrir relationship and makes good points, but gets either brushed off as this not being important, or something happening which makes the MC say they'll change their ways, but a few chapters further they are back to their old ways and now it's somehow ok because they DID talk about it and the MC DID promise to change (although it never happened or the change didn't last long)
Fae are magical creatures of folklore. I personally enjoyed reading Wicked Lovely, which is about a girl who can see fae/fairies and gets tangled up in their politics. There are small inhuman creatures, and then there are elf-like magical creatures who can pass for human with a "glamor" or "glimmer" (a spell that hides their real appearance).
Hahaha, after your positive video mentioned an exception to the super-specific concepts, I was just thinking, "Please don't be historical stories," for the entirely ridiculous personal reason that I've been researching a super-specific one for the last two years. Then it turned out to be music and of course, that's the crux of my *other* big idea, although that one is inherently satirical because I'm not a musician at all, just seeking an outlet for a decade's worth of terrible classic rock jokes. On a more serious note, my biggest "dead dove do not eat" is trivialized sexual assault. I don't mind sexual assault in fiction if the author engages with the topic in a meaningful way, but when it happens purely as a motivation for revenge, *especially* if the one taking revenge is a male character on behalf of a female victim, or if it's just to show how evil the villain is, and it could be swapped out for any one of hundreds of other crimes without affecting the resolution of the story, it is a hard pass.
It’s really interesting how some tropes probably come from a good place but just don’t hit right. I imagine it’s tempting for some writers to think “what kinds of people don’t receive enough representation” etc and then suddenly they’re writing a gimmicky character based on lgbt folk or disabilities or what have you. It’s always worth running your concept by people similar to your characters because you really just don’t know what they might find offensive, even if your heart is in the right place. I learnt that recently because I wanted one of my female characters to be a strong “I don’t need no man” type but was swiftly told that people are becoming sick of this because it’s now the popular counter to the damsel in distress trope. Whoops.
I swear if this has an error again, it will be the book gods CURSING ME! (hope it plays ok now)
looks good!
I was wondering why it was made private.
When you called out mysognistic and abusive relationships being idealised or normalised I FELT that; it sucks so badly - there are some books written so well but normalise this that I can't enjoy anymore :'). Paranormal (romances) had/s these - I wonder how you avoid it with vamps and werewolves? (Though, I suppose if you're reading urban fantasy that's usually better - or horror). Thanks Alexa!
Just on a note since you said you’re ere interested in the classical music world, as a classical musician myself I found that Night Music (can’t remember the author) was a good representation of that
My quest!!!! To find books that Alexa Donne would hate!
1. YA novel : Izzy, Willy-Nilly , by Cynthia Voigt. Ticks two boxes: disability theme and good/bad girl. In fact it also ticks the teen being so adult they are not teen. That is bonus hate!
2. Any book in the Willard Price's Adventure series.
3. Any novel about a murder mystery that is solved by finding the clues in food and recipes. This is such a done to death trope; there is a website that lists novels with this trope! One such book series is by Avery Ames: The Cheese Shop Mystery Series. Main Characters: Charlotte, Co-Owner of Cheese Shop, & Rags, Her Ragdoll Cat, Ohio. [NOT A JOKE] Titles in this series include : The Long Quiche Goodbye, To Brie or not to Brie, and For Cheddar or Worse.
Honestly, I strongly dislike childish romance’s where the premise is that they have a big misunderstanding that could be easily solved by Communication
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I completely agree. It’s frustrating and pointless to me.
Often happens irl tho
EXACTLY! Just act like adults it is not hard
the worst!
No. 4: Misogyny/stalker/abuse relationship. Y'all know Wattpad was built and THRIVES on that stuff.
Elle Davis I don’t like it either.
Uh this trope sucks! Dislike hard. Really really don't like it.
I hate it too!
It's usually someone's suppressed sexual fantasies, some people are just lucky enough to get published.
I dont know what wattpad is. And I feel like this is like a sexual fantasy. I read that the most common sxfantasies are authority types like: teacher student or robber and i dunno home owner or something. But on first place was nurse/stewardess. Actually nevermind me, the book i read was written and traditionally published before internet pron was a thing. . . I think people just getting weirder
I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but I usually auto reject a book that has a shirtless man on the cover, especially if there is a wolf and big breasted woman thrown into the mix. There is A LOT of self published books like this.
Stori Lynn Werewolves romance books do that a lot.
I dislike these covers too, though as a paranormal romance author, I'm probably going to have to bite the bullet and publish them eventually XD;;
I'd never read a book with a cover like that, simply because it signals to me that the main focus of the story will be the romance. I like a bit of romance in my plot, not a bit of plot in my romance. For some reason I just can't get into MCs whose biggest concern is their love life. Just can't relate to that, somehow, though I do like romance as a side-arc.
oh man, but Chuck Tingle’s erotica are the funniest I know of!
I see a lot of these on Facebook, under dream(?) and I am so done with see them all over the place!
The thing I hate in books is very specific: I don't like the "we're in the deepest middle of a fight and getting our asses royally kicked but we have time for the first passionate kiss right now!" Yes it's very specific but I've seen it a lot in books, and movies too. It's just a hard No. I don't want three pages describing what that kiss feels like. Stop it it's getting awkward and your friends are dying.
It's like- "Oh my god bro, you're dying!? Lemme just- *smooch*"
Star wars the last Jedi *Intensifies*
I think the anger they might have for each other equally translates for the sexual tension so I actually really like that:)))
in pirates of the caribbean they even had time to get married xD
The end of this comment got me XD
Alexa: I don't like quests or magical creatures.
Me, a high fantasy writer: Welp.
Same friend. There go my dragons, kinnara and shadhavar. lol
Right there with you. hahaha I console myself with the knowledge that I'm not out there to please everyone. I also console myself with a lot of chocolate.
Lol, well I adore high fantasy so keep doing your thing!!!
I mean that's just what Alexa dislikes but you do you! High Fantasy is very fun! And Alexa tends to gravitate towards scifi, thrillers, romance etc (this isn't to say she won't read fantasy) Love her advice but most of my books don't fit her reading list 😅.
I felt the same. I love my quests and mythical creatures. High fantasy is my favourite genre.
Convenient trauma/emotions.
Like when in fantasy books the main character has a trauma that gets triggered and unleashes their magical ability but only when it benefits the character and the narrative. If you wanna claim your character is triggered by sudden touch don't make them only lash out at villains. Make them hurt a friend, someone powerful they needed on their side, a creature that wasn't doing any harm... Anything. Just please don't only pull that shit out when it fits you. I promise trauma isn't convenient
yes i agree.... reading this as somebody who suffers with ptsd, i’ve unfortunately hurt many friends (without meaning to of course). It can be very hurtful on both sides and books need to showcase this part of trauma, not just bringing it up when it’s convenient.
I entirely agree.
I wrote a short novella that had the whole "magic originally triggered by convenient trauma" though it was because the character had an irrational fear of pool floats 😂
To be fair his neck was stuck in one when he was younger (of course this was something dropped in through character dialog early in the story, I didn't info dump lol)
@@thatperson278 i would say that makes u guilty of this yes. If that character's trauma is having their head stuck in a pool float probably pool floats aren't the only trigger, something else that could trigger them would be the smell of certain plastics, the feeling of being stuck somewhere, doesn't necessarily have to be the head, certain dates, possibly the music that played if there was any, water and pools could be triggers..... Like. Plenty of things that could be inconvenient. Also. You decide what the trauma is. Like. It doesn't just happen to be this way
exactly
Honestly the biggest things I dislike are characters shrugging off extreme trauma or injuries as though they are nothing and true love can fix anything even mental illnesses better than therapy or medication. I live with mental illness and while I can say me friends and family are important as a source of support, and no matter how much my boyfriend and I love each other, I'm not going off my meds and I'm still going to have sessions with my therapist.
Yes! This is a HUGE thing I dislike. Like, mental illness and trauma doesn't just disappear because you fell in love or suddenly became the chosen one or whatever.
Exactly, and in all honesty my illness puts a lot of strain on my loved ones, it's not really a happily ever after. It's a lifetime of accepting the difficulties of being with someone who has problems that will never go away.
This comment is so, SO relatable that it almost made me cry. I spent so much of my teenage years desperately wanting to recreate the ‘fixed by love’ element I saw perpetuated throughout media and books. I believed wholeheartedly that because I was incapable of loving myself due to mental illness, that I wasn’t worthy of being loved and could never be capable of romantically loving someone else. I also believed I needed a relationship to make me ‘lovable’ and ‘happy’ which just led to me getting involved in a toxic mess. Representation of supportive relationships in terms of mental health and trauma alongside counselling and medication is vital to all ages, but especially teens.
Hard agree. Having a love interest “fix” a character’s mental illness (or even just personality flaws) seems a lot like having a love interest fix a character’s diabetes or something. 🤔
Agreed
This is along the lines of the disability issue, I hate when rape is used as a plot device.
yes!
and i hate it even more if its just casually thrown in there, like, "oh you know just some side character getting raped, nothing to worry about." makes me throw up in my mouth every time.
that not good writing
I think it can be used in a story, but with extreme care. It has to carry the weight that it would carry in real life. I agree with Victoria Luther's comment. It's not something to write about lightly.
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!
I totally agree. Not that you can’t write about it, but you just need to take it seriously. It really depends on how the narrative itself treats it.
As a phsyically disabled person I can't stand when people use us as a feel good for the day.
Xanna Renae I’m physically disabled too, and another trope I hate is the ‘disability is bad / Needs to be cured’ ‘trend’ I find in books. Particularly contemporary and fantasy. There’s a fine line between showcasing the struggles that come with disabilities and presenting them as the overall worst case scenario. I’m determined that the book I’m currently working on does the topic of disability justice in all areas. We may be limited in certain ways, but that doesn’t mean our lives are limited to such an extent that their worthless.
I'm in a wheelchair and I 100% agree
I didn't even realize this was a thing till this video
Now I'm torn on my current book plot. A teen gets injured and is struggling through the changes (loss of his "personality" as a jock, day to day life, feeling all eyes on him and some initial internal hatred.) By the end of the book, I want him to discover new hobbies and things about himself, and ways to incorporate his past hobbies. He also struggles through a romantic relationship due to paranoia that it's all out of petty. I want it to be a journey of him finding himself again, and I'm not sure if that is what is meant by making an "inspiration PRN"
Shaun Williams I personally don’t think it is, as you’re showing realistic struggles with realistic changes and overcoming of obstacles. Inspiration porn is essentially where the disabled character exists purely to either make non-disabled characters look or feel better about themselves, or is labelled as a ‘hero’ for doing the tasks that they would normally do anyway I.e. a wheelchair bound person being an ‘inspiration’ because they’ve done the basic task of food shopping or going about their lives. Your story isn’t either of those things, and definitely sounds an interesting and realistic take on a very real situation. I’d definitely read it 😊
'Not like other girls' is my pet peeve as well. if I see that I'm out, and the same goes for people who are like that IRL.
I'm not like other girl, I have three eyes in a single socket.
Ditto, the internalized misogyny from the author/character/real life person is just off the charts. I'd only ever get through something like that if I knew beforehand that the author intentionally addresses/subverts it by the end.
i'm not like other girls. i know what i want for dinner. i've been thinking about it since lunch.
BELLA SWAN
No you don't understand, they aren't like other girls-other girls actually have personalities rather than basing it on being different
This is why not every agent or publisher jumps on your manuscript, even if you are an amazing writer: personal taste.
I can't stand love triangles where the main character waffles between the other two. Omg, just pick someone. For me, it's just so overdone.
Or just go with both, it's like really? It's a social construct based on control, there is literally nothing wrong with having two partners.
Ben Wilson yeah, that won’t go south at all.
@@surprisedchar2458 in a lot of cases it doesn't
Ben Wilson True. If all 3 are fine with a poly relationship why not. I read A Lesson in Thorns and there is two males with one female and I love it (it’s a very taboo and kink filled book though so beware but it’s so good)
@@Brakiros Not everyone is into having two partners though, some people are probably too jealous for that. And, maybe the other person doesn't want that. Although it would be a nice change for the protagonist to just choose both...it's not that easy
I personally don't like abusive relationships in books either. To me a bad boy shouldn't solely be an asshole who then abuses the girl emotionally or physically. I think authors can get that vibe without going there personally.
Yeah I like the bad boy trope when he's misunderstood, or simply has layers.
I don't mind stories about abusive relationships, except when they are romanticized and the abused stays with the abuser (unless it's framed as a tragedy and not something romantic) and the main character changes the bad boy/girl's bad behaviour because it's 'true love'.
If you're going to write a bad boy/girl love interest, it has to be done well, with a lot of nuances and even if the bad boy/girl is redeemed, I don't think they should end up with the protagonist.
@@happychaosofthenorth I agree! Romantasizing that kind of behavior just isnt healthy for any one!
And yes Alexa! I agree. I love a good misunderstood/layers trope
Overall I think nuances in characters are important because people are dynamic and complex and the better characters in stories usually mimic that.
I call it Bad Boy Good Man, where he's got that look and feel and sense of risk, is independent, confident, unpredictable, doesn't give a shit what others think, but instead of also being a selfish, immature, abusive asshole he's a decent person. Maybe he's a good leader, takes care of his friends, stands up for his ideals, etc. He still has issues and room to grow, but they're not related to literally abusing people. The Bad Boy Good Man trope is a big weakness of mine. (Ironically, Mal from Firefly is an amazing example of this.)
Even if he only shows his sweet side to her (because she's "the only one who understands me") doesn't work if in his free time he's punching senior citizens and kicking dogs. Then that makes me dislike the girl because she appears self-centered and has horrible taste.
Some things I don't personally like in books: Instant-romances, overly naive MC's, unrealistic relationships (give me ALL the realism,) gore for the sake of gore just feels cheap to me, cliffhangers that don't really lead anywhere (or ending a chapter in a place that doesn't make much sense JUST to have a cliffhanger,) and cheats like a finale victory that comes completely out of nowhere and wasn't foreshadowed at all. Not tropes as such, but these things have been known to really get my goat. Honestly, I could have made this list much longer lmao.
Yes to the gore comment: if violence is really necessary for the plot, implying is much better than graphic description.
@@JayBenjamin9214 If it is necessary to the plot, I don't mind it so much. I have a strong constitution haha. It's more when it isn't necessary to the plot or character building or whatever, and is there purely for the shock factor, thars when it bugs me, you know what I mean?
@@foundinfiction24 just so you know, the last one with the non forshadowed cheat is called Deus Ex Machina. This comes meaning ‘God from the machine’ because in Greek myths whenever the heroes were in trouble, gods would just swoop in and save the day. Don’t worry, you aren’t on your own with hating that one.
Love triangles are almost an automatic no for me. Specifically when it's pitched as the main character has to choose between two guys. I just.... can't. Most of the time the guy I personally prefer is the guy she DOESN'T pick and it just pisses me off and I don't have a good time of it. Also, I don't like the stringing along of two nice guys because she just "can't decide". It truly bugs me.
The only time I can deal with it is if the love triangle isn't really a "pick me" deal. For example... girl & guy love each other but they can't be together and there's this other guy who loves her but she doesn't love him the same way.... kind of thing. I can deal with that because unrequited love is real and sad and I can empathize.
100% agree!
I’d be in for a love triangle with a pansexual or bisexual and the struggles of sexuality. Otherwise I don’t like it either. I almost always prefer the guy the female doesn’t choose either -.-
I feel the same. Having read the Twilight Saga I don't understand why it was so popular. (I love how it strikes off almost all the "hard no's" on this list lmao). I did like the dilemma in the Hunger Games where Katniss was honest and up front about her emotions. The love triangle was a sub plot, not the main plot which is where Stephanie Meyer fucked up. I like authors who can explore the complexity of human emotion rather than being lazy and relying on the surface level "gasp OMG she loves TWO GUYS" aspect of it.
I hate love triangles too and this comment made me realize that I accidentally decided to write one. My MC is a lesbian and her (toxic) male best friend has feelings for her and gets irrationally angry when he can’t control her life, especially when she tells him she has feelings for a new girl in her life, he never got the memo apparently lmao
Yeah, I really love ACTUAL triangles haha. Instead of one person liking two people.
Me: I hope my story won't have any of these.
Her: Numbah One: No adventures or quests.
Me: ...
Dang I didn't even last a minute
Don't worry friend. If done well, you win. I too have some kind of adventure in my sci fi books. The second one hardly has it at least
It’s her own opinion of course! There are many, many famous books based off quests.
True- look at Harry Potter and the Socerers Stone
@@samuelandrade6986 To be fair, I don’t think Harry Potter is the sort of book she was referring to, considering Harry is forced into occasional struggles while trying to survive school, rather than being a Cool Elf who decides to go find the cool magic rock.
I win! I made it all the way to number 2, magical creatures. 🤣🤣🤣 Usually Fae!
This "not like other girls" trope is sooo overly annoying. And in these books, where the MC is the "not like other girls" girl, all the other girls are described as being bad for liking make-up, doing their hair and dressing well for school and like to party. And the precious MC is the good gal because she's into reading and punk music and wants to be an artist later yadda yadda yadda. As if it's impossible that a girl or young woman can be into reading AND shugging tequila shots at 3AM in the club.
The worst thing is, back when I was 13/14 and was reading these kinda books I was also trying to be "not like other girls"... yikes.
Insta love drives me insane. I loathe when the only thing about a female characters identity is that she loves a guy, like she can’t be her own complete person without him. Yuck
Or sometimes as the story progresses the woman actually evolves with it and the guy kinda stays two-dimensional but she still sticks to him like glue even though you can't see why when there are other (better) potential love interests for her. And the man can always count on her being there for him, like it's a given that she will never break up with him because he's the hero(tm) and being with him should always be a blessing for every woman. I'd love to see more good breakup stories where the hero has to come to terms that he messed up big time and maybe learns something from that.
*twilight intensifies*
I tried to overlook the insta-love in Daughter of Smoke and Bone because the world is so rich, but the disappointment was too great. I couldn't continue the series.
I liked how Frozen subverted this trope, and instead showed how it was bad, though I have problems with the execution of that movie.
@@soniccookie655 the subversion in frozen sucks because it contradicts the small moments established during that time and comes out of nowhere.
there is no actual reason why Hans was a villain.
I'm working in a novel about a coming of age story set in a medieval Russian folklore world, and the main character is blind.
However her being blind is not the plot focus and I hate when people ask why she is blind. Why not have a main character that can't see? There are people in the real world who can't see and in fact the high prince of Moscow in the mid 1400s was blind. So why does there have to be a specific reason your character is like other people?
Dude, that book sounds cooooolll, wow. My book is late renaissance (1572), France.
That book sounds so cool. I absolutely love the medieval times and love Russian folklore. Man this book is great
@@blacksiberiancatkitty5981 Yeah, now I just have to finish it... 😅
I would be SO down to read your book. Please keep me updated :)
That's a ridiculous question to ask. Some people are blind. Asking why (excluding the actual curiosity how they became blind, if they weren't born that way) is silly. I would be extremely interested in reading a book with a blind protagonist. I love authors who know how to write good sensory descriptions. Removing sight can be a fun challenge for yourself as a writer to rely on other senses to describe what's happening.
Alexa, incredible video as always!! Everyone, I got really curious when Alexa talked about teens being written like they're 25. I'd be interested to hear her expand on that more maybe in another video...maybe tips and tricks for writing people at the correct age. Anybody else with me?
That point got me worried that I accidentally wrote my character as a 25 year old because she’s supposed to be pretty emotionally mature after a few years of therapy. Then I realized that I’m 16 and if I can relate to the feelings and thought process she has then she’s a realistic teen lmao
Yeah. Teens aren't these mature people... My favorite example are the vlogs from my brother's XC team. Those are so, so weird in the perfect way.
I don’t know if I totally agree with that one. I think there’s a lot of different teens with different emotional maturity, speech patterns, tastes, etc.
I think the only time it would be “this character is not a teen” is when they’re like worrying about bills or something, but even then there’s teens that have to work and go to school because their guardian(s) won’t or can’t cover the bills, so it’s... I don’t think someone can be written with an age. Exception being like really little kids. I have met some kids who are nicer and more mature than some adults that I’ve met but all of their thought processes seem to be somewhat simpler. There are like 7 year olds who have more complicated thought processes but it never crosses that line. And also little kids are less proficient in their native language usually.
But anyways I think the “This teen is written as a 25 year old” is based off of generalizations and not actual “a teen can’t think/act like this.”
I think the age and experiences of a new or inexperienced author are more to blame for an exceptionally mature teen than most anything else.
I have never read a novel where anyone was obsessed about calorie intake. That one would for sure make me question the author’s intent. Idk.
It comes up in women's fiction, also sometimes athlete stories. It's a diet culture thing, but for me it really sets off some compulsive thinking about food!
There's a book in Spanish called Corazón de Mariposa that focuses on an eating disorder. It's the only book that I've read that really focused on calories. Many of the days in the book were identified by "387 Calories" rather than "Monday". It was very insightful into an anorexic's mind space (as it was written by somebody who struggles with it, it is fiction though) but I imagine it's also very triggering.
Read Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls. I never got to finish the book 😅 but it is about a girl in a dangerous game to lose weight even after her bff died of doing it with her
Nylah Jade Yeah, I can see why it is used in that one though because the MC is bulimic and her lack of resistance to it is the plot.
Catalyst is a better one of her books.
@@AlexaDonne would love a novel that makes me hungry, maybe that's why i love cooking manga.
I'm sick of the scientist or scholar with "seven PhD's" who is an expert in every field. The same with the doctor who practices every specialty. What sounds more interesting: Super Doc who knows everything, or the OBGYN caught in a desperate situation, nervous as she is forced to intubate someone for the first time since med school twenty years ago?
OBGYN struggling is way more interesting. 🤔
I absolutely DESPISE sick-lit, especially in the YA market. It frustrated me so, so much when it became trendy to romanticize serious illnesses. Ugh, instant "nope" for me.
Same! I thought I was alone. Terminal illness constantly reminding you of how you're slowly wasting away is a horrible situation and unless you treat it with a lot of gravity and showing themfighting desperatly to get out like REAL PEOPLE, then you're just romantizising pain.
leif audrey
I agree, implementing debilitating illnesses in a story for angst or any form exploitation is absolutely disgusting. It’s a very delicate topic that most authors don’t know how to properly execute.
@@bay_leaf1510 Couldn't agree more. I think YA literature about difficult situations (like terminal/serious illness) could work in theory but it definitely feels like many authors aren't executing it properly and it comes across as insensitive and exploitative.
Haaaate it when an adult fantasy book is based in a land with elves/fae- and the worldbuilding is basically "they're humans who just live longer and have bigger junk! and sometimes pointy ears!". No cultural differences, no real plot besides a mildly uninteresting main character, and a whole lot of Nope for me.
super duper big agree, there's so much potential for exploring the development of culture and society and characters but nope, nah, pointy ears and big dick energy for the masses
i want a story where the elves are just stereotypical scottish people and the dwarves are well articulated people.
Aside from abuse tropes which I automatically hate (unless it’s done to show abuse as the horrible thing it is), I hate the Incompetent Dad trope-fathers get the short end of the stick in fiction and I hate that it keeps happening.
And this one is odd-I hate scenes where the main character is deeply and purposely humiliated. I tend to have empathetic embarrassment so that makes me extremely uncomfortable. I’m likely to either stop reading or skip the rest of the chapter when this pops up.
Hard agree on that last one (well, the first two as well, actually, but I don't see as many people who dislike the last one). I really hate when drawn out embarrassment/humiliation scenarios happen. Or when situations are elaborately set up to be incredibly and unnecessarily awkward. The secondhand discomfort is just distressing. Can't watch most sitcoms, since that's basically the entire thing.
Dads in fiction, especially fantasy, are pretty much either horrible or perfect but dead.
I kept our kids away (mostly) from the Berenstein Bears because of the Incompetent Dad schtick.
GIRL! I feel the exact same about that holy shit!
That last one. I mean I always enjoy a dose of humiliation for my children but not to the point where it’s just downright stressful for me to read because then I’ll just keep thinking about that one humiliating incident throughout the whole book without really focusing on the plot
I loved the video as always! I also don't like abusive relationships but it's interesting when the writer shows that the relationship is bad and removes the toxic person. I also really hate the glorification of mental illnesses, especially when they portray a depressed person and as soon as they get in a relationship they are magically "fixed".
Sofi's corner I hate when toxic relationships are romanize. It’s toxic and should be described as so. I also hate “romance heals mental illness” trope, especially since I have one.
I personally *loathe* the "oh, I have a mental illness, and my partner made it go away!"
Like, do the authors ever think what mental illnesses are??
Right?
Me: "I can't wait to get back to work on my dark fantasy tale featuring all manner of quests and deranged creatures!"
Alexa: "So yeah..."
I feel you😅
anyone else hoping their book doesn’t have any of the tropes? 😂
edit: well damn. we were good until #13!
My novel is paranormal urban fantasy...the next will be apocalyptic mermaids. She hates everything I stand for.
Mad Madam lol! we definitely have different tastes in books, but I kinda love hearing about it. also- apocalyptic mermaids?! tell me more!!
I’d read the hell out of a book about apocalyptic-mermaids 😍
My fae characters be sobbing right now 😂
@@magicinthemundane9527 Bless you kind soul, bless you.
I have a really toxic relationship in my story, but I made sure to portray it as awful at all times.
Trisha Reddy Toxic relationship should always be described as awful. I have one too and it is described as bad as it is.
to be fair toxic relationships aren't always awful. that is, they're always bad, but they often have a lot of gentle, beautiful, loving moments in them- right until the next bout of abuse happens. this is why some people find it hard to actually exit their abusive relationships, or even acknowledge that their relationship is actually abusive. the sweet moments keep giving them hope it'll get better (it won't).
@@rateater1857An important message to convey. Even toxic people aren’t monsters all of the time… but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leave them because SOMETIMES they’re gentle or kind or empathetic.
Hard agree on the disability points! I'm also not a huge fan of when characters who are supposed to be a certain nationality don't speak in the way people from that particular region would. Americans don't say they're going to ring their friends later for example. I realize that this isn't really a trope and more of an editing issue. It doesn't make me more inclined to dislike the writing, but it can take me out of the narrative at times.
Though haha I say ringing people all the time but I'm a SUPER WEIRD American :) (long story short, my grandmother was very Irish, my mother was very Anglophile, my dad is a Brit and here I am). My funny one is I grew up saying/using bog standard which is a TOTALLY NORMAL phrase for me, and I use it in books. Every agent and editor I have ever had has had to look it up b/c they didn't know what it meant (but hey they let me use it!). But yeah I do agree: I read an adult thriller last year with a TON of Britishcisms left in and it bugged me so much I talked about it in my review!
I honestly feel that way about people who write that a book takes place in a particular city or country and they dont get the setting right like you know theyre not from there yet their character is a native. I have so many pet peeves with books set in NYC 😅 because I live here and for some reason a lot of authors don't do the research sometimes
Glamorized, normalized, or just generally excused abuse as “romance” is my ultimate NO in fiction 🙅♀️
YES, I 100% agree about the normalizing of abusive relationships!!!! I’m so happy this is starting to fade out, but I still see it a lot in different mediums.
I just recognized this trope in a lot of contemporary YA literature, but I hate it when teenagers excessively party. I especially hate it when one of the characters starts out the story never having tried drugs or underage drinking or anything of the sort and then they meet friends who drag them into that kind of lifestyle and readers are supposed to accept them as good friends who helped the character come out of their shell. Uh sorry but turning your friend into a borderline alcoholic at 16 is not being a good friend, especially if the character is struggling with mental illness or other problems and is in need of a healthy way to cope. Yes, I understand that it is realistic to show teenagers partying because that does happen in the real world, but there are plenty who don't and they don't need to start to in order for the story to be good. Also, many stories like this tend to ignore the obvious complications that a teenager would face if they were to go partying at their age, such as parents and police. I mean, this trope won't stop me from reading a book, but it annoys me a lot.
Pretty much how I've felt about a lot of teen TV shows as well
That's a thing that really annoys me, because it happened to me irl. I had friends and acquaintances trying to drag me out almost every night in my late teens because I apparently I wasn't cool enough for wanting to stay home and watch movies or wanting to go for walks nearby our town's river. Nah, liking to stay in my bed and read or listen to music does not make me boring and isn't something that I should change in order to appear "cooler" and fit in. Me and everyone like me.
Adriana Frazão lowkey, I am 😂 but I still love it tho💕
hermione2611 K sorry that happened, but I’m glad you saw past that and stayed true to yourself 💕
Please edit your comment down to less than 7500 words.
I tend to dislike books where someone goes on a morality rant and is really forcing the authors opinions on the reader, miscommunication being a plot device when the characters have been already healthily communicating the whole time don’t make sense and then books where the love interest is just an a-hole like I just dint care
I can't STAND miscommunication as a plot device
I have a tiny question for my story. If your character 'monologues' about a life lesson or moral, if ir fits the character and the situation does it bother readers just the same or less?
@@artistica-artyc.9210
The reason the morality rant annoys people is because it obvious it's the authors opinion and not the characters. The author stating their opinion in the middle of the story breaks the immersion, and pretty much takes the reader out of the story.
If the reader knows it's the character talking (like the monologue is connected to the story and not out of place) then it should be fine.
@@artistica-artyc.9210 I think it depends on how it's communicated in the narrative. Like, yeah murder is wrong, but if your character is literally fighting in a war for survival are you going to break up the flow of the battle to write a paragraph lamenting on how wrong murder is? You can present themes of morality without being preachy. The character can be guilt ridden, (example: when Katniss Everdeen shoots an arrow into a boy's throat, after he fatally wounded Rue. She later suffers PTSD and begins to strongly despise the Capitol, whereas before she focused mainly on her family's survival). Character development or expressing the character's views (in the context of their own world) is different than literally just projecting your own beliefs onto that character.
Alexa, most of what you say resonates with me, except your aversion to adventures/quests/journeys. From the Odyssey to The Lord of the Rings, many of the world''s
greatest literary masterpieces have been structured around movement from one place to another, usually with some goal in mind. I can't fault this very basic storytelling framework.
I was confused by that at first as well, but maybe it’s because of all the “copycats” that weren’t as successful in pulling off what Tolkien and the classics did.
You may need to sit down for this, but there are some of us who find The Odyssey and The Lord of the Rings incredibly boring. People like what they like, and that's perfectly OK.
Agree with Lord of the Rings (plagiarized schlock), but the Odyssey is much deeper than a superficial reading in translation reveals. There's a good reason why it's been appreciated for almost 3000 years.
"Inspiration porn"
"Sick lit"
I have also heard this referred to as "Worship of the Broken".
That's a great way to phrase it! I can definitely enjoy books where difficult mental and physical illnesses and disabilities are described in a nuanced and interesting way... But most of the time these books are so overdramatic and written by people who haven't come close to experiencing the things they're writing about and so just are basing their story on awful media based biases of these things! It really makes me question why they've chosen these specific things to write about for fun.
I'm laughing, because my favorite screenplay that I've written is about a MOTLEY GROUP of adventurers who go on a QUEST to find the world's most MYSTERIOUS CREATURES, led by a female hunter who is NOT LIKE OTHER WOMEN!!!
Funnily enough a ton of these I'm fine with in movies! Love a good heist film. Also LOVE procedural murder shows and movies! I think for me they don't translate well into books b/c I'm such a movie/TV person and love those things in visual mediums. The shorthand of film is so different!
@@AlexaDonne what did you think about six of crows? That's the only book of that kind i've recently read.
Nupur Chowdhury I personally love this book! They’re actually making a Netflix series about it called “Shadow and Bone.”
@@saltyrattoes689 wasn't shadow and bone the name of another book by the same author? Yay for the Netflix series, though! I'll keep a look out for that!!
Nupur Chowdhury Yes it is! From what I’ve read, there’s going to be parts of the Grisha Trilogy in it and parts of Six of Crows, since they take place in the same universe. It’ll come out around the same time as the second book in the King of Scars duology, which has characters from both series in it.
I really don't like when there's a dorky/geeky/shy boy character who absolutely idolises a girl character because she's so "cool and mysterious and interesting". And then he magically ends up with her! I think mainly because there was a guy in real life who practically idolised me and I know he read those kinds of books. I did not magically fall in love with him, despite him trying endlessly until I got a boyfriend and he finally backed off. 🙄
John Green books are a good example of this: Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, Looking For Alaska... I've read all three and that always bothered me. The only difference is that none of these boys end up with the idolized girl. So at least there's that! But the girl always sort of acknowledges / plays into the idealization. Alaska makes out with the MC, Margo asks the MC to do things he normally wouldn't and uses him overall, and the main Katherine actually dated the MC. Although JG tries to have quirky / cool girl characters, they're often kind of negative.
It can also be a pretty dangerous trope when it gets normalized or internalized because it makes people think no means try harder AND idolizing real people never ends well tbh
Dude. Yes. Not to start any flame wars, but this is how I always felt about Jacob in Twilight. There was a guy I knew who was JUST like him. He even looked like him. And it was not cute or fun at all to have a guy continuously trying to pursue you after you repeatedly tell them you don't like them like that, and you're dating someone else. It's just annoying. It feels disrespectful when they aren't accepting your boundaries, while also somehow acting like they're the nice good guy that you should choose.
@@shaydawn7376 Personally I found that the point his books was often to point out that the relationship was unhealthy, and the male protagonist was projecting. I think JG also said in an interview that the MC in Looking for Alaska really saw Margot as a manic pixie dream girl, even though she was just another person with her own issues. She plays into the role a bit, but ultimately ends up realising that's not what she wants and they separate
I loathe the surprise pregnancy trope. It almost always ruins the book for me. Especially if the woman had previously struggled with infertility or thought she would never have a baby and then the hero comes along and BAM wow pregnant! He's magic for sure, I guess.
Magical creatures are also usually a pass for me, haha!
Don't you also love that a girl can't just "be sick" in a book? If she throws up at all she's pregnant XD
@@amy-suewisniewski6451 YES!!
I hate most pregnancy tropes in general. Ok, if it's a couple who wants to have kids and then she gets pregnant, all lit, high five, congratulations! But ever so often it's either, like you said, a woman struggling with infertility and then after just one night with the hero and his magical seed - BAM pregnant (boy, if onmy fertility doctors knew about that, he would be very popular at the sperm bank...); or it's about a woman who knew she never wamted kids but then she falls pregnant with hero(tm) and is suddenly ok with it. No regrets, no panic, no 'please drive me to PP asap!' She just quietly accepts her fate and it really grinds my gears, because that's not how any of this works in real life!
@@amy-suewisniewski6451I mean it’s like coughing. Everyone coughs now and then, but if a character coughs in more than one or two scenes… they’re probably dying.
I need quests and magical creatures or I can’t love it 😂
Edit: also a team of misfits. I genuinely won’t read a book without it.
Same here, I'm lgbt and so I tend to gravitate towards the ragtag found family trope and stories where the main character(s) are different from the norm along with the escapism of you and the people you care about going on an adventure together and having a purpose of some sort. Granted, there does need to be some solid subverting of expectations otherwise they do tend to get predictable/lack stakes, but i'd take a mediocre magical adventure over most other books.
The book I'm currently reading made sure to include the body types (literally hourglass, pear-shaped, fat, skinny) in the immediate description of nearly every female character. I do not approve.
Jennifer Wang I agree it was probably an attempt at diversity, and I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. Lots of belly flopping in the execution, though. 😬
What’s wrong with this?
Tom Oliver It’s all in the execution. Getting a generic body type when any character is introduced is clunky, at best. Is Betty’s brown hair and pear-shape the most important/interesting info we need to know about her? Since the body type descriptions were done disproportionately to the female characters, it came across as misogynist. It also came across as fat-shaming, another risk a writer takes when such an emphasis is put on weight. As writers, we can and should describe body types to represent all the shapes and sizes in the world. But perhaps be more creative than a standard sizing chart, and weave the information into the narrative so it’s revealed in a more organic way.
@@outoftheashlisa I agree! Personally I prefer when body types are left vague. It really has little relevance to the story. Unless someone is consciously attempting to break character archetypes that are associated with these descriptions. I.e. the mom character with a heart of gold tends to be round, the bitchy and/or bombshell girl has an hourglass shape and the not-like-other-girls protagonist has a "boyish figure" OR has the bombshell body and considers herself unsightly. I see it all the time especially in YA fiction.
Should the same thing be said about describing beauty? Or anything? Should we just be vague about everything?
MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE TITLE "IM ALEXA D O N E WITH THESE TROPES" SMH
I hate the "Super Soldier" in sci-fi. He's genetically engineered to be an absolute machine: strong, fast, calculating. He was raised for only one purpose: to be a soldier for the corrupt government. He's been raised to be 100% compliant with no love whatsoever (and is somehow not deeply emotionally and mentally scarred by that). He's just misunderstood and needs a hug! He should look like He-Man, but he actually looks like an underwear model. Bonus points for the woman super soldiers... they don't look like Olympic gymnasts or anything. No, you can only be a female super soldier if you have a c cup or bigger, a really tiny waist and long legs.
(This isn't to body shame anyone at all. I'm not saying you can't be thin and big chested and also be strong. I'm just saying that Hollywood really only let's THAT body be classified as strong and "super" when we have hundreds of athletes with all sorts of bodies that can do amazing things.)
Brienne of Tarth onscreen was such a breath of fresh air. She was a physical type that made sense as a fighter. The actress originally sold it on her acting - her audition tape knocked it out of the park, and she was sitting at a table saying the lines. GRRM said that many women tried out for Brienne, and one came in and WAS Brienne. But physically, she really brought it. She went into training, and gained 20 pounds of muscle for the part. I remember an actress who was in Hunger Games saying that all the actresses were trying to slim down to play arena fighters, while all the actors who played arena fighters were trying to bulk up, and I thought 'You do realize that doesn't make sense in a fight-for-your-life story?'
Altered Carbon has the super soldier who needs a hug as the protagonist but in season 2 they just used another one as the main villain and it was a very interesting dynamic to see them go up against each other.
That's so funny, because that sounds like the perfect book for me. Like, my book catnip. LOL!
@@dianawilson13 Same here! Lol.
@@kathleenschwab4645 Completely agree Brienne is amazing 😍
Ohhh man. Things I can't stand in books...
1.) An undeveloped character's mysterious power or ability is revealed as a plot twist/driving force in the plot. I don't know who this is and they can suddenly move mountains and make forcefields or sing to calm dragons down or fix extremely complex machinery with no help? Who are you???
2.) It was all a dream/none or half of that didn't even happen! (dream sequences in general...I hate. Don't go on for PARAGRAPHS about your character's dream if it has no impact!!!)
3.) Undeserved villain reveal. Please...let me question if someone can be trusted before you tell me they're supposed to be the bad guy. Let me make my own enemies while I read!
4.) Best friend/parental figure dies to further the protagonist. DON'T DO THAT TO ME.
I'm sure I could think of more things but most of my dislikes are style quirks rather than tropes.
#2 and #3 so much! I watched two shows because of a particular actor I like and in one there was all kinds of interesting character development which in the end never happened and in the other show he turned out to be the big bad even though he was nothing but sweet to the main characters for most of the series and his motives just made no sense at all. I hate when that happens! When it comes to books: at least with Dan Brown I learned to come to terms with it that the character I like the most usually turns out to be the main antagonist in the end - he always delivers ☹
Here are some tropes that I hate in novels and in movies:
1. Damsel in Distress. There were many things that ruined the Spider-man movies with Toby McGuire. One was KIrsten Dunst's character being a cardboard damsel in distress while Spiderman rescued her. I hate that.
2. One dimensional male sexuality. Especially in romance fiction. Where is the complexity? Or is he just a hunk of male meat who wants a bonk buddy? Where's his MIND? I don't care how ripped he is with a six pack. Does he have any fears? Maybe he worries that she might not be ready? Maybe he has a religious upbringing that screams in his head no no this is wrong. Or could he have a physical condition that complicates romance? NO, I was not thinking THAT. I was thinking psoriasis or acne that he is embarrassed about. I mean, he could be gay but that would be a whole other trope! [aghhh!]
3. Sci Fi with bad aliens invading earth versus the good humans. What about giving some layers to the aliens. Could the aliens have some good intentions?
4. Patriot fiction. Tom, the all American college football star, was poised to save his country! He had to save the day for The President! He could still hear his pa saying "boy, you're gonna do good!"
The trope you mentioned for number four... have you heard about Oliver Sipple? A real world All-American man, but... This guy's story is a perfect inversion of that trope. I learned about him from a Radiolab podcast, it's told in a really unforgettable way.
I honestly hate the tropes where a character pulls out of power completely out of nowhere and saves the day or to further the plot, unnecessary drama or misunderstandings that could be solved through just talking, stalkers portrayed as romantic and cute, and unanswered or unexplained things.
I also don't really like psychopathic characters, ugly characters that become beautiful ( like losing A LOT weight), people loving and falling for the main character even though they are boring, and the strong female that's to over powered and has no flaws... Oh yeah... Also characters that are completely perfect in every way!
I like psychos as long as they're not written like glorified assholes.
But my mc pulls up a power charge out of nowhere and almost kills her love interest. What do I do!!?
Starting the video: Biting my nails while worrying she's going to list my entire book.
#2 - no! no! no! Oh... Werewolves are good. Cool. Although they aren't exactly werewolves in my book, but designed around werewolves.
And... My book series is possibly safe from the axe!!!! Wooho! Although the MC has a disability, but it isn't the main focus, although losing your arm in a crash is kind of a big deal.
Respectful and thoughtful disability rep is good! There are just a lot of books that do it poorly :D
@@AlexaDonne Mine falls under this, unfortunately :-( The main characters are magical woodland creatures. There are no humans in the setting. The story is about interaction between different magical woodland races.
“Some people can’t write teenagers”
Riverdale: 👁👄👁
You were so nice about not liking these tropes! And I'm saying this as someone who loves quests and magical creatures (and have a soft spot for music in books as well). It's okay to not like the same things :)
(although I did agree on all the others to be fair)
Personally, I despise it when I'm reading a romance (especially a slow burn) and we get to a kiss scene, and there is either no description of it, not enough, or it's very badly described
I kinda dislike that too. My brother, for example, once found an example of a first kiss where the people were really in love already, and it lasted for a sentence. That was one thing that bothered me a TON.
I don’t like it when an author writes in a character for the sole purpose of having a minority in the book. Representation is important but I see too many authors just having a minority character that doesn’t do anything useful in the book. If you’re going to represent something, represent it well!
Historical fiction: it’s my *favourite* genre so I kind of lose my biscuit when it sucks; like where the writer dngaf about *real* research- & just parrots misconceptions... I cannot express just HOW MUCH I hate that.
Also, when the author is writing historical _fantasy_ & the audience isn’t made aware from the getgo- it’s infuriating- historical fantasy can be good- *if* you aren’t left in the dark
things that make me not wanna pick up books in the first place are:
- military stuff (we agree!)
- creative non-fiction (don't care about memoires, or realistic historic fiction etc)
- zombies, werewolfs (love vampires tho), dragons, ghosts, unicorns, mermaids
- when a book is praised for its inventive magic system (just don't care about those scienc-ey hard magic systems)
- the words "coming-of-age", "autobiographical", or "familiy saga"/"multi-generational sage" in the blurb
- stories about war (esp WWI&WWII)
- blurbs that indicate people will be running away from something for most of the book (my least favorite plot is an escape plot)
that was my humble list...
love you alexa, thanks for uploading :)
*weeps in paranormal fiction author* Alexa hates everything I stand for. =T-T=
Mad Madam Hands you tissues whilst I sob alongside you.
don’t worry, Alexa is not every person in the world. 😉
The book I'm writing isn't one that Alexa would want to read (Fantasy her #2) but who cares? that doesn't mean your book isn't good, a lot of people do like it, myself included. Just like Alexa's Sci-Fi isn't for everyone
*joins in fantasy writer who's entire world is full of magical creatures*
When you said Magical Creatures I held my breath to see if you’d list what I’m writing with currently (basically angels and demons but with my lore specific to the story)
I was a little sad to see you don’t like them ^^’ I like when they’re handled well (which I hope I’ve done)
(Also: being a teen myself, I find many many adults don’t know what teens actually act like, they say they know then see a piece of media that I recognise as realist teen portrayal and then say ‘thats not how teens act’ so I guess a lot of adults just don’t know what teens act like?)
Being a teen in each generation have many similarities and many differences. And remembering what it felt as a teen gets more anesthetized as one gets older. When I was in my early 20's I probably got it better than now. (Closer to my 40's.) Why I like writing older adults which I understand more. So I agree fully with you on many adults haven't a clue how teens act in any era. Cause of that length of time.
I agree about teens sounding like grown ups. I’m struggling with that lol. It’s so great when I can understand flaws in my books that I would like to fix. Thanks Alexa:)
Also, I don’t have a heist, but I do have a quest with teens, although it’s fantasy but to each their own:)
I hate the "I'm not like other girls" trope. That kind of early John Green stuff gets a hard pass from me, where the guy admires a beautiful girl from afar and idealized her. The manic-pixie dream girl from books like Stargirl. Instant romances where the characters meet and then are willing to die for one another. Supernatural/magical elements coming out of nowhere to save the day like contemporary where the main character suddenly has a prophetic dream. Love triangles. Detailed physical descriptions. Books where a man describes a woman as his goddess or queen are just a pet peeve of mine (unless it's like a one-off that makes sense in context.) I don't know, there's just something really icky to me about a man promising to treat you like his goddess.
Those are just the top ones that come to my mind.
We need more sea and water base stories. Lots of people love water. I am not one, but someone needs to put that love into novels.
Marryat, Stephenson, Defoe, Cooper, Melville, Homer, Forrester, O'Brien, Conrad, Klein, Coleridge, Peck, the Norse sagas etc not enough for you?
I live for videos like this! Thank you Alexa! I love how respectful you are when addressing things you don't like.
It’s so interesting to me that people are averse to fantasy aligned fiction! That’s my favorite subject! Fascinating
I. Freaking. Hate. When. A book just goes on for the sake of getting more pages
Thought the characters in Six of Crows were in their 20's.... I wonder if it's marketing that pushes certain books to YA and pressures the authors to reduce the ages of their characters.
Yeah, one of the biggest issues for me was that the group read as incredibly vindictive 20-30yos rather than a group of teenagers
My book taste is situational, honestly. I have to want a particular 'flavor' to enjoy it. However, once I'm there, I can read nearly anything and not actively dislike it as long as the author's voice is something I can deal with and the storytelling is immersive. Beyond that, I read most genres and most tropes when the flavor urge happens and will rarely stop reading a book once I've begun it.
However, there are a few 'flavors' that I want very rarely or not at all.
- Sci-Fi (rarely)
- Political Fiction/Government Espionage/Military Fiction- (never)
Thank you a lot for this video! There's a few of these things that I also don't like but wasn't sure how to verbalize.
Disability Inspiration is one of the worst things for sure. People with disabilities already make a small part of the industry and MCs. It's worse to see them being used as plot devices, or promoting misconceptions about disabilities.
Alexa, I am so surprised (and grateful) that you mentioned inspiration porn! I'm a disabled writer and inspiration porn really gets under my skin. It is extremely prevalent in literature, though, and on top of it being incredibly harmful to the community, it's just an overdone trope in general. So few people in the book world talk about it though, or even know that it's problematic. It really means a lot that you mentioned it on your list - it makes me feel seen, and it's just another reason why you are my favorite author to watch on TH-cam. THANK YOU!!!! xo
13:32 Riverdale writers watching this like 👁️👄👁️
Lol XD
Some things I personally don’t like:
1) Breaking up for the SO’s safety, especially when the protag doesn’t explain and goes the “I never really loved you” route. Bonus points if they go that route and they’re literally some kind of soul mates. Double bonus points if the SO is actually reasonably capable and could probably survive whatever perils might target them as our chosen one’s weak link personal connection. (Sweep hurt me real bad as a teen. I stopped reading the series after that. Maybe they get back together, maybe they don’t. I’ll never willingly find out.)
2) Incomprehensible world building, especially in regards to economic systems. One book I dropped had a system where people completely stop being able to earn money once they hit 18. And the way they earned money is basically playing a life simulator repeatedly that is actually Earth. (The whole Earth is a game thing was also revealed WAY too late to recover my suspension of disbelief over trying to figure out how they functioned as a society of only that. Only income, only entertainment, managed to build that system but never figured out flight before somebody lived as the Wright brothers, didn’t make their own art, straight up dump the kids who run out of the points they use as currency into hellish group homes to live out the rest of their lives too poor to do anything, etc. And it wasn’t presented as being a mega depressing dystopia??)
3) Powerful characters in relation to the rest of the setting. I’m just not a fan of power fantasy and I really like underdogs and protags who have to be clever to come out on top.
4) In litrpg type stories that use stats, if charisma is one of the stats, and especially if the way the author chooses to write charisma increasing is just like “everyone wants to bang the protag now and they win all discussions forever.” It’s just no good.
5) Instant attraction. I just can’t relate, as someone on the ace spectrum. Give me slow burns. Give me long-term friendships that blossom into something more. If the romance isn’t the main plot I’m going into the book for, I want it to take its time developing.
6) Hyper speed relationships that aren’t justified by outside circumstances like an arranged marriage or marrying for tax reasons or something. If Romeo and Juliet’s relationship progresses slower, I have a problem.
What the hell is the name of the book from 2)?🤣🤣🤣
Toreador Rivera The Game by Terry Schott. It’s free on the iTunes Books app. I dropped it halfway through, but apparently it’s got 8 books in the series.
@@sarah4653 oh jeebus 🤣
Toreador Rivera And somehow, it’s got 4.5 stars from almost 13k ratings. The whole series is somehow rated highly, too.
@@sarah4653 it sounds very similar to the Stargate Atlantis episode with that concept basically playing VR Civilization with real people and the Animorphs series from KA Applegate she had a side book that pretty much did the same thing as that as well as a VR simulation concept. But this sounds really poorly explained and set out it's just weird.
I HATE it when a book (or movie or whatever) is marketed poorly. I hate that it's not in the author's control but they tend to get the blame when marketing is promising one kind of story but delivers another. Like in your example. Don't say it's a romance when it's not, and don't claim to be not a romance and then have it become one. If you market the book to the right audience, then the right people will read it instead of people who give it one-star reviews because the book didn't do what it promised (especially when it comes to genre). I totally agree. I hope that when I become published one day, my book has a marketing team that understands this.
I think the worst thing in books or stories in general is when a really cool mystery ends up being a magic thing.
It just makes all of the effort of trying to figure out the problem seem like a waste.
Honestly, I’m writing a book right now that has magical characters, specifically shapeshifters, and I can kind of see the where the dislike comes from. And it’s fine, I honestly hate romance and love fantasy. You might love romance and hate fantasy. My point is, is that we all have our own preferences for books and genres.
Present tense in stories is kinda strange for me, especially if it sounds like the person is remembering the events. Like, in reality shows. Also, 2nd-person seems to rile me. Why? I dunno, but I always react like "I would NOT do that!" or say that. Like, "you approach the alien ship, but you are terrified." Um, no, not me. I'm curious!
I have several hates, but most recently I've read a few books with intensely beautiful girls who have literally no idea that they are not hideous troll beasts, and it is DRIVING ME NUTS. Yes, I know women in general and teenagers in particular have body image issues, but when a lot of time is spent whining about it, I want to shake the character (and author tbh) and tell them to shut up. Because this is ALWAYS accompanied by having multiple characters telling them how beautiful they are, a half dozen lads lusting after them, but OmG I'M mORE (insert traditionally beautifuful feature) than everyone else, so everyone gasps and swoons when they look at me because I'm SO UGLY!!!1!
Cue vomiting.
This last happened in a book where it turns out the MC was the latest in a long line of magical women bred to be incredibly beautiful. She didn't know this for a long time, and then it's like 'oh I guess I was hot the whole time' and I nearly tossed my Kindle across the room.
1) Quests/adventures/journeys that the stories are centered around
2) Magical creatures
3) calorie counting/unhealthy food obsessions
4) casual misogyny/normalized abusive relationships
5) Narrative cheats
6) unexplained, unearned, or random plot twists
7) false advertising (marketed as a heavy romance, not actually a heavy romance)
8) disabled people being used as a plot device/sick kid book/magically cured disabled person (!!!)
9) "not like other girls" protagonist and b*tchy antagonist girl (who is usually very feminine)
10) in YA where teens talk/act like literal adults
11) military thrillers
12) based around music (music setting/niche)
13) "ragtag teams/misfits"
I hate "Second Chance" books. Because the heroine basically ends up forgiving him, without him doing anything. Inserts 'My body is betraying me' syndrome
Never apologies for using disclaimers, context is important.
Romance as a main plot point. I don't mind a love interest, but when I'm drawn in by an interesting concept only to be led to pages and pages about feelings and relationship conflict it's hard to want to finish the book
Anyone with half a brain cell HATES romantic pairings that are stalker-y or abusive. If the relationship is portrayed like it is, then it’s fine, but it’s really toxic to project the idea that it’s okay to want to control someone’s life.
I hate awkward talk during sex scenes, goofy humor (Firefly and Dr Who aren’t for me), most contemporary romance, and mysteries. I do love the Fae. Holly Black, Sarah J Maas, and CL Wilson are among my favorite writers in that regard.
Also not a fan of the “surprise psychopath” trope, but the main trope I absolutely cannot stand is the “they were actually dead the whole time” thing. Maybe if I hadn’t seen it done a million times before I wouldn’t mind as much, but I just feel like it’s so overdone at this point and it’s gotten extremely predictable to the point that I can detect it a mile away and start hating the book as soon as I do. I also don’t like when a multiple POV book starts out with a set group of perspectives only to add in a bunch more halfway through. Like, just introduce them earlier or don’t have so many! Grr. I love multiple POV, I just don’t like being tricked into how many characters we’ll be seeing.
Love triangles . . . not a fan. They have been done SO many times. But ya know just a personal preference. 😂 And that normalizing an abusive relationship is . . . really to be honest f*cked up. Something I also don’t like in books is when everyone ends up in a relationship at the end.
You can tell this is a very personal list when it starts by saying no to an entire genre
I hate charity porn/Mother Theresa syndrome; where the main character's defining personality traits is that they're "good" and must help every disenfranchized person, proceeding to praise themselves at every opportunity for doing charitable acts in an inner monologue.
Within romance, I really hate when it's all about their relationship and then she's suddenly pRegNanT because the author didn't know what to do with the plot and made them get a family. I didn't read for your baby, ma'am, I read for your relationship.
Funny--on both this and your 'love' list, there were some I was in total agreement with, and some that had me gasping in faux outrage (you... you don't care about the Firefly characters? Monstrous!). Do I ever feel you on the military/law enforcement protag, though. Takes my interest in a horror/thriller down several notches at least.
My book:
1. Involves a quest. Oh well, I guess she won't be reading--
2. Filled with magical creatures. Alright, I'm out.
I'm literally writing a comic about magical creatures who go on a big quest with an antagonist twist at the end 😭😭😭
Haha, fantasy is still nice, as long as it isn’t just...boring? What I’m trying to say is that when it just feels very cookie cutter, no fun character interactions, no deeper plot, ect. Also that plot twist sounds interesting, as long as it makes sense haha
Started off the video with a disclaimer and I anxiously await to see if any of these things you hate will be things I enjoy. #1 adventure quest novels....damn you haha. But in all serious I know they're not for everyone but lord of the rings is dope okay.
"Cheaping out" on the writing is one of the top things that will turn me away from an otherwise decent book or story of any kind. It can even be a TV show, and I'm keen to notice when they've filled up too much time and had to "cheap out" and resolve the conflict "automagically" or by deus ex machina of some kind or other... and I HATE that.
The next among my top dogs for despising something is "breaking the rules"... If something is absolutely impossible for the villain early on in the story, then it should be just as impossible for the hero at the end of the story... AND no. I don't care that the consequences might include the apocalypse... One should be willing to end his own world rather than break one of his "core rules" as laid out through the worldbuilding process...
AND I feel personally cheated for having wasted time on it done so poorly... let alone whatever else I may have 'invested'.
Being a nut for TTRPG's I'm also a nut for legends, lore, myth, and magical crap... From creatures to various items (like wands or mystically powerful swords)... BUT this ONLY works for me if the lore is relatively well researched. If you suddenly have all the vampires running around in daylight, there better be a good reason for it... likewise if silver suddenly no longer kills werewolves...
I can appreciate the weird and wacky worlds of a huge variety of folklore, but it has to be researchable, and I'd prefer it stick pretty close to "the canon" for the creatures. Otherwise, the story better have something else going for it.
AND yes, MY GOD... I hate the disability= inspirational and sick-fiction stuff for the sake of "inspiration porn"... I remember being compared to some character in a book when I had to get surgery on both feet and spent about six months getting around with a wheelchair... It was uncomfortable the few times that kind of crap happened and my condition was temporary... I can only imagine how an actual disabled person feels about that kind of thing... I think it would drive me completely bat-shit...
Any form of normalizing a toxic relationship... That's just NOT cool. It's not edgy. It's not romantic in any sense of the term, and it sure as hell isn't sexy... It's toxic and by writing it up as anything else ENCOURAGES impressionable kids to think it is okay. It's not... It can even encourage impressionable adults to justify their horrible activities and toxicity "because fans"... ugh...
It's not to say one shouldn't write about a toxic relationship... It just shouldn't be colored in as something other than what it is.
Thriller villains that are "just psycho's"... I mean, you're probably not in the healthiest headspace if you've made a hobby of chasing and killing people with a big knife... I get it. BUT do something more inventive than "Well, he's killing them because he's a psycho"... I might even advise, if you're going for a psychological bent on a villain, maybe research the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths so you're not hopelessly ruining the read for those of us who might care.
...and yes, there's a difference. Granted, it has more to do with "villainous backstory" than necessarily the villain as narrated/described... BUT getting it straight and keeping it straight helps make a villain at least "more believable"... even if it's not going to get particularly relatable.
I can empathize with a sociopath. He/she didn't ask to be raised and groomed into a monster. It takes a parent some hard work to manage to do that to a child... BUT "there but for the grace of God..." you know??? AND for what it's worth, I may not drop a book like a bad habit if this is the only issue... It's certainly not a deal breaker, but I will tend to lose interest... or lose respect for writers that do this. It's not hard research, and I don't expect perfection... just the basic terminology tells so much more about a "proper" murderous madman if it's consistent and appropriate terms as used.
Finally, I rather dislike any poorly written MC's... If we're going to explore the Character(s) throughout a lengthy novel, it helps to have something nt only interesting to explore, but written pretty well. Particularly notorious are "strong females" in general. I still want them to be feminine... Not pasted female as an after-thought and Rocky Balboa or Rambo up to that point in physical description versus activities.
Among the best done females (easily researched) that I can recall was Ms. Kitty from "Gunsmoke". She was indeed a very strong woman... She had no problems with handling a shotgun, but she didn't go brandishing pistols and shooting people when life didn't go her way... and it didn't go her way A LOT... SO if anyone wants a character to study, seek out some of the old seasons of "Gunsmoke" and binge that. Study Ms. Kitty's manners, methods, and style of "being strong"... and still being a "lady". There was a lot I didn't care much about watching "Gunsmoke", but they did good when they created Ms. Kitty.
And a pretty damn good villainess (in case you're interested) would be Ruby from "Siupernatural"... Study how she very clearly plants herself between Sam and Dean... and survives consistently getting in Dean's way while influencing Sam to do exactly what Dean constantly warns him against... She didn't have to be all big or bad-ass. She could still seriously hamper them, countermand everything they were doing... and make herself just useful enough to stick around... time and again. Watch that... DO it like that.
Okay, ranty part's over. It's just that I've played a LOT of RPG's... From D&D to Cyberpunk, and all manner and points in between... I get a lot of mileage out of villains and it practically hurts me physically to see when a villain is poorly done... particularly when it's SO poorly done I'd be ashamed of doing that myself... and someone's getting paid for it... while I "work" for beers and pizza at the best of times. ;o)
The book trope I hate the most is when the story takes place in NYC.
I immediately became aware that you and I have pretty much opposite taste in books but it’s really nice to hear that the things I love are things that people hate! I guess that means you can pretty much write about anything and somebody’s gonna like it, and at the same time why I try to please everybody because you just can’t 🥸
I love how I'm done through the comments and everything everyone is saving is what is in my book idea :')
I do not recommend re-reading Bridget Jones's Diary. It was one of my favorites when I was in my early 20s, and I re-read it last year at 35, and WOW did I hate it. Bridget seemed realistic and relatable to me as a 20-year-old, but now that I'm just a bit older than she is in the book, I can recognize how painfully immature, self-centered, and emotionally stunted she (and every other character in the book, really) is. It was unbearable.
Also, for #7, don't read In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Very misleading marketing. It is not a romance at all.
Too late already reading it😭
I personally really hate it when the MC has this main love interest for the whole book, but in the end they end up with somebody else who they have absolutely no chemistry with unlike the first love interest. Ex, harry potter
Things I don't like in books: instalove, abusive love interests (somehow he always finds a way to excuse his behavior and the MC lets him make it her fault), more telling vs showing, the "miscommunication" in romance. Like seriously... I just read a book with a miscommunication trope and they just wouldn't talk to each other!! The main love interest who did nothing wrong waited 6 months to speak to her and clear it up. 6. months. I cannot. And plot points that go nowhere. Why say the thing if the thing isn't going to be brought up again?? There's more I'm sure lol.
This is so important! How often the MC gets away with being a bad partner just because he's the MC. And ever so often when the love interest tries to communicate what's wrong with thrir relationship and makes good points, but gets either brushed off as this not being important, or something happening which makes the MC say they'll change their ways, but a few chapters further they are back to their old ways and now it's somehow ok because they DID talk about it and the MC DID promise to change (although it never happened or the change didn't last long)
What exactly is Fey? I've heard this word come up a lot recently in the talk of fantasy books, and I have no idea what that means.
Aurthur Pendragon I believe it refers to fairies
Fairies, basically, but not Tinkerbell fairies. Fae are more specific and come with a TON of folklure.
It's another word for fairies.
Fae are fairies, but not in the traditional way. They can be spirits, elementals, demoted angels, demons, etc.
Fae are magical creatures of folklore. I personally enjoyed reading Wicked Lovely, which is about a girl who can see fae/fairies and gets tangled up in their politics. There are small inhuman creatures, and then there are elf-like magical creatures who can pass for human with a "glamor" or "glimmer" (a spell that hides their real appearance).
Hahaha, after your positive video mentioned an exception to the super-specific concepts, I was just thinking, "Please don't be historical stories," for the entirely ridiculous personal reason that I've been researching a super-specific one for the last two years. Then it turned out to be music and of course, that's the crux of my *other* big idea, although that one is inherently satirical because I'm not a musician at all, just seeking an outlet for a decade's worth of terrible classic rock jokes.
On a more serious note, my biggest "dead dove do not eat" is trivialized sexual assault. I don't mind sexual assault in fiction if the author engages with the topic in a meaningful way, but when it happens purely as a motivation for revenge, *especially* if the one taking revenge is a male character on behalf of a female victim, or if it's just to show how evil the villain is, and it could be swapped out for any one of hundreds of other crimes without affecting the resolution of the story, it is a hard pass.
I gotta pause halfway through the video and just say.... YOURE SO FREAKING CHARMING!!
Wow some of your values are definitely showing in your taste and I'm completely vibing with them. Thanks for sharing!
It’s really interesting how some tropes probably come from a good place but just don’t hit right. I imagine it’s tempting for some writers to think “what kinds of people don’t receive enough representation” etc and then suddenly they’re writing a gimmicky character based on lgbt folk or disabilities or what have you. It’s always worth running your concept by people similar to your characters because you really just don’t know what they might find offensive, even if your heart is in the right place.
I learnt that recently because I wanted one of my female characters to be a strong “I don’t need no man” type but was swiftly told that people are becoming sick of this because it’s now the popular counter to the damsel in distress trope. Whoops.
I realised I started this by implying that tropes are inherently bad but I mean the more offensive ones.