When an author of a multi-POV story has a scene/chapter change and then doesn’t immediately reveal whose POV we’re in. Even a couple of sentences lacking any indication bugs me, let alone a paragraph or more. A few seem to be withholding that information for effect. Well, I’m affected. 🤨 Fun one!
This is solid here. If you’re switching POVs, I need to have the name of the POV character in fancy writing above the change and preferably a picture if possible ;)
Vaughn, I really appreciate when the book doesn't have chapter titles, so they make the POV character's name go where the title would be. Then I can start it in their voice. And talk about making things tough for the adaptation to audiobook...the secret will be ruined by the narrator anyway. ;)
Disagree if it's done well. I like to actively guess who it might be based on context clues from the first sentence or even the first few words. If the author is good at distinguishing characters, it's doable. Also, it's good when it's a new character. It's like meeting a stranger; you form your impression of them based on the first few details given.
@@raswartz For me, it's less if it's well done and more if there is actually a super valid point or purpose to keeping the POV ambiguous. (Meeting a new character counts though!) Otherwise, [I think ]you better signal tha feckk outta that POV change, plz! _Lol_ 🤣🤣
I actually really like "blinked" because it's such a clear visual in my head. I read it as the "show don't tell" of "took a second to process", and it works for me so it's interesting to hear it doesn't for you. Books at different sizes is super annoying, I bought the stormlight box set and my grandma bought me the hardcover of book 4 which is more than double the size.
Yeah the difference sizes is so annoying especially when there is NO other option - like the greenbone saga's third book is randomly slightly smaller than the others? WHY?
I actually like the blinking one. I always take it to mean a quick pause where the character is taking in what you just said, or to mean they stare an extra second at you because they're like "what??" or "okaaaayyyyy" I think "She blinked" is a great way to convey that. At least it works for me. 😄 I saw this in a comment already, but definitely when you don't know who's perspective you're in within the first 2-3 sentences. I read with the characters personality affecting how I read so that super annoying. I think Robert Jordan did this really well!
Reading something and thinking it's from someone else's perspective is like when you go to drink orange juice and then you take a swig and realize you picked up a glass of Pepsi instead. It's like shocking and somehow tastes awful even if you love Pepsi
One thing that’s in so many fantasy books that bothers me is when a character effortlessly rips some of their shirt/robe etc. off in strips to make bandages. Cloth is very hard to rip with hands! You’ll probably stretch the fabric and could rip it at another place.
I guess if they have a sword or dagger or something at hand, we can assume they used it to get it started, then tore it? We don't really need bandage minutiae if the scene is about something else. It does bother me when this happens in movies and shows however, then we're clearly seeing something that is wrong.
That depends _ENTIRELY_ on exactly *what **_type_* of fabric you're talking about. (Also, where exactly you start ripping it. And what someone's physical strength level is or isn't, exactly.) Buut... Still, valid. Lol 🤭 😆
My favorite part of your videos: Your willingness to put your opinion out there. Too many people are guarded about this stuff for fear someone may disagree.
I feel like this one is pretty safe since it's actually petty and if anyone was super mad that I didn't like blinking, I think they are the problem more than myself 😂
@@Fortylat I never suggested that you were talking about social awkwardness? I was just saying, to me there's a difference between being afraid that people will disagree and being afraid that people will actually retaliate or harass. One thing has to do with worrying about opinions or worrying that opinions won't align[ and typically because humans tend to feel as if others agreeing somehow validates a person or opinion &/or invalidates certain other opinions/persons OR it's because of worrying about being "weird" or "unusual" and just wanting to fit in with everyone instead of making waves or drawing attention], while the other thing doesn't so much care if opinions differ or not as it just doesn't want to be not treated rightly. Worrying about differences in opinion is stupid-people are entitled to their own opinions, and other people agreeing or disagreeing with it has very little if even anything to do with actually rubber-stamp validating that opinion or that person. But worrying about being treated poorly, however, is perfectly legit-no one should have to deal with being insulted or otherwise harassed, and not everyone has to believe that every little opinion they might have about everything is worth that. (Especially since it is entirely possible for people to disagree without either person treating the other person terribly because of it.) But that's just my way of thinking of it. And I'm not here to tell you if you agree that there is a distinction or not. I'm just pointing out that, in my opinion, there is a slight distinction; and, to me, that distinction kind of matters-because, although I personally believe that people shouldn't be seeking the opinions of others simply to boost their own ego and self-righteousness or simply to reinforce their own viewpoints and indignation towards others' nor be more concerned with not ruffling or contrasting the opinions or perceptions of others' than with just being honest about their own views, I also believe that people do have a right to want to protect themselves from mistreatment[ even if they don't actually care about the opinions or perceptions that other people have about them or theirs at all]. So, I personally think being afraid of being treated badly can be looked a lot more favorably toward than just not being able to handle others disagreeing can be. But, again, that's just me. 🙂 Lol
@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 tl:dr… my point was *I* never said what the fear was, as ANY fear was the point. Regardless of WHAT the fear was. You going on and on about specific fears are a waste of time. I said “fear someone may disagree,” I never said specifically HOW they will disagree… why are you so obsessed with the specific fear? ANY fear involved. It could be the fear an old wizard will read it and turn you into a newt… idc what the fear is.
The blinking issue reminded me that I hate when characters can see a whole range or very specific emotions just by looking into another character's eyes. Either my observation skills are very poor or this isn't how eyes work. I've seen this in several fantasy books but the only example that comes to mind is Elantris by Sanderson.
My favorite observation made by newcomer audiences to Lord of the Rings film trilogy in Return of the King is when they have Eye of Sauron functioning like a lighthouse searchlight and totally miss and should have seen Frodo who manages to hide behind a rock. So much for seeing through "earth, stone and flesh." Reactions usually "Sauron. Idiot."
😂 This is so great. I found you because of the two year collab you just did with Petrik! And I'm so happy this was my intro video to your channel. The blinking and smirking don't bother me, but I totally get the other three. I can't think of any petty complaints (I feel like mine are the bigger scale complaints, lol). But now I'll have to pay more attention and see if I have some that are lurking. LOL.
I loved watching this video and now I need a part 2 please! 😂 I've never been bothered by the word smirk (it didn't jump out from the pages from me), but I've read up to 18 Hercule Poirot mystery novels to my husband and everytime Christie says that Poirot blinked I just can't help actually doing it myself and looking at my hubby humorously (like you did in that video). It never bothered me, but I guess I did find it pointless because everytime I just automatically do it myself and then move on to some more dialogues. ☺️ For character names, I've heard people who read The Faithful and The Fallen series by John Gwynne having a hard time keeping up with the characters in that first book, but it never was a problem for me (I've read Malice and Valor, and won't be continuing on). And now I'm tempted to read The Silmarillion just to see if I'd struggle with that too 😂 When you talked about children as set pieces, it reminded me of how my husband can't stand the trope of children not seeming to be under any parental authority in some TV shows and movies (it annoyed him so much when we watched Once Upon a Time because the child - Henry - would have so much power over the adults in his life and we're just meant to root for him 😂). Everytime something like that happens my hubby can't help asking: "these children never go to school or something?!". Hilarious 😂 I don't remember an instance of children being badly written in the books I've read, I just remember feeling very uncomfortable when I read The Series of Unfortunate Events years ago (I only read the two first books), but it was meant to be weird and absurd. 🤔
Also, I wonder if you feel the same when it comes to a specific storytelling style: I can't stand neverending internal monologues, or very long monologues in the form of dialogues (especially when the characters go on pointless side tangents that don't serve the story at all). I've not seen that happening in the Fantasy books I've read, I've mostly stumbled upon that while reading classics (I DNFed Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky because of that). I don't mind slow-paced stories, but please don't mostly rely on monologues. 😢
Your comment made me think of Dark Shadows, which I’ve slowly been warching. The kid, David, has so little supervision, at one point I realized I didn’t remember who his parents were. There’s also the matter of how he gets almost no education.
I never noticed the blinking thing before but i have the feeling that i am going to now. Terry Pratchett is my happy space but I hear you about the chapter breaks.
Terry Pratchett is one of my very favorite authors of all time lol! That's the thing about these petty things, they don't ruin a book for me but I still hate them when I experience them haha
You are so right!!! I hate when characters names all begin with the same letter or are super similar!!! Some of my all time fav books do this too! Wheel of Time and Faithful and the Fallen were two that come to mind haha
I hate when chapters are unreasonably long to read in one sitting. Or chapters aren't the same lengths so you can't manage time properly. Luckily I read on an ereader and can see how many pages left, but itd be annoying for paper books.
Ugh! I don't mind if the chapters just vary in length, generally-but I'm currently reading a book that went from consistently short, breezy chapters to consistently extra lengthy chapters almost precisely at the halfway mark. It was like slamming into a brick wall! Totally found myself wondering why it was suddenly taking me so much longer to actually finish a chapter until I realized it was because the chapters were literally longer. And then I was kinda depressed, because it was going to take me so much longer to finish the book. 😭🙃🙃😅 👀
@@Bookborn primarily it doesn't stop things. I actually get even more annoyed if it really awkward, but doesn't stop things. If thats how chainmail worked, people wouldn't have worn it to battles for a thousand years
Fun stuff! A lot of smirking in fanfiction too, very irritating. The absence of quotation marks in Day of the Dolphin makes it difficult to know who's talking, but it's from the dolphins' pov so it's a specific plot point not an arbitrary stylistic decision. FYI Finrod IS Felagund, it's his dwarfish appellation 😉
There are actually several types of blinking. I've watched a lot of videos on behavior analysis and how someone is blinking is very important. For example, rapid blinking is a way of unwittingly exposing that you're being dishonest, or really bothered/surprised by something. Whenever I read about someone blinking I am already imagining the scenario and don't have a problem understanding which type of blinking they're talking about lol. I have not come across a book that doesn't use quotation marks but if I do, I will not read it. If I have to work to figure out who is saying what, it's just not worth my time. I want to get lost in the story, not spend my time trying to figure out where a thought ends and speaking begins, or where one character's words end and another's begin. That's pure laziness, in my opinion.
It is actually possible to clearly indicate who says what even without quotation marks, though! But I did recently see some screenshots from a book that did not. 👀 And, good gosh, was that nightmarish!
I have no problem with characters "blinking" in response! I just infer from context whether it's surprise, sarcasm or shock (I had to go with three S's... but hesitancy probably belongs there too) For me, it's when an author feels the need to explain and lecture. It's difficult to nail down, but I love exploring the author's ideas through theme and narrative, but the second I'm "told what to think" it takes me right out of it. The obvious culprit and absolute king of this is Terry Goodkind. I still have a soft spot for Sword of Truth (I started reading that series maybe age 12, so nostalgia goggles and a lack of wider reading for context at the time) and I'm not of Daniel Green's opinion that he's just a plagiarist (though many comparisons to Jordan and others are obvious... I'm just sorta okay with authors stealing ideas. We get some REALLY good stories that do exactly that. I can't even GET through Eregon or Shanarra, despite several friends telling me how much better they get) Nope, his TRUE crime (other than being a bit of a c word... I'm British so that word isn't QUITE as taboo :P) is when he abandons his story and characters to just outright explain his philosophy. Sorry buddy, greater minds than yours have failed to convince me of objectivism. A chosen one protagonist with superpowers isn't going to convince me that REALLY we can all just choose to be ubermensch (and deep apologies to Nietzsche on that one. His works are so often twisted for purposes he wouldn't have agreed with, much as with Marx) and neither will caricature badguys twirling their figurative moustaches while they repeat strawmen of real world philosophical arguments. Really is unfortunate, as a lot of his character work and set pieces are beautiful. And I have NO problem enjoying works that feature DEEPLY problematic themes and philosophy. I really enjoy the Gor books and I am a sucker for supernatural romance (and that can be REALLY f*cked up when you think about it. Twilight stalker-vamp is tame in comparison :P) I consider it petty just bc it's SO ambiguous that even personal bias will alter what is "acceptable" (I'll be more willing to accept a lecture I agree with) and it's never a deal breaker. One of my favourite authors, Pratchett, manages the fine balance of his opinions being quite easy to discern and his criticisms and commentary on the real world obvious... while not appearing to assume the reader is too stupid to follow. (AND you mention him moments later :D Totally agreed. Chapters are good!)
Ok so see, I HATE that too, but it's not "petty" to me. It's bad writing pure and simple and will ruin a book! None of the ones I've mentioned ruin a book for me - I just get annoyed. But the preachiness is so common now and it drives me CRAZY. Let me think! Let me explore or try to figure out how I should think. Treat your readers intelligently.
I agree with every single point! Blinking especially, just seems overly dramatic and lazy at the same time. Always takes me out of it. The lack of chapters didnt really bother me until I started leaning heavily on audiobooks where the lack of chapter numbers or blank sections compared to physical makes each section blur into another.
These are all so petty and I'm here for it XD As soon as you started talking about Silmarillion I knew it was the "F-names". There's a reason I still struggle to remember what everyone's called...
@@Bookborn right? ahaha. also, loved all of these. The smirking one especially really irks me. It's just such a lazy authorial choice. Whenever I see that, I roll my eyes..
I think 'blinked' is a shorthand for the larger reaction of 'rocked back on his heels', as in was surprised by something, had to reassess in a moment *BEAT* No?
This video is simply the best, hahah. Give me all the salty and petty opinions, I love it. And I totally agree with all of these, so you are not alone, lol. In the same vein as 'blinking', I absolutely hate the 'growling' in books. Like, who the heck growls at someone? 🤣 And I also can't stand it when the 'super thin/emaciated/sickly' character suddenly becomes all strong and bulky after a few days/weeks of training or eating 'well'. I'm sorry, but have you ever seriously tried putting on weight and muscle? That is HARD!!! Okay, rant over, hahah. Loved this video!!
describing things that are obvious and pointless to the story, like, everything there is on the food table, or a tree has green leaves except for two, one is grey the other rotten ...
When a character’s mouth goes to or forms a “straight line.” Is this the awkward smile meme? I always find myself making the face whenever I read this line.
lol I can see how this is annoying for the same reason as the blinking - nobody has a straight line mouth?? But I get the concept so it doesn't bother me for some reason
This is SO great! Thank you. Oh! And when it comes to Jim Butcher, his editor absolutely MUST take the word “shamble” away from him. Every time Dresden walks he is NOT “shambling.” *annoyed glare* Three year olds are basically baby birds. There is never enough food is there?
I'm so awful at names at the best of times, the initial letter thing really gets to me. It's not a book, but the last offender of this for me was the game Elden Ring. The names of the various demigods start with certain letters to denote how they're related, which is cool in theory until you need to tell the names Godwyn, Godfrey and Godrick apart.
My thoughts exactly! I was going to comment on Elden Ring! Though as someone pointed out... GRRM might have actually been sneaking in something there, as almost every name starts with G, R or M... think about it.
Maybe someone already mentioned this but all the Aes Sedai names that start with the letter "S". Dozens of them... Also, similar to your dislike of "they blinked", is the use of "so and so shrugged".
Yes, SO many S's. I had to take a few month break on reading between books 8 and 9 I think when I first read them, and at some point I had to look up several of the Aes Sedai to remind myself who they were haha
I actually like the no quotation marks for dialogue, but one of my favorite authors is Jose Saramago, who has a very specific style when it comes to dialogue
It's totally personal preference, don't think I could come up with a good argument for it. But I feel like the narrator is sort of paraphrasing what the characters are saying, which is a particular form of narration that feels very informal and sort of like someone telling you about something they heard. Love the channel btw!
Pratchett does use chapters, but only in the books where they serve a specific narrative purpose, like the Moist Von Lipwig books. He also uses them in all of his YA and childrens books.
I agree with your first two... as well as different size book editions. I also hate when characters act against their own personal motivations (unless legit reasons are given); deux ex machina fixes (usually this involves introducing a magical game changer); using magic inconsistently (like introducing teleportation spell, but characters neglect using said spell when it would easily fix problems for them)
I hate it when a character that suppose to be around is forgotten. One major one for me is in dresden files. A character with major connection to the main character is around but was not mentioned at all aside for i think 2 scenes.
I see it less now, but this was everywhere a while ago: "[character] heard someone scream and then they realised that they were the one screaming." I hate this even more than "[character] let go of the breath that they didn't know they were holding."
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed Jim Butcher's heavy use of blinking! I've been listening through Dresden Files this year and it seems like characters are blinking at each other every few pages!
Using ' in fantasy names without understanding how it works. It represents a glottal stop and should only be surrounded by vowels so that it can be pronounced. (See Hawaiian names) It is a fun sound but not used well.
using ' in names almost made this list lol but it doens't bug me quite as much as the others. But, I honestly feel like authors do it JUST to feel more "fantasy" instead of any understanding of WHY, like you said.
Can't glottal stops sometimes be utilized _instead_ of a full vowel, like between consonants, too? 🤔🤔 But it's true-I've definitely seen names using ' pretty much just for looks. Elaborate spellings, sometimes, too! 👀
I'm totally with you on the blinking thing and no quotation marks !! surely that's just bad writing. Like not starting sentences with a Capital, not using commas, full stops etc. It's not artsy, its lazy bad writing. Thanks for this thought provoking video. My pet hate is overly describing characters clothing. Its one thing I really hated in the WOT.
Ok but WoT was like SO BAD for that clothing thing LMAO like it's famous, I'm not sure I've ever read a series that's as bad as that (that being said, I don't imagine a lot while reading so I can also leave most over-descriptions!)
The blinking one doesn't bother me, in most cases, from context, I usually take it to mean they closed their eyes for a second (either in thought, despair or whatever), as opposed to it being a standard reflex action blink, it's just a quicker way to convey that. Off the top of my head I can't think of any petty things that annoy me, I'm sure there are some but they are the type of thing I probably only think about when they are right in front of me then promptly stop thinking about until it crops up again, then I forget about...
Now that you’ve read ASOIAF have you heard GRRM talk about the names of characters with similar names/start with the same letter? He speaks about how authors get told don’t call your characters with the same letter start, but he had more than 26 characters so couldn’t. Then he thought of the history of the UK and realised families all have the same names, so he jumped in on it as well. Tywin, Tyrion, Tytos. Then all the Robbs, all the Jons. It was to mimic the history of the UK. But he does talk about how you’re not meant to do it. It’s quite interesting
When authors name their characters with names from our world. Like, I just read a fantasy novel that has elves and dwarves and a guy named Luis and a girl named Maria. Like, come on
I love this video, all super valid points. I personally hate the word “alighted” can we just say “landed”. I notice it literally every single time the word is used.
Okay, but "landed" feels more like running to ground, or jumping and landing solidly on two feet from a certain height, while "alighted" feels more like coming down or up on wings(or like something lightweight just getting blown onto something by a gently breeze). "Landed" is rough, and heavy(unless you included qualifiers, like 'softly', or such)-"alighted" is softer, and more eloquent/beautiful. 😋 🤣 ((But that's probably just my own breed of petty, right there; So, ignore me.😁))
I understand the annoyance at the overuse of blinking but I think it get the purpose. A bit like the eyes widening slightly, instinctive blinking is a way we often silently acknowledge information that figuratively knocks us of balance. Like with "smirking", I really wish writers would find more ways of expressing this feeling. I have a couple of petty ones. One is the "audible gasp". I could count on one hand the amount of times I've gasped loud enough for other people to hear it, and they've all been intensely scary or panic-inducing situations. People in novels sometimes loudly gasp at revelations or surprise like we're in a cartoon! Also, people often just don't check their reflections like normal people. It's hard to explain but it feels off, like a narrator commenting on their appearance the way a human wouldn't about themselves.
That's the thing, though-fiction can tell of the exceptions, not just what is typically so? 😅😅😁 But, at the same time, I get where you're coming from-sometimes I think kinda similarly, when reading those things, too.🤭🤭🤭
Tough to explain but I saw this a bunch in The Name of the Wind. Everything Kvothe came across, money or mundane objects, later became crucial plot points and exactly what he needed.
I don't even think the name thing is petty, constant blinking or smirking might be annoying but they don't make the book genuinely difficult to read like fourteen characters named some variant of Arya.
Well, I was watching this video and I was shocked by the first one to the point I blinked in surprise, but by the third I was enjoying myself so much that I couldn't stop smirking before I showed the video to my 3 young boys Tim, Tom and Tumultuous (Tum for short) and they all said 'all art must suffer flaws to reveal the true beauty of the craft' which you know, I thought was a bit much.
Let me slightly add/change to this. I was 300 pages into chapter 1 when I saw your video. I just blinked when I saw the title. I then clicked on it while smirking.... Then the rest of your comment. (I think the point of blinking was that it was NOT followed with "in surprise". Just blinking on its own.)
If I had to pick a reading pet peeve of my own, it's when ebooks have pictures or weird formatting that don't render well on my reading app, so the map is all squished or the table of data spills over into itself or whatever. I'm also bothered by people who use the wrong amount of attributions in dialogue. Too much and I'm like "you used said seven times in six sentences" (alternatively, why would you use ejaculated in this context); too little and I have to reread it three times to figure out who said the line at the top of the next page. This isn't a problem with authors really good at character voice but it can get annoying.
I think there needs to be more pontificating, retorting, and various other words that let us know the attitude in which something is being communicated. And yes, even sex scenes shouldn't use ejaculated...leave that word for the physiology texts.
A very minor one I've noticed is that authors are obsessed with using the phrase "audible click." I distinctly remember a scene in the Wheel of Time where a character even "shut their mouth with an audible click" - which, just...how? Why? If your mouth is making noticeable clicking noises when you shut it, you should probably call a doctor.
I feel like characters blinking is something I never noticed but now something I'm going to notice all the time and be as annoyed by it as you are! So thanks! lol.
I get annoyed when authors make it seem like characters have no choice in what they do or say. This happens a lot with romance. Like a guy startled a girl by kissing her and she is surprised to find she is kissing him back even though she didn’t like him. That kind of thing. Our bodies don’t just make decisions for us despite our preferences.
The thing is, they're typically implying that.. on a subconscious level ..she actually _WAS_ attracted to him, though. Despite the fact that she didn't consciously think[ or admit] that she did. (Which is still pretty annoying, though.) But.....actually ... involuntary body movement can be a very real thing for some people, sometimes. Like, I know people who talk out loud without having any idea that they are doing so, because they legit believe they were just thinking it silently to themselves. Reflexive movement is also a thing, like if you're in a particular habit of responding to certain things in certain ways, or if you just have this thinking ingrained in you that certain things are just how certain other things should be responded to-you can absolutely respond that way, especially when caught off-guard, before your brain catches up and really thinks about what you actually like or want or not. People come in all different types, and what is either usual or unusual for some may be completely different for others, and it's really easy as subjective humans not to realize that sometimes. 😅😅 😊
When you mentioned multiple characters with the same beginning letters, my mind went immediately to the Silmarillion. Then you held it up and I've been laughing for a few minutes now 😂 For me it's the phrase "I can take care of myself" because most of the time, no they can't. The minute I see it, my eye starts twitching
One thing that I dislike about fantasy books is how Winter is ALWAYS a worse season that summer. I know that’s because most writers live in Western countries, but it still bothers me a little anyway. Winter is always viewed as the season of hardship, but where I live and in a lot of other places as well, the season of hardship is summer.
I feel like that is a result of a broader issue of so much fantasy pulling from northern/western countries (Europe, predominantly). If we had more fantasy inspired by India, the Amazon, the Middle East, Africa, etc. It would be less prevalent.
This funny, because I started writing a fantasy book when I was younger in which the temperamental personification of Summer was the bad-guy. (I wish I had ever finished writing it.) 🤣🤣
Or it's more of a modern problem; winter was the season of rest and feasts/holidays even in the west. Summer vacation wasn't a thing three hundred years ago.
Fun list! Add: “Her smile did not reach her eyes.” Find a mirror and attempt this. Prepare to look like a serial killer, if you manage it at all. I see this in every other book these days. It’s ok to say a version of, “He forced a smile that convinced no one.”(More like a smirk)
I dislike dream sequences, especially when the chapter starts off with one. Most of the time I do not realize it is a dream until the last lines of the chapter! I think Eye of the World did this. Recently for me, one of the First Law books did it with Glotka! Every time this happens I just groan, oh it is a trick just a dream.
I heard Sally Rooney doesn't use quotation marks in her books. I don't really understand this trend because the point of punctuation is for clarity and not having quotations would confuse readers used to seeing quotations for dialogue.
No, give me quotation marks.. I NEED them.. I also need chapter notations! And the names all being so similar always boggles my brain! OMG YES ON THE KIDS! There are so many times I'm like " there is NO way this kid is acting like this, my small kids would NEVER" lol If I didn't feed my 5 and 9 year old like hourly I would DIE from how much they whine at me that they are STARVING to death lol But I think my biggest is this one, like KNOW HOW KIDS WORK!
Children are usually portrayed more accurately in film, since that is a visual medium and child actors are more likely to act age-appropriate without even trying to.
This isn't only in fantasy novels but I absolutely HATE IT when authors use lines like "she shivered, but not from the cold" (or something similar). It's even in the first line of a Frozen song! We know the character is shivering from their thoughts/revelations/the situation and not from the temperature. We aren't idiots 🙄
Maybe this is because "supper" and "dinner" are used slightly differently depending on culture, but it still sounds funny when authors call it "the evening meal" 😄
1. When characters ask each other a bunch of questions and no one knows what is going on for a long time. 2. When characters argue with each other about some other character they all know and they all claim to know more about the other character's personality quirks. 3. When the characters get all the attention in the story and the world is overlooked. 5. When the plot is driven by inexplicable evil and revenge. 6. When the magic system is mostly just plot armor. 7. When creatures in the story sound like they are dumber than the people. 8. When dragons are treated like they are automatically evil and solitary. 9. When the word nonplussed is used when it really is not the right scenario. 10. When the villain is ridiculously overpowered at the beginning of the story but makes a dumb mistake and then seems off balance the rest of the story and is ultimately defeated because of the dumb mistake at the beginning. 11. When the main character only gets the use of their powers at the power level required to win when they are at the crisis of the story. 12. When the characters know each other so well they have nothing but inside jokes and backhanded comments to make about each other. 13. When characters are introduced during a crisis in the story just to save the main character. 14. When the main character blacks out during a confrontation with a villain and wakes up later in good health and is able to escape. 15. When one of the characters knows something super specific about a creature in the story that makes it easy to defeat or avoid it. 16. When the Macguffin in the story is acquired after lots of struggle but turns out to not be enough to stop the villain and the main character just wings it at the end and wins somehow. 17. When prophecies are given in the story just to make it seem like there is an unavoidable event coming just to avoid that event and make the point that the future is unsure or unwritten. 18. When strange humanoid creatures as main characters insult each other based on their different physical characteristics or cultural beliefs or societal traits just to make it seem like they have a real history together. 19. When a love interest slaps the main character and argues at the beginning of the scene but at the end of the scene they act like they are in love and nothing bad just happened. 20. When there is an omen or curse that is mentioned for going into the scary woods but it never happens because the main character finds a clue after going into the woods.
As a mom of two, I completely agree with you about the kid thing! Drives me nuts! How did your character manage to sleep for 10 hours and then have a life when she’s got a toddler? Like, how?? My youngest is 11 and still needs me every 15 mins! And I HATE no quotes, hate hate hate. I believe a current example would be Sally Rooney. As for me, I get so annoyed when an author keeps using a certain phrase over and over. The one that made me tear my out was all the sandwiches in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books. I swear, on every page, someone was making a sandwich. Open faced, hot, cold ham, every kind of sandwich. I ranted about it so much my husband still calls those the Sandwich Books!
Blood Meridian was my first read that had no quotation marks. It was first surprising, then interesting, then mildly annoying, and really its a shame I was wasting so many emotions on formatting. That book has just become vibes without punctuation in my memory. Interestingly, I didn't notice Pratchett avoided chapters until it was pointed out to me a few years back. I guess it goes to show that some things stick out more for some people than for others! My pet hate in fantasy novels is actually the names thing you mentioned. I'm not going to pretend otherwise and that Tolkien example in your video is 👌
I feel personally attacked. I love characters smirking[-but it probably does get overused]. 🤣🤣🤣 (Also, I was unaware that not everyone actually utilizes intentional[ or even unintentional] blinking to convey unspoken attitudes or moods, irl.) I imagine in blinking cases like that last you read it was to indicate that someone is either totally unresponsive or essentially just frozen in place though, but not literally, so at very least [involuntarily ]blinking is still occurring...and enough time is passing that a blink has happened. But maybe I'm wrong.. ? 🤔🤷♀️🤷♀️😁 🤣🤣🤣🤣 _P. S. - I love this video^-^ 🤭🤍💜_
@@Bookborn 😹 That's fair-I'm sure I have a few things like that myself, I just tend to blank on them until I actually see them. I should start taking notes, honestly.🤭🤭^-^😊
I'm currently reading "Spinning Silver" and the child in there was written SO WELL!! I was quite impressed. My petty complaint is when an editor misses something with grammar/structure. Like an arbitrary change of tense in the middle of a paragraph or the like. If it's not prevalent through the whole work, it shouldn't bother me as much as it does...
Spinning Silver is just a fantastic novel all around, I loved it so much. I'm reading a Hugo winner currently - so you know, it's probably been edited professionally a lot - and in the first chapter it said "sad" instead of "said". How did we miss this??
Well, okay-but, to be fair ... there actually are women who cross their arms under, and women who cross their arms over/across. (But if you're reading it in an overly sexualized way, or if you're imagining it beneath the breasts like one might pull your arms out of your sleeves underneath your shirt, I can see how that might be weird. Lol)
@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 (Just assuming that you know I'm talking about Robert Jordan here...moving on) The funny thing is that no woman in those books ever just crosses her arms. That's what's funny about it. After reading it about fifty times I started to wonder if he meant something specific by it, different from say "she laid her arms across her chest," but I don't think he does. I think it's just a tic. Any action or phrase that gets repeated often enough is going to stand out to the reader.
@@JoelAdamson ((I actually didn't know😅🤣)) But That's true! Crutch words/phrases definitely stand out, sooner or later. It may well have been just a personal tic. (I know that I for one would definitely mean something other than just someone folding/crossing their arms if I ever worded something like "laid her arms across her chest" when I was writing though-in that case, I'd probably mean she just lightly or sensually draping over or around her own torso, or something; all depending on the context of the scene.[ If that's worth anything.] Lol)
I hate it when the character names are all so similar. It makes my reading time so much longer because I have stop and try to figure out who the author is talking about.
I had this recently when I was reading Fireborne but I see it a lot in the few YA & middle grade books I read - I really hate random blushing in books. Like "His hand brushed against my arm and I felt my face flush". There's just so much blushing like I know you're teenagers but your face must just be constantly red.
When they suddenly make a new book in a series in different style, like why would you do that? Do publishers really think that we'll be like " yeah, that book 4 of a series really looks great not matching the other ones". An then they release all previous books in matching format, I'm fine with changing the cover arts but it's only acceptable once ALL of the books have the same art style.
Really fun video! I will play devils advocate for a second and say there’s probably a good reason lots of high fantasy authors have names that start with the same letter and I think it’s because they try to keep names sounding like they are all passed down from a different foreign language, so in Mandarin you might see a bunch people with the name Chan or Chun or Chin. But yeah, I can see why it would be a petty annoyance. If I had a petty grievance, it would probably be when two characters are starting to feel some kind of romance and then all of the sudden we cut to them waking up in bed together. Like what the heck, I’m not a prude or anything but sex is like the peak of where the relationship should go, not where it starts! It relieves way too much of the tension for my tastes way too fast. And this is in HUNDREDS of books/movies I’ve seen, to the point where I just roll my eyes every time I see it. Also it bugs me why we always need a romance to begin with. I’m always happy when I see boys and girls just being loyal friends where they’re not trying to seduce each other.
I agree completely about the early sex scenes. As a matter of fact, I only briefly skim over sex scenes, anyway because I'm just not interested in that aspect of the story (my own imagination is far better lol!) unless it's specifically related to something important to know about a character. Such as, they're overly aggressive, have self-esteem issues, think they're a great lover when they aren't, etc..
One of the worst similar name offenders is George R. R. Martin. Have you seen the Targaryen family tree? It's Aegon, Daeron, Aenys, Aerys, Jaehaerys, ARRRRG!!!!!
This theme is something I love. It shows family lineage. This theme is important in the farm boy to hero story The Belgariad series by David Weddings, as the reader follows the main protagonist through his transition and understanding of who he is.
It took me a week to find something but I found a petty thing that makes me DNF a book real quick. Whenever a setting is vaguely Victorian, Edwardian or Regency and a woman complains about her corset being too tight. That she can't breath with it. That she couldn't move. That's not how corsets worked. They were comfy. As confy as a bra, at least.
The overuse and misuse of "sniff". E.G. "He sniffed as he chuckled...". When you start noticing it, it it is all over the place. I think it is often used to convey agreement, annoyance, or a sarcastic emotive response to something someone has said. But in real life that is all more of a soft blowing out of the nose (granted is there even a word for this?). Closer to a nasal hu-rumph? Not a sniff! I can't take it and it's petty.
I think maybe it's because there isn't really a singular word for, like, the reverse of a sniff? Where it's a quick outward puff, instead of an inward one? 👀 (Like, because huff usually implies irritation not agreement, and usually comes out the mouth not the nose?) But, I mean, I dunno-maybe there are some people out there who legit breathe inward through their nose while or shortly before doing things like chuckling?? I have no idea-but I feel like I'm going to start noticing it now, too. 🤣
I recently read The Color of Magic and yeah Pratchett can’t bother to use chapters. Idk if I’ll continue with Discworld for that reason alone. You wanna talk about being petty Hillary lol
I checked out the digital version of "The Forest of Vanishing Stars" because listening to the audio, I thought I was hearing way too many references to blinking, so I did a search of "blink" and there were about fifty. Usually, "She blinked a few times" or something like "He blinked at her." I then did a search of the novel I'm writing and removed all but one reference, when she blinks repeatedly to adjust her eyes to light after being in the dark a long time. Nothing important has been lost. I try not to start character names with the same letter, at least not more than two per letter. With Tolkien, there is a good reason he did it with the names: he based Middle Earth in part off Norse epics and sagas, in which lots of characters have identical or similar-sounding names. Don't get me started on all the names in "Heimskringla" that start with "Thor" (hint: it's over 30) and how many different characters have the same name. And that's just one saga set! I limit the scenes with children, and when they appear, they behave like children: arguing over petty things, whining to their parents, disobeying, asking inappropriate questions, etc. What annoys the crap out of me in any book? The dreaded biting of the labials. The rare occasion I actually see this is real life, it's really disturbing and I have to look away, and I hate reading about it in books. Especially since it has been used to convey every conceivable emotion (i.e. anger, fear, nervousness, happiness, uncertainty, frustration, thoughtfulness, pleading), so it's become meaningless, since it could mean anything. One book had so much chomping of lips that I DNF'd it for that reason.
'He blinked at the first Lord' - boring, weird.
'He winked both eyes at the first Lord' - intriguing.
🤣🤣
Fafana asked felise about her daughter falina's favorite food with a smirk but felise just stood there and blinked
It was Falafel.
I just gave all you guys ammo didn't I
@@Bookborn *blinks* yes. *blink, blink*
@@Bookborn bingo
This sentence needs a chapter break
I'm convinced the "breath they didn't know they were holding" is an inside joke amongst authors. It's like the wilhelm scream of books.
tbh I never noticed that one until booktube 🙈 Now I feel like I have to put it somewhere or I'll be kicked out
@@Bookborn I feel like I read it at least once in every fantasy book I read these days. 🤣
When an author of a multi-POV story has a scene/chapter change and then doesn’t immediately reveal whose POV we’re in. Even a couple of sentences lacking any indication bugs me, let alone a paragraph or more. A few seem to be withholding that information for effect. Well, I’m affected. 🤨 Fun one!
This is solid here. If you’re switching POVs, I need to have the name of the POV character in fancy writing above the change and preferably a picture if possible ;)
This is a super solid one. Doesn't ruin the overall novel but is still SUPER annoying.
Vaughn, I really appreciate when the book doesn't have chapter titles, so they make the POV character's name go where the title would be. Then I can start it in their voice. And talk about making things tough for the adaptation to audiobook...the secret will be ruined by the narrator anyway. ;)
Disagree if it's done well. I like to actively guess who it might be based on context clues from the first sentence or even the first few words. If the author is good at distinguishing characters, it's doable.
Also, it's good when it's a new character. It's like meeting a stranger; you form your impression of them based on the first few details given.
@@raswartz For me, it's less if it's well done and more if there is actually a super valid point or purpose to keeping the POV ambiguous. (Meeting a new character counts though!) Otherwise, [I think ]you better signal tha feckk outta that POV change, plz! _Lol_ 🤣🤣
They undulated between a smirk and blinking
I actually really like "blinked" because it's such a clear visual in my head. I read it as the "show don't tell" of "took a second to process", and it works for me so it's interesting to hear it doesn't for you.
Books at different sizes is super annoying, I bought the stormlight box set and my grandma bought me the hardcover of book 4 which is more than double the size.
Yeah the difference sizes is so annoying especially when there is NO other option - like the greenbone saga's third book is randomly slightly smaller than the others? WHY?
I actually like the blinking one. I always take it to mean a quick pause where the character is taking in what you just said, or to mean they stare an extra second at you because they're like "what??" or "okaaaayyyyy" I think "She blinked" is a great way to convey that. At least it works for me. 😄 I saw this in a comment already, but definitely when you don't know who's perspective you're in within the first 2-3 sentences. I read with the characters personality affecting how I read so that super annoying. I think Robert Jordan did this really well!
I think I've only had like two people agree with me on the blinking thing so it makes sense you like it 😂
Reading something and thinking it's from someone else's perspective is like when you go to drink orange juice and then you take a swig and realize you picked up a glass of Pepsi instead. It's like shocking and somehow tastes awful even if you love Pepsi
Oh my gosh you've got all the points I kept thinking about while reading. This video is so fun to watch
One thing that’s in so many fantasy books that bothers me is when a character effortlessly rips some of their shirt/robe etc. off in strips to make bandages. Cloth is very hard to rip with hands! You’ll probably stretch the fabric and could rip it at another place.
lol YES such a good one! Ripping clothes does NOT work that way, and they always get these nice little binding strips haha
I guess if they have a sword or dagger or something at hand, we can assume they used it to get it started, then tore it? We don't really need bandage minutiae if the scene is about something else. It does bother me when this happens in movies and shows however, then we're clearly seeing something that is wrong.
That depends _ENTIRELY_ on exactly *what **_type_* of fabric you're talking about.
(Also, where exactly you start ripping it. And what someone's physical strength level is or isn't, exactly.)
Buut... Still, valid. Lol 🤭 😆
My favorite part of your videos: Your willingness to put your opinion out there. Too many people are guarded about this stuff for fear someone may disagree.
I feel like this one is pretty safe since it's actually petty and if anyone was super mad that I didn't like blinking, I think they are the problem more than myself 😂
I mean, to be fair, I think people are less afraid that someone will disagree than afraid of what people who disagree might do or say because of that?
@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 That's the reason for the fear... I am not talking about being socially awkward, lol.
@@Fortylat I never suggested that you were talking about social awkwardness? I was just saying, to me there's a difference between being afraid that people will disagree and being afraid that people will actually retaliate or harass. One thing has to do with worrying about opinions or worrying that opinions won't align[ and typically because humans tend to feel as if others agreeing somehow validates a person or opinion &/or invalidates certain other opinions/persons OR it's because of worrying about being "weird" or "unusual" and just wanting to fit in with everyone instead of making waves or drawing attention], while the other thing doesn't so much care if opinions differ or not as it just doesn't want to be not treated rightly. Worrying about differences in opinion is stupid-people are entitled to their own opinions, and other people agreeing or disagreeing with it has very little if even anything to do with actually rubber-stamp validating that opinion or that person. But worrying about being treated poorly, however, is perfectly legit-no one should have to deal with being insulted or otherwise harassed, and not everyone has to believe that every little opinion they might have about everything is worth that. (Especially since it is entirely possible for people to disagree without either person treating the other person terribly because of it.) But that's just my way of thinking of it. And I'm not here to tell you if you agree that there is a distinction or not. I'm just pointing out that, in my opinion, there is a slight distinction; and, to me, that distinction kind of matters-because, although I personally believe that people shouldn't be seeking the opinions of others simply to boost their own ego and self-righteousness or simply to reinforce their own viewpoints and indignation towards others' nor be more concerned with not ruffling or contrasting the opinions or perceptions of others' than with just being honest about their own views, I also believe that people do have a right to want to protect themselves from mistreatment[ even if they don't actually care about the opinions or perceptions that other people have about them or theirs at all]. So, I personally think being afraid of being treated badly can be looked a lot more favorably toward than just not being able to handle others disagreeing can be. But, again, that's just me. 🙂 Lol
@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 tl:dr… my point was *I* never said what the fear was, as ANY fear was the point. Regardless of WHAT the fear was. You going on and on about specific fears are a waste of time. I said “fear someone may disagree,” I never said specifically HOW they will disagree… why are you so obsessed with the specific fear? ANY fear involved. It could be the fear an old wizard will read it and turn you into a newt… idc what the fear is.
The character names all starting with the same letter gets me every 👏 time 👏 😂
Fun video!
The blinking issue reminded me that I hate when characters can see a whole range or very specific emotions just by looking into another character's eyes. Either my observation skills are very poor or this isn't how eyes work. I've seen this in several fantasy books but the only example that comes to mind is Elantris by Sanderson.
Didn't even think about that ,but it's so true. Characters be having entire conversations through their eyes 😂
My favorite observation made by newcomer audiences to Lord of the Rings film trilogy in Return of the King is when they have Eye of Sauron functioning like a lighthouse searchlight and totally miss and should have seen Frodo who manages to hide behind a rock. So much for seeing through "earth, stone and flesh." Reactions usually "Sauron. Idiot."
Well, if you're particularly close to someone, especially-this can actually happen, irl.
For me it’s the overuse of “mouth agape” or “their jaw dropped” whenever a character sees something surprising. I just can’t stand that! 😅
😂 This is so great. I found you because of the two year collab you just did with Petrik! And I'm so happy this was my intro video to your channel. The blinking and smirking don't bother me, but I totally get the other three. I can't think of any petty complaints (I feel like mine are the bigger scale complaints, lol). But now I'll have to pay more attention and see if I have some that are lurking. LOL.
This is me, searching my manuscript for these things in case I make it to the semifinals in your SPFBO bracket...
I loved watching this video and now I need a part 2 please! 😂 I've never been bothered by the word smirk (it didn't jump out from the pages from me), but I've read up to 18 Hercule Poirot mystery novels to my husband and everytime Christie says that Poirot blinked I just can't help actually doing it myself and looking at my hubby humorously (like you did in that video). It never bothered me, but I guess I did find it pointless because everytime I just automatically do it myself and then move on to some more dialogues. ☺️ For character names, I've heard people who read The Faithful and The Fallen series by John Gwynne having a hard time keeping up with the characters in that first book, but it never was a problem for me (I've read Malice and Valor, and won't be continuing on). And now I'm tempted to read The Silmarillion just to see if I'd struggle with that too 😂
When you talked about children as set pieces, it reminded me of how my husband can't stand the trope of children not seeming to be under any parental authority in some TV shows and movies (it annoyed him so much when we watched Once Upon a Time because the child - Henry - would have so much power over the adults in his life and we're just meant to root for him 😂). Everytime something like that happens my hubby can't help asking: "these children never go to school or something?!". Hilarious 😂 I don't remember an instance of children being badly written in the books I've read, I just remember feeling very uncomfortable when I read The Series of Unfortunate Events years ago (I only read the two first books), but it was meant to be weird and absurd. 🤔
Also, I wonder if you feel the same when it comes to a specific storytelling style: I can't stand neverending internal monologues, or very long monologues in the form of dialogues (especially when the characters go on pointless side tangents that don't serve the story at all). I've not seen that happening in the Fantasy books I've read, I've mostly stumbled upon that while reading classics (I DNFed Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky because of that). I don't mind slow-paced stories, but please don't mostly rely on monologues. 😢
Your comment made me think of Dark Shadows, which I’ve slowly been warching. The kid, David, has so little supervision, at one point I realized I didn’t remember who his parents were. There’s also the matter of how he gets almost no education.
This a great list of petty things, nice work
I never noticed the blinking thing before but i have the feeling that i am going to now.
Terry Pratchett is my happy space but I hear you about the chapter breaks.
Terry Pratchett is one of my very favorite authors of all time lol! That's the thing about these petty things, they don't ruin a book for me but I still hate them when I experience them haha
You are so right!!! I hate when characters names all begin with the same letter or are super similar!!! Some of my all time fav books do this too! Wheel of Time and Faithful and the Fallen were two that come to mind haha
I hate when chapters are unreasonably long to read in one sitting. Or chapters aren't the same lengths so you can't manage time properly. Luckily I read on an ereader and can see how many pages left, but itd be annoying for paper books.
I do wish authors would make use of shorter chapters more. It's so nice for personal pacing haha
Ugh! I don't mind if the chapters just vary in length, generally-but I'm currently reading a book that went from consistently short, breezy chapters to consistently extra lengthy chapters almost precisely at the halfway mark. It was like slamming into a brick wall! Totally found myself wondering why it was suddenly taking me so much longer to actually finish a chapter until I realized it was because the chapters were literally longer. And then I was kinda depressed, because it was going to take me so much longer to finish the book. 😭🙃🙃😅 👀
Characters "sucking their teeth" in the First Law and J.A.'s other books haha
I feel the same about all of these, but god damn the BLINKING!!! It sends me!!
Finally someone who understands my pain 😭😭
Chain mail being decoration
Ok this is a good one tell me more. Like they don't acknowledge that it's awkward and heavy? Or it doesn't stop things?
@@Bookborn primarily it doesn't stop things.
I actually get even more annoyed if it really awkward, but doesn't stop things.
If thats how chainmail worked, people wouldn't have worn it to battles for a thousand years
When there is no section break in a long chapter. It’s like I have no room to breath during the 30 or 40+ pages.
Irvine Welsh and Cormac McCarthy don't use quotation marks either.
I'm fine with it. Though it's not something I always want to read.
Fun stuff! A lot of smirking in fanfiction too, very irritating. The absence of quotation marks in Day of the Dolphin makes it difficult to know who's talking, but it's from the dolphins' pov so it's a specific plot point not an arbitrary stylistic decision. FYI Finrod IS Felagund, it's his dwarfish appellation 😉
There are actually several types of blinking. I've watched a lot of videos on behavior analysis and how someone is blinking is very important. For example, rapid blinking is a way of unwittingly exposing that you're being dishonest, or really bothered/surprised by something. Whenever I read about someone blinking I am already imagining the scenario and don't have a problem understanding which type of blinking they're talking about lol.
I have not come across a book that doesn't use quotation marks but if I do, I will not read it. If I have to work to figure out who is saying what, it's just not worth my time. I want to get lost in the story, not spend my time trying to figure out where a thought ends and speaking begins, or where one character's words end and another's begin. That's pure laziness, in my opinion.
It is actually possible to clearly indicate who says what even without quotation marks, though!
But I did recently see some screenshots from a book that did not. 👀 And, good gosh, was that nightmarish!
I have no problem with characters "blinking" in response!
I just infer from context whether it's surprise, sarcasm or shock (I had to go with three S's... but hesitancy probably belongs there too)
For me, it's when an author feels the need to explain and lecture.
It's difficult to nail down, but I love exploring the author's ideas through theme and narrative, but the second I'm "told what to think" it takes me right out of it.
The obvious culprit and absolute king of this is Terry Goodkind. I still have a soft spot for Sword of Truth (I started reading that series maybe age 12, so nostalgia goggles and a lack of wider reading for context at the time) and I'm not of Daniel Green's opinion that he's just a plagiarist (though many comparisons to Jordan and others are obvious... I'm just sorta okay with authors stealing ideas. We get some REALLY good stories that do exactly that. I can't even GET through Eregon or Shanarra, despite several friends telling me how much better they get)
Nope, his TRUE crime (other than being a bit of a c word... I'm British so that word isn't QUITE as taboo :P) is when he abandons his story and characters to just outright explain his philosophy. Sorry buddy, greater minds than yours have failed to convince me of objectivism. A chosen one protagonist with superpowers isn't going to convince me that REALLY we can all just choose to be ubermensch (and deep apologies to Nietzsche on that one. His works are so often twisted for purposes he wouldn't have agreed with, much as with Marx) and neither will caricature badguys twirling their figurative moustaches while they repeat strawmen of real world philosophical arguments.
Really is unfortunate, as a lot of his character work and set pieces are beautiful.
And I have NO problem enjoying works that feature DEEPLY problematic themes and philosophy. I really enjoy the Gor books and I am a sucker for supernatural romance (and that can be REALLY f*cked up when you think about it. Twilight stalker-vamp is tame in comparison :P)
I consider it petty just bc it's SO ambiguous that even personal bias will alter what is "acceptable" (I'll be more willing to accept a lecture I agree with) and it's never a deal breaker.
One of my favourite authors, Pratchett, manages the fine balance of his opinions being quite easy to discern and his criticisms and commentary on the real world obvious... while not appearing to assume the reader is too stupid to follow. (AND you mention him moments later :D Totally agreed. Chapters are good!)
Ok so see, I HATE that too, but it's not "petty" to me. It's bad writing pure and simple and will ruin a book! None of the ones I've mentioned ruin a book for me - I just get annoyed. But the preachiness is so common now and it drives me CRAZY. Let me think! Let me explore or try to figure out how I should think. Treat your readers intelligently.
Yep! And agree with the Goodkind opinion too. He probably read Atlas Shrugged as a teen but then never developed ideas beyond that.
@@Bookborn
It PROBABLY does rise beyond petty :P
I tend to roll my eyes and speed read through it... which is a bad sign.
I agree with every single point! Blinking especially, just seems overly dramatic and lazy at the same time. Always takes me out of it. The lack of chapters didnt really bother me until I started leaning heavily on audiobooks where the lack of chapter numbers or blank sections compared to physical makes each section blur into another.
And just makes it really hard to have a good stopping point haha!
These are all so petty and I'm here for it XD
As soon as you started talking about Silmarillion I knew it was the "F-names". There's a reason I still struggle to remember what everyone's called...
The amount of times I had to flip back to that genealogy chart to remind myself was crazy haha
@@Bookborn right? ahaha. also, loved all of these. The smirking one especially really irks me. It's just such a lazy authorial choice. Whenever I see that, I roll my eyes..
I think 'blinked' is a shorthand for the larger reaction of 'rocked back on his heels', as in was surprised by something, had to reassess in a moment *BEAT* No?
Frank Herbert and his excessive use of 'Presently'
Seems like a lot of authors in these comments need to be held hostage over their favorite words 😂
@@Bookborn _crutch words ?_ 🤣🤣🤣 (I know I have a few just when I'm talking conversationally, too!👀)
This video is simply the best, hahah. Give me all the salty and petty opinions, I love it. And I totally agree with all of these, so you are not alone, lol.
In the same vein as 'blinking', I absolutely hate the 'growling' in books. Like, who the heck growls at someone? 🤣
And I also can't stand it when the 'super thin/emaciated/sickly' character suddenly becomes all strong and bulky after a few days/weeks of training or eating 'well'. I'm sorry, but have you ever seriously tried putting on weight and muscle? That is HARD!!!
Okay, rant over, hahah. Loved this video!!
describing things that are obvious and pointless to the story, like, everything there is on the food table, or a tree has green leaves except for two, one is grey the other rotten ...
When a character’s mouth goes to or forms a “straight line.” Is this the awkward smile meme? I always find myself making the face whenever I read this line.
lol I can see how this is annoying for the same reason as the blinking - nobody has a straight line mouth?? But I get the concept so it doesn't bother me for some reason
This is SO great! Thank you.
Oh! And when it comes to Jim Butcher, his editor absolutely MUST take the word “shamble” away from him. Every time Dresden walks he is NOT “shambling.” *annoyed glare*
Three year olds are basically baby birds. There is never enough food is there?
I feel like I need to make a video called "editors need to take these words away from these authors" LOL
With a slow, shuffling, awkward gait? Lol
I'm so awful at names at the best of times, the initial letter thing really gets to me.
It's not a book, but the last offender of this for me was the game Elden Ring. The names of the various demigods start with certain letters to denote how they're related, which is cool in theory until you need to tell the names Godwyn, Godfrey and Godrick apart.
My thoughts exactly! I was going to comment on Elden Ring! Though as someone pointed out... GRRM might have actually been sneaking in something there, as almost every name starts with G, R or M... think about it.
Maybe someone already mentioned this but all the Aes Sedai names that start with the letter "S". Dozens of them...
Also, similar to your dislike of "they blinked", is the use of "so and so shrugged".
Yes, SO many S's. I had to take a few month break on reading between books 8 and 9 I think when I first read them, and at some point I had to look up several of the Aes Sedai to remind myself who they were haha
I actually like the no quotation marks for dialogue, but one of my favorite authors is Jose Saramago, who has a very specific style when it comes to dialogue
What do you like about it?
It's totally personal preference, don't think I could come up with a good argument for it. But I feel like the narrator is sort of paraphrasing what the characters are saying, which is a particular form of narration that feels very informal and sort of like someone telling you about something they heard.
Love the channel btw!
Ugh the no quotation marks one. I had to read ‘no country for old men’ and it did this. Hated it.
I didn't know No Country for Old Men did that too. WHYYYY i hate it.
Finegan's smirk irked Fabio and Falstaff, but Fredegar could do nothing more than blink in return.
Smooth.
Pratchett does use chapters, but only in the books where they serve a specific narrative purpose, like the Moist Von Lipwig books. He also uses them in all of his YA and childrens books.
I agree with your first two... as well as different size book editions. I also hate when characters act against their own personal motivations (unless legit reasons are given); deux ex machina fixes (usually this involves introducing a magical game changer); using magic inconsistently (like introducing teleportation spell, but characters neglect using said spell when it would easily fix problems for them)
See those last two I hate too, but I don't feel like their petty. They are too world-breaking - the story can't be good with them almost ever
@@Bookborn if we're talking just being petty... Authors not embracing the glory of the Oxford Comma!
@@Briaaanz ooooh-YAASSSSSS!
A missing oxford comma actually bothers the heck outta me, more times than not!!!!!
Omg, yesss! I have no clue what "he blinked" is supposed to convey, so sometimes I end up just staring at the page for awhile trying to figure it out
I hate it so much lol
LOL to the snacks. My 5 year old and 3 year old would have been literally climbing on me and screaming/crying for a snack.
There is *literally* no other possibility.
Sanderson used snort a ton in a couple of books.. Stood out every time he did it.
I haven't noticed that in Sanderson's books, I thought his famous one was the "raised an eyebrow" it's used sooo much
When you referred to words that grate on other TH-camrs for some reason the word "undulate" came to mind 🤣
Sounds like we need to pool together some money for a Cameo purchase.
YES! 🤣🤣🤣
I hate it when a character that suppose to be around is forgotten. One major one for me is in dresden files. A character with major connection to the main character is around but was not mentioned at all aside for i think 2 scenes.
I see it less now, but this was everywhere a while ago: "[character] heard someone scream and then they realised that they were the one screaming." I hate this even more than "[character] let go of the breath that they didn't know they were holding."
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who noticed Jim Butcher's heavy use of blinking! I've been listening through Dresden Files this year and it seems like characters are blinking at each other every few pages!
Using ' in fantasy names without understanding how it works. It represents a glottal stop and should only be surrounded by vowels so that it can be pronounced. (See Hawaiian names) It is a fun sound but not used well.
using ' in names almost made this list lol but it doens't bug me quite as much as the others. But, I honestly feel like authors do it JUST to feel more "fantasy" instead of any understanding of WHY, like you said.
Can't glottal stops sometimes be utilized _instead_ of a full vowel, like between consonants, too? 🤔🤔
But it's true-I've definitely seen names using ' pretty much just for looks. Elaborate spellings, sometimes, too! 👀
I'm totally with you on the blinking thing and no quotation marks !! surely that's just bad writing. Like not starting sentences with a Capital, not using commas, full stops etc. It's not artsy, its lazy bad writing. Thanks for this thought provoking video. My pet hate is overly describing characters clothing. Its one thing I really hated in the WOT.
Ok but WoT was like SO BAD for that clothing thing LMAO like it's famous, I'm not sure I've ever read a series that's as bad as that (that being said, I don't imagine a lot while reading so I can also leave most over-descriptions!)
The blinking one doesn't bother me, in most cases, from context, I usually take it to mean they closed their eyes for a second (either in thought, despair or whatever), as opposed to it being a standard reflex action blink, it's just a quicker way to convey that.
Off the top of my head I can't think of any petty things that annoy me, I'm sure there are some but they are the type of thing I probably only think about when they are right in front of me then promptly stop thinking about until it crops up again, then I forget about...
But I feel like"they closed their eyes in thought" is very different than a blink, idk LOL I said it was petty
@@Bookborn 🤣 (But that implies they didn't open them again[ terribly soon]? 😏) 😘😋😋
Now that you’ve read ASOIAF have you heard GRRM talk about the names of characters with similar names/start with the same letter? He speaks about how authors get told don’t call your characters with the same letter start, but he had more than 26 characters so couldn’t. Then he thought of the history of the UK and realised families all have the same names, so he jumped in on it as well. Tywin, Tyrion, Tytos. Then all the Robbs, all the Jons. It was to mimic the history of the UK. But he does talk about how you’re not meant to do it. It’s quite interesting
When authors name their characters with names from our world. Like, I just read a fantasy novel that has elves and dwarves and a guy named Luis and a girl named Maria. Like, come on
I don't mind this just because so many fantasy novels make me have to just sort of...ignore the names because they are so complicated 😂
I love this video, all super valid points. I personally hate the word “alighted” can we just say “landed”. I notice it literally every single time the word is used.
Thanks Tyra, now I'm always going to notice the word alighted in a negative way
Okay, but "landed" feels more like running to ground, or jumping and landing solidly on two feet from a certain height, while "alighted" feels more like coming down or up on wings(or like something lightweight just getting blown onto something by a gently breeze). "Landed" is rough, and heavy(unless you included qualifiers, like 'softly', or such)-"alighted" is softer, and more eloquent/beautiful. 😋 🤣 ((But that's probably just my own breed of petty, right there; So, ignore me.😁))
I understand the annoyance at the overuse of blinking but I think it get the purpose. A bit like the eyes widening slightly, instinctive blinking is a way we often silently acknowledge information that figuratively knocks us of balance. Like with "smirking", I really wish writers would find more ways of expressing this feeling.
I have a couple of petty ones. One is the "audible gasp". I could count on one hand the amount of times I've gasped loud enough for other people to hear it, and they've all been intensely scary or panic-inducing situations. People in novels sometimes loudly gasp at revelations or surprise like we're in a cartoon!
Also, people often just don't check their reflections like normal people. It's hard to explain but it feels off, like a narrator commenting on their appearance the way a human wouldn't about themselves.
The mirror reflection to describe a characters is like writing 101, it's the worst when authors do that
That's the thing, though-fiction can tell of the exceptions, not just what is typically so? 😅😅😁
But, at the same time, I get where you're coming from-sometimes I think kinda similarly, when reading those things, too.🤭🤭🤭
Tough to explain but I saw this a bunch in The Name of the Wind. Everything Kvothe came across, money or mundane objects, later became crucial plot points and exactly what he needed.
ahhh like overuse of Chekhov's gun?
Mine is "NOSTRILS FLARED"...LIKE who cares and who notices
My first thought was when they create their own curse words. “Hells bells” in Dresden for example.
Lol! I just finished commenting about the same thing! (But different example)
Yeah, this FOR SURE is a super common one I hear about (although I'll admit Hells bells is funny and I like it LOL)
Hells bells? Oh boy... I guess I'm really old because I remember my parents saying that, a LOT. 😅
Hell's bells! is archaic rather than made-up. It was quite a common expression 100 years ago.
I don't even think the name thing is petty, constant blinking or smirking might be annoying but they don't make the book genuinely difficult to read like fourteen characters named some variant of Arya.
Well, I was watching this video and I was shocked by the first one to the point I blinked in surprise, but by the third I was enjoying myself so much that I couldn't stop smirking before I showed the video to my 3 young boys Tim, Tom and Tumultuous (Tum for short) and they all said 'all art must suffer flaws to reveal the true beauty of the craft' which you know, I thought was a bit much.
Let me slightly add/change to this. I was 300 pages into chapter 1 when I saw your video. I just blinked when I saw the title. I then clicked on it while smirking.... Then the rest of your comment. (I think the point of blinking was that it was NOT followed with "in surprise". Just blinking on its own.)
This comment took years off my life
If I had to pick a reading pet peeve of my own, it's when ebooks have pictures or weird formatting that don't render well on my reading app, so the map is all squished or the table of data spills over into itself or whatever.
I'm also bothered by people who use the wrong amount of attributions in dialogue. Too much and I'm like "you used said seven times in six sentences" (alternatively, why would you use ejaculated in this context); too little and I have to reread it three times to figure out who said the line at the top of the next page. This isn't a problem with authors really good at character voice but it can get annoying.
EJACULATED there's just never a good enough reason to use that word lol 😂
I think there needs to be more pontificating, retorting, and various other words that let us know the attitude in which something is being communicated. And yes, even sex scenes shouldn't use ejaculated...leave that word for the physiology texts.
I need a word between a laugh and a chuckle that isnt a smirk. Because i hate the word chuckle
I agree that chuckle can only be used in the exact right circumstance
A very minor one I've noticed is that authors are obsessed with using the phrase "audible click." I distinctly remember a scene in the Wheel of Time where a character even "shut their mouth with an audible click" - which, just...how? Why? If your mouth is making noticeable clicking noises when you shut it, you should probably call a doctor.
I always assumed the clicking noise was from teeth hitting each other because they shut it so hard but like you still aren’t wrong 😂
I feel like characters blinking is something I never noticed but now something I'm going to notice all the time and be as annoyed by it as you are! So thanks! lol.
Tbh the comments on this video are the worst like I've gained at least 10 new things that are going to annoy me 😂
I get annoyed when authors make it seem like characters have no choice in what they do or say. This happens a lot with romance. Like a guy startled a girl by kissing her and she is surprised to find she is kissing him back even though she didn’t like him. That kind of thing. Our bodies don’t just make decisions for us despite our preferences.
A good reason I don't like romance 😂
The thing is, they're typically implying that.. on a subconscious level ..she actually _WAS_ attracted to him, though. Despite the fact that she didn't consciously think[ or admit] that she did. (Which is still pretty annoying, though.)
But.....actually ... involuntary body movement can be a very real thing for some people, sometimes. Like, I know people who talk out loud without having any idea that they are doing so, because they legit believe they were just thinking it silently to themselves. Reflexive movement is also a thing, like if you're in a particular habit of responding to certain things in certain ways, or if you just have this thinking ingrained in you that certain things are just how certain other things should be responded to-you can absolutely respond that way, especially when caught off-guard, before your brain catches up and really thinks about what you actually like or want or not. People come in all different types, and what is either usual or unusual for some may be completely different for others, and it's really easy as subjective humans not to realize that sometimes. 😅😅 😊
Any reference to the song "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. Rand AL Thor - no thank you very much
I prefer no chapters. Chapters are arbitrary! *smirking as I type*
HOW DARE YOU KYLE I don't care if they are arbitrary they let me sleep at night with a stopping point lolll
will undulate undulate its way on to this list?
When you mentioned multiple characters with the same beginning letters, my mind went immediately to the Silmarillion. Then you held it up and I've been laughing for a few minutes now 😂
For me it's the phrase "I can take care of myself" because most of the time, no they can't. The minute I see it, my eye starts twitching
lolll the "I can take care of myself" is totally the "Strong female character" phrase that's sooo overused.
One thing that I dislike about fantasy books is how Winter is ALWAYS a worse season that summer. I know that’s because most writers live in Western countries, but it still bothers me a little anyway. Winter is always viewed as the season of hardship, but where I live and in a lot of other places as well, the season of hardship is summer.
I feel like that is a result of a broader issue of so much fantasy pulling from northern/western countries (Europe, predominantly). If we had more fantasy inspired by India, the Amazon, the Middle East, Africa, etc. It would be less prevalent.
Right. I live in southern brazil and summer is the season I'm least inclined to like leave my apartment and do things hahaha
This funny, because I started writing a fantasy book when I was younger in which the temperamental personification of Summer was the bad-guy. (I wish I had ever finished writing it.) 🤣🤣
Or it's more of a modern problem; winter was the season of rest and feasts/holidays even in the west. Summer vacation wasn't a thing three hundred years ago.
Interesting point! You're reasoning is totally correct, but that's certainly something to consider...🤔
Fun list!
Add: “Her smile did not reach her eyes.” Find a mirror and attempt this. Prepare to look like a serial killer, if you manage it at all.
I see this in every other book these days. It’s ok to say a version of, “He forced a smile that convinced no one.”(More like a smirk)
I dislike dream sequences, especially when the chapter starts off with one. Most of the time I do not realize it is a dream until the last lines of the chapter! I think Eye of the World did this. Recently for me, one of the First Law books did it with Glotka! Every time this happens I just groan, oh it is a trick just a dream.
Pratchett... yes, yes, yes!!! I totally agree!
I really didn't need new things to notice. :) Kelsier smirked. ;)
I'm not mad at EVERY smirk...Kelsier is def a smirker I'm ok with it...but when characters do it every time it's just 😭
I heard Sally Rooney doesn't use quotation marks in her books. I don't really understand this trend because the point of punctuation is for clarity and not having quotations would confuse readers used to seeing quotations for dialogue.
I’d agree, this seems like a big deal. I wouldn’t read a book without an effort at proper punctuation.
YES I knew I'd heard someone popular doesn't use them. Just WHY. WHYYYY
No, give me quotation marks.. I NEED them.. I also need chapter notations! And the names all being so similar always boggles my brain!
OMG YES ON THE KIDS! There are so many times I'm like " there is NO way this kid is acting like this, my small kids would NEVER" lol If I didn't feed my 5 and 9 year old like hourly I would DIE from how much they whine at me that they are STARVING to death lol But I think my biggest is this one, like KNOW HOW KIDS WORK!
Children are usually portrayed more accurately in film, since that is a visual medium and child actors are more likely to act age-appropriate without even trying to.
The new Obi Wan show would like to talk to you (lol jokes aside, I do think you're right!)
This isn't only in fantasy novels but I absolutely HATE IT when authors use lines like "she shivered, but not from the cold" (or something similar). It's even in the first line of a Frozen song! We know the character is shivering from their thoughts/revelations/the situation and not from the temperature. We aren't idiots 🙄
Maybe this is because "supper" and "dinner" are used slightly differently depending on culture, but it still sounds funny when authors call it "the evening meal" 😄
1. When characters ask each other a bunch of questions and no one knows what is going on for a long time. 2. When characters argue with each other about some other character they all know and they all claim to know more about the other character's personality quirks. 3. When the characters get all the attention in the story and the world is overlooked. 5. When the plot is driven by inexplicable evil and revenge. 6. When the magic system is mostly just plot armor. 7. When creatures in the story sound like they are dumber than the people. 8. When dragons are treated like they are automatically evil and solitary. 9. When the word nonplussed is used when it really is not the right scenario. 10. When the villain is ridiculously overpowered at the beginning of the story but makes a dumb mistake and then seems off balance the rest of the story and is ultimately defeated because of the dumb mistake at the beginning. 11. When the main character only gets the use of their powers at the power level required to win when they are at the crisis of the story. 12. When the characters know each other so well they have nothing but inside jokes and backhanded comments to make about each other. 13. When characters are introduced during a crisis in the story just to save the main character. 14. When the main character blacks out during a confrontation with a villain and wakes up later in good health and is able to escape. 15. When one of the characters knows something super specific about a creature in the story that makes it easy to defeat or avoid it. 16. When the Macguffin in the story is acquired after lots of struggle but turns out to not be enough to stop the villain and the main character just wings it at the end and wins somehow. 17. When prophecies are given in the story just to make it seem like there is an unavoidable event coming just to avoid that event and make the point that the future is unsure or unwritten. 18. When strange humanoid creatures as main characters insult each other based on their different physical characteristics or cultural beliefs or societal traits just to make it seem like they have a real history together. 19. When a love interest slaps the main character and argues at the beginning of the scene but at the end of the scene they act like they are in love and nothing bad just happened. 20. When there is an omen or curse that is mentioned for going into the scary woods but it never happens because the main character finds a clue after going into the woods.
Cartographer was a really good book, that part about the kid I remember the scene, just never connected with the feeding.
As a mom of two, I completely agree with you about the kid thing! Drives me nuts! How did your character manage to sleep for 10 hours and then have a life when she’s got a toddler? Like, how?? My youngest is 11 and still needs me every 15 mins! And I HATE no quotes, hate hate hate. I believe a current example would be Sally Rooney. As for me, I get so annoyed when an author keeps using a certain phrase over and over. The one that made me tear my out was all the sandwiches in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books. I swear, on every page, someone was making a sandwich. Open faced, hot, cold ham, every kind of sandwich. I ranted about it so much my husband still calls those the Sandwich Books!
I'm DYING over the sandwiches 😂 I haven't read that series but that is the weirdest quirk lolll
@@Bookborn it is an interesting series
@@Bookborn Maybe the author was just really, really hungry.
Blood Meridian was my first read that had no quotation marks. It was first surprising, then interesting, then mildly annoying, and really its a shame I was wasting so many emotions on formatting. That book has just become vibes without punctuation in my memory. Interestingly, I didn't notice Pratchett avoided chapters until it was pointed out to me a few years back. I guess it goes to show that some things stick out more for some people than for others!
My pet hate in fantasy novels is actually the names thing you mentioned. I'm not going to pretend otherwise and that Tolkien example in your video is 👌
I feel personally attacked.
I love characters smirking[-but it probably does get overused]. 🤣🤣🤣
(Also, I was unaware that not everyone actually utilizes intentional[ or even unintentional] blinking to convey unspoken attitudes or moods, irl.)
I imagine in blinking cases like that last you read it was to indicate that someone is either totally unresponsive or essentially just frozen in place though, but not literally, so at very least [involuntarily ]blinking is still occurring...and enough time is passing that a blink has happened. But maybe I'm wrong.. ? 🤔🤷♀️🤷♀️😁 🤣🤣🤣🤣
_P. S. - I love this video^-^ 🤭🤍💜_
((Somehow, the PETTINESS delights me!!^-^))
Like all your defenses for blinking make absolute sense but for some reason calling out the blinking just annoys me SO MUCH. 😂
@@Bookborn 😹 That's fair-I'm sure I have a few things like that myself, I just tend to blank on them until I actually see them. I should start taking notes, honestly.🤭🤭^-^😊
I'm currently reading "Spinning Silver" and the child in there was written SO WELL!! I was quite impressed.
My petty complaint is when an editor misses something with grammar/structure. Like an arbitrary change of tense in the middle of a paragraph or the like. If it's not prevalent through the whole work, it shouldn't bother me as much as it does...
Spinning Silver is just a fantastic novel all around, I loved it so much.
I'm reading a Hugo winner currently - so you know, it's probably been edited professionally a lot - and in the first chapter it said "sad" instead of "said". How did we miss this??
"She crossed her arms beneath her breasts." I put this in my own manuscripts as a joke sometimes.
Well, okay-but, to be fair ... there actually are women who cross their arms under, and women who cross their arms over/across.
(But if you're reading it in an overly sexualized way, or if you're imagining it beneath the breasts like one might pull your arms out of your sleeves underneath your shirt, I can see how that might be weird. Lol)
@@jaginaiaelectrizs6341 (Just assuming that you know I'm talking about Robert Jordan here...moving on) The funny thing is that no woman in those books ever just crosses her arms. That's what's funny about it. After reading it about fifty times I started to wonder if he meant something specific by it, different from say "she laid her arms across her chest," but I don't think he does. I think it's just a tic. Any action or phrase that gets repeated often enough is going to stand out to the reader.
Yeah it's like one of those very unnecessary details. Like men don't cross their arms "beneath their pecs" lmao
@@JoelAdamson ((I actually didn't know😅🤣)) But That's true! Crutch words/phrases definitely stand out, sooner or later. It may well have been just a personal tic.
(I know that I for one would definitely mean something other than just someone folding/crossing their arms if I ever worded something like "laid her arms across her chest" when I was writing though-in that case, I'd probably mean she just lightly or sensually draping over or around her own torso, or something; all depending on the context of the scene.[ If that's worth anything.] Lol)
@@Bookborn True! 🤭🤭
In the same spirit as smirking and blinking, grinning and shrugging can also be a lazy writing crutch.
I hate it when the character names are all so similar. It makes my reading time so much longer because I have stop and try to figure out who the author is talking about.
I've never heard a good use of the word "sneer".
I had this recently when I was reading Fireborne but I see it a lot in the few YA & middle grade books I read - I really hate random blushing in books. Like "His hand brushed against my arm and I felt my face flush". There's just so much blushing like I know you're teenagers but your face must just be constantly red.
When they suddenly make a new book in a series in different style, like why would you do that? Do publishers really think that we'll be like " yeah, that book 4 of a series really looks great not matching the other ones". An then they release all previous books in matching format, I'm fine with changing the cover arts but it's only acceptable once ALL of the books have the same art style.
The truth is they just don't care 😭
@@Bookborn Probably, they got the impression like the old cover wasn't helping sales, and those new covers might boost them. But I still hate it.
Really fun video! I will play devils advocate for a second and say there’s probably a good reason lots of high fantasy authors have names that start with the same letter and I think it’s because they try to keep names sounding like they are all passed down from a different foreign language, so in Mandarin you might see a bunch people with the name Chan or Chun or Chin. But yeah, I can see why it would be a petty annoyance.
If I had a petty grievance, it would probably be when two characters are starting to feel some kind of romance and then all of the sudden we cut to them waking up in bed together. Like what the heck, I’m not a prude or anything but sex is like the peak of where the relationship should go, not where it starts! It relieves way too much of the tension for my tastes way too fast. And this is in HUNDREDS of books/movies I’ve seen, to the point where I just roll my eyes every time I see it. Also it bugs me why we always need a romance to begin with. I’m always happy when I see boys and girls just being loyal friends where they’re not trying to seduce each other.
ok I'm so with you on romance which is why I hate most romance in fantasy lol like give us some build up!
I agree completely about the early sex scenes. As a matter of fact, I only briefly skim over sex scenes, anyway because I'm just not interested in that aspect of the story (my own imagination is far better lol!) unless it's specifically related to something important to know about a character. Such as, they're overly aggressive, have self-esteem issues, think they're a great lover when they aren't, etc..
Agreed. Just...yuck.
One of the worst similar name offenders is George R. R. Martin. Have you seen the Targaryen family tree? It's Aegon, Daeron, Aenys, Aerys, Jaehaerys, ARRRRG!!!!!
it's like I get it, they are related, but throw me a reading bone here 😂😭
This theme is something I love. It shows family lineage. This theme is important in the farm boy to hero story The Belgariad series by David Weddings, as the reader follows the main protagonist through his transition and understanding of who he is.
It took me a week to find something but I found a petty thing that makes me DNF a book real quick.
Whenever a setting is vaguely Victorian, Edwardian or Regency and a woman complains about her corset being too tight. That she can't breath with it. That she couldn't move. That's not how corsets worked. They were comfy. As confy as a bra, at least.
The overuse and misuse of "sniff". E.G. "He sniffed as he chuckled...". When you start noticing it, it it is all over the place. I think it is often used to convey agreement, annoyance, or a sarcastic emotive response to something someone has said. But in real life that is all more of a soft blowing out of the nose (granted is there even a word for this?). Closer to a nasal hu-rumph? Not a sniff! I can't take it and it's petty.
Oh no. I can tell this is one that's going to start annoying me now.
I think maybe it's because there isn't really a singular word for, like, the reverse of a sniff? Where it's a quick outward puff, instead of an inward one? 👀 (Like, because huff usually implies irritation not agreement, and usually comes out the mouth not the nose?)
But, I mean, I dunno-maybe there are some people out there who legit breathe inward through their nose while or shortly before doing things like chuckling?? I have no idea-but I feel like I'm going to start noticing it now, too. 🤣
Awesome video.
I recently read The Color of Magic and yeah Pratchett can’t bother to use chapters. Idk if I’ll continue with Discworld for that reason alone. You wanna talk about being petty Hillary lol
omg nooooo but it's worth getting over it because he's a genius. At least give Guards or Good Omens a try!
I checked out the digital version of "The Forest of Vanishing Stars" because listening to the audio, I thought I was hearing way too many references to blinking, so I did a search of "blink" and there were about fifty. Usually, "She blinked a few times" or something like "He blinked at her." I then did a search of the novel I'm writing and removed all but one reference, when she blinks repeatedly to adjust her eyes to light after being in the dark a long time. Nothing important has been lost.
I try not to start character names with the same letter, at least not more than two per letter. With Tolkien, there is a good reason he did it with the names: he based Middle Earth in part off Norse epics and sagas, in which lots of characters have identical or similar-sounding names. Don't get me started on all the names in "Heimskringla" that start with "Thor" (hint: it's over 30) and how many different characters have the same name. And that's just one saga set!
I limit the scenes with children, and when they appear, they behave like children: arguing over petty things, whining to their parents, disobeying, asking inappropriate questions, etc.
What annoys the crap out of me in any book? The dreaded biting of the labials. The rare occasion I actually see this is real life, it's really disturbing and I have to look away, and I hate reading about it in books. Especially since it has been used to convey every conceivable emotion (i.e. anger, fear, nervousness, happiness, uncertainty, frustration, thoughtfulness, pleading), so it's become meaningless, since it could mean anything. One book had so much chomping of lips that I DNF'd it for that reason.