Jumping On...

Okay, I'm getting on the bandwagon for putting up blogs about what you dislike/like in stories.

I'll do both because I think you can't do one without at least touching on the other.

I do want to put this out there before any of you read further. Even if a story has all, a few, or just one of these does not mean I will like or dislike a story.



I am by no means a grammar nazi or one that won't read a story based solely on grammar, but it is nice to see at least decent grammar. I don't mean perfect because there is no such thing. And grammar changes by country and by person.

The only thing I can not read is when people use chat speak all the time. If I see that, I usually press the back button. I don't mind it if it is used in say a chat-room or in a text. But that is different. That is using it for the story.



I love descriptions in a story. They are what make me see the story. Conversely, when there are paragraphs of description, I find it hard to read. I like descriptions that build over time, and ones that leave some of the story to be interpret by the reader. That is what I search for in a story.



While dialogue is a staple in most stories, I think sometimes it gets overused. Readers don't always need to be told by a character what is going on. Show us. Describe how that character moves, talks without words. If someone can do that, and do it well, that just gets me to read more. :)

I do read stories where there is a lot of dialogue and at times I can understand it, but at others, I find the story is lacking description.



Sorry, guys, but this is sort of a pet-peeve of mine. I want people to space out their paragraphs. I don't want a huge block of text. It hurts my eyes and it's so hard to read.

And I like it when people start another paragraph when someone different is talking.

But I will read big blocks of text if I find the story interesting. And I probably will say something to the author about the spacing, politely as possible. I don't really do impolite very well. XD



I'm putting this here because I have found many stories that are very, very formulaic. And I don't mean the basic plot where it's something like "boy meets girl. They fall in love. Something happens. They work through it. The end." I mean something like the Harlequin formula.

If you don't know what that is, I'll put a synopsis here.

Girl gets out of a relationship or moves.
She meets a boy.
Boy and girl get to know each other.
They start to like each other.
The girl and boy get together.
Boy has some bad past.
Something happens to break them apart, usually something from the boy's past.
Boy and girl stay separate until someone usually brings them together again.
Boy and girl get back together and live happily ever after.

That is sort of what I mean.

If someone breaks those sorts of formulas and twist things around, I love seeing it. And I love seeing stories that decide to create their own places, languages, creatures, etc.

So don't be afraid to use your imagination! ^_^



This is one of those things that I am unsure about. It is something that catches my eye, but it annoys me as well. One word or a definition of a word doesn't really give me much. It tells me very little about your story. I don't know if I want to try it or not.

But on the other hand, it intrigues me enough to see if there is a longer description inside. If there isn't, that is when I usually don't read it. So one word story descriptions in the short description is fine, if there is a longer description later.

That is my take on it.



I actually like this. It shows me what perspective it is in. It shows me a glimpse of the protagonist. It tells me a bit about the protagonist before actually reading. It also shows me what the author's writing is like.

The trouble is finding a good part to put in the description. If it's all dialogue - ramblings and not something pertaining to the story at all - then I find that a bit off putting. If it is mostly dialogue, but it pertains to the story like someone telling another they are special or they have an opportunity to see the place they always wanted to see. Those sorts of things are good.

But it needs to be carefully done. You don't want to give away too much by doing that.



This is more for fanfiction than anything else.

It is nice when people describe the canon characters. I don't mean in minute detail but enough to let someone read that does not know exactly how someone looks and get a decent picture how they look.

I think is slightly unfair to just assume your readers will know who you are talking about just by a name. I mean yes, in a fanfiction you would think only people that are fans will read it, but I assure you there are probably people out there that read it just because it sounds interesting. So it really is a disservice to those readers to just put in names and expect everyone to know how they look and who they are.

Now it helps to have a characters page, but not everyone checks those.



Personally, I love foreshadowing. I like seeing those clues and think about what could possibly happen. It's nice to put all the pieces together and then see the picture I just made. And then find out it was something different. That is what keeps me reading.

Now, foreshadowing can be overused. Or used improperly, giving away too much.



Let me just say, I don't really read romance and I mean straight romance with nothing else with it.

With that being said, I do like when there is a sprinkle of romance. Like the two I think should be a couple get together. That, I like.

I do like just friendship stories, but those are hard to come by.

What I don't really like is when two people that have just met, decide they are getting together. That bugs me. I like seeing a relationship build. Become slowly something more, if that is where it's going.

Conversely, I do like it where they are together already and then you see how it happened later on. But if they are together before the story, I like to see more than them happy together. Give me drama, suspense, show me they are human.

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I think that is it. I could probably find more, but nothing is coming to me at this moment in time. XD

I do not want any of you to think I won't read a story because it has one of the things I don't like. If asked, I will read just about anything. And if you want an honest opinion on it, I will give it to you.

I believe every story has potential and ever writer does as well. It's just finding what they like and what fits for them and the story. And remember this isn't attacking or bashing any one story. It is my opinion. It is what I do and don't like.

And I know a few of my stories fall into some of these "don't like" categories. So don't think I am exempt from these.