Things You Don't Like in Stories

When things are rushed.

"I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding." This line is quickly becoming its own cliche.

It's more so in the authors note, but when a writer degrades their work and talks about how stupid or silly it is. It throws me off and leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I read something like that or of that nature. I feel, if a writer REALLY thought of their work like that, why post it or why waste readers time? But I must have liked it if I've gotten that far at least since author notes are at the end. I personally don't like author notes to begin it or the design they have with stories on Mibba.

Stories with overprotective brothers where it gets to the point where they essentially become a douche about it for no reason. Half the time, it's out of character for said brother to be that over the top, and on top of that, the person the younger sister is dating (usually it's the younger sister) does nothing that would initially pose a threat to her.

The fact that EVERY single character has to have a middle name. Some people don't have middle names. Some people have two. Some people have seven. Point is, there's variety. Y'know?

When all the teenage characters have perfect skin for no reason. Really? A majority of teenagers I know (myself included) get occasional breakouts/zits, not to mention that there are quite a few with more severe acne, eczema, etc.

When a band plays at a venue where there are tens of thousands of people in the audience yet somehow the musician love interest zeroes in on the protagonist. (Then BOOM instant love at first sight.) Can we just. What. Even if they have 20/20 vision, it's pretty far fetched.

Self insertion.

Before you bite my head off, let me say it's just something I don't enjoy reading or writing. I don't condemn those who do write or read SI, nor do I aim to force my opinion on others. I just don't like the first-person point of view in general, so when I'm reading a story and I know the author, it's so strange to be reading about them. Like, say, Gerard Way reading a fanfiction about Bob Bryar. Weird to me.

When people write characters whose first language is not English, yet they speak perfect English and use English slang. I don't mean characters who have spoken it for a long time and can pass off as a native speaker. It happens a lot in hockey fics -- in real life, the players they're writing speak very broken, basic English, but speak fluently and flawlessly in fic. I know it can be hard writing dialogue like that, but it's an instant turn off for me because it's so unrealistic.

Foreshadowing that is made completely obvious (unless it's for red herring reasons but even then, I don't like it much) because I think it seems like the author has tried too hard to get you into a certain mindset and at that point, I just get really picky about everything literary-device-wise and it ruins the story. Effectively, it turns me from a reader back into a high-school English student and I hate that.

I hate that there are so many stories that glamorize alcoholism/drug abuse/binge drinking/the whole partying lifestyle, but I rarely come across any that realistically portray the aftermath or the darker side of those subjects.

I've had a lot of exposure to alcoholism and drug abuse in my life, and that exposure has mostly been towards the negative side of those subjects, so it kind of blows my mind that it's generally portrayed in stories as being this light-hearted, happy-go-lucky thing. I understand that a good deal of people can do drugs or drink recreationally and never have an issue with it, but not everyone is like that. I'd just like to see those topics portrayed in a more realistic fashion.

i saw sparks:

I hate that there are so many stories that glamorize alcoholism/drug abuse/binge drinking/the whole partying lifestyle, but I rarely come across any that realistically portray the aftermath or the darker side of those subjects.

I've had a lot of exposure to alcoholism and drug abuse in my life, and that exposure has mostly been towards the negative side of those subjects, so it kind of blows my mind that it's generally portrayed in stories as being this light-hearted, happy-go-lucky thing. I understand that a good deal of people can do drugs or drink recreationally and never have an issue with it, but not everyone is like that. I'd just like to see those topics portrayed in a more realistic fashion.

This. 100% this. I read stories about people who drink more than I've ever drank in my entire life and they turn up the next morning as fresh as a daisy. The likelihood is that you're going to be stuck in your bed all morning with a killer headache at the absolute least. And if you do that night after night, you're going to probably end up with a problem or addiction. I don't like that most stories seem to gloss over that fact and use alcohol / drugs to make the character seem 'hard-edge' or cool because in reality, those people are the ones that have issues or aren't cool. I just don't get it.

I have a certain issue with some female OC's in female NHL player stories. This is mostly because of the OC's physical appearance. I've come across characters who have petite, model-like bodies, and it’s a stretch to believe that whoever offered them a position in the NHL thought they could last a season, let alone a single game.
I say this as someone who grew up watching hockey; these girls I'm talking about would get massacred if they ever stepped foot onto the rink against 5 opposing professional male hockey players, even with four teammates to look after her (which would defeat the purpose of having her on the team if she can't support herself). Hell, very well-built male hockey players can get seriously pummelled and injured on ice.
Bottom line, If you’re going to create a character who has worked her way to the top to play with the boys, it should be conceivable that she could fit there and that she can take care of herself from a first glace. God forbid she isn’t drop dead gorgeous in the process.

house of cards.:

This. 100% this. I read stories about people who drink more than I've ever drank in my entire life and they turn up the next morning as fresh as a daisy. The likelihood is that you're going to be stuck in your bed all morning with a killer headache at the absolute least. And if you do that night after night, you're going to probably end up with a problem or addiction. I don't like that most stories seem to gloss over that fact and use alcohol / drugs to make the character seem 'hard-edge' or cool because in reality, those people are the ones that have issues or aren't cool. I just don't get it.

I totally agree. I guess people don't seem to get that what's cool in your late teens-early twenties isn't so cool once you pass a certain age. My brother's an alcoholic, he's 12 years older than me, and I can honestly say that I don't remember a time when I've seen him sober. There are so many times I've been terrified because I'd be in the car with him while he's driving and he'd be downing beer in the process. One of my closest friends also has an alcohol problem, and she's not incredibly bad-ass or anything (she's actually really churchy and sweet and all that stuff, probably the last person you'd expect to have a drinking problem), but she's only been drinking for two years and already knows that alcohol just isn't something she can have in her life right now.

It's something that can happen to anyone, and I rarely see that acknowledged in stories. All I've ever seen are the good times.

No descriptions. Of anything. I hate choppy dialogue with no descriptions or actions in between. An example:

"He said this."

"She said this."

"I really effing hate this."

With nothing to back it up like a description of the character's facial expression. Hate it, hate it, hate it. More often than not, while having a conversation, a person is most likely doing some kind of action while they're speaking, whether it's frowning or smiling or examining their nails. Even something as mundane as that, I like to read it because it doesn't make the dialogue seem so damn choppy.

robb stark;:

No descriptions. Of anything. I hate choppy dialogue with no descriptions or actions in between. An example:

"He said this."

"She said this."

"I really effing hate this."

With nothing to back it up like a description of the character's facial expression. Hate it, hate it, hate it. More often than not, while having a conversation, a person is most likely doing some kind of action while they're speaking, whether it's frowning or smiling or examining their nails. Even something as mundane as that, I like to read it because it doesn't make the dialogue seem so damn choppy.

This. I definitely understand where you're coming from with this. I can't stand whatsoever a story with no description. As soon as I see that there's an overall lack of detail, I just exit out of the window and try to find another story to read.

Another thing I dislike, I really hate when overall stories are short like less than 1000 words per chapter, unless it's specifically a Drabble.
I'm really not that particular when it comes to things in stories, but there are a few things that just grind my gears.

Matt Nicholls.:

Another thing I dislike, I really hate when overall stories are short like less than 1000 words per chapter, unless it's specifically a Drabble.
I'm really not that particular when it comes to things in stories, but there are a few things that just grind my gears.

I'm the same way. Unless the chapters are intended to be vignettes, when I settle down with a tory, especially if it's chaptered, I'd like it to read like an actual novel, and most novels are far more than 1,000 words per chapter.

There are times when I'm reading stories with shorter chapters that I feel like I have to read ten chapters in order for the plot to start getting somewhere, if that makes any sense. I can understand making the dividing point between chapters where you want certain plot points to occur, but I'd personally rather read a 20,000-word story divided up into four 5,000-word chapters than twenty 1,000-word chapters.

But hey, that's more personal preference than anything. I'm not knocking people who choose to write shorter chapters because hey, I rarely write anything chaptered at all

I can understand where you're coming from with this. For me, I just want something of importance to happen in the chapter. I feel like each chapter, whether its 5,000 words or 500 words long, should further the plot along. I've read great stories that have very short chapters but each one adds to the depth of the story, while some its like 500 words about how the character was sitting in class and then the author's note will say, the next chapter is when meet you'll so-and-so. Essentially they could've cut all of that extra wordy stuff and got right into the action.

@ saeglopur

I'm not saying that there can't be any substance in a story with shorter chapters if the author intentionally sets it up that way or that a story with longer chapters is automatically better than one with shorter chapters, but as a reader, I don't feel like I can be satiated by a short chapter I need something I can really sink my teeth into

I might have posted this in the older thread, but I can't stress this one enough;

When authors give away the action and what happens in each chapter in their chapter descriptions instead of letting the reader find out for themselves.