Some More Bookish Pet Peeves || Writing, Tropes and Characters

 Hello friends!

In the past, I've made a post about my bookish pet peeves, which was very fun and I thought that it is pretty inclusive. The more I thought about it, however, I realized that this particular post talks only about my pet peeves that have to do with the book as an object and its physical state and... well-being... If you haven't already seen this post and want to get an idea, you can check it out here. But I have not talked about the pet peeves that I have that have to do with the plot, story, tropes, structure, and generally the contents of a book. So, here's a separate post about this... 

1. The insta-love trope: It's probably the most unrealistic and annoying plot that's also so overused in fiction. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all about suddenly falling in love, the infatuation you may feel with a specific person, the intense stares, the unexplainable feeling that this might be the one, etc... It is a strong, unique, and unbelievable feeling and it is also part of the beauty of falling in love. But this situation is far from what we have come to see portrayed so often, which is that, all of a sudden, after 3 whole days of knowing each other, the characters are ready to die for each other, because they cannot possibly imagine their lives apart! Not only is it unrealistic and not believable at all, but it's also a trope that inherently lacks depth, since we don't get to see the characters get to know each other, interact, and bond before they actually become a couple/fall in love. However much you try to convince me afterward that they actually have a deep emotional connection, I'm going to find it impossible to believe. It doesn't help with the character development and general arch of the story; it usually makes the pacing strangely quick at the beginning and slower closer to the ending, and it usually doesn't give as much satisfaction to the reader - at least in my experience. There could be, of course, exceptions to that, like if there is a magical element to the story, an element of time travel or mind-reading, or maybe even a life-threatening situation and the characters could die at any moment so this pressure makes them feel more intensely and more quickly. These exceptions however are not common and even when they occur, they should be executed well.
2. Poor editing: I used to think that editing wasn't such a big deal in a book, but I have come to really appreciate it as years go by and especially the more I get into writing myself. A good editor can save your work as much as a poor editor can destroy even the best of stories. 
3. Cliche or repeated and overused phrases: I'm sure that even reading this has made you think of at least one overused phrase that you've stumbled upon multiple times. It's not my worst pet peeve, I do, however, feel annoyed by this occasionally and it's something that I think can very easily be fixed.
4. When there is no synopsis on the cover, only reviews and comments about the book: While it may be interesting to see what people thought of a book, the purpose of anything being written on the cover of a book is to give you a clue what the story is about. Most readers want to know what they are buying and getting into and those comments may shadow the atmosphere or type of the story, but don't say much more than that. No, I prefer my synopsis there on the back, classic and helpful.
5. When the magical solution suddenly appears out of nowhere right at the moment of greatest need in the story even when the said solution has never been mentioned before. I think this one is self-explanatory. It's usually a sign of poor, sloppy, or lazy writing and it's rarely good. It feels convenient and often anti-climactic as well, as it makes you feel like "a wizard saved the day" instead of the hero.
6. Plot-armor: When particular character/characters - usually the main characters or the hero - are steadily untouched by any danger! They fight in battles, they come face to face with murderers and they run from the mafia day in and day out, yet they always come out of the mess with nothing but a scratch. This becomes even worse when every other character suffers from the consequences of their actions or the general situations in the story, yet this/these specific character(s) are still untouchable! It feels easy, sloppy, and cheap! Every character should have to deal with the consequences of their actions/decisions and struggle according to the situations their in.
7. Over-powered heroes and/or underwhelming villains: I don't need to say more about this. Few things kill the dynamic between a hero and a villain more than these two things. A good dynamic between the hero and the villain can bring all the conflict and intensity to the story and create compelling story/character arcs!
8. Resurrections: It's not my worst pet peeve and there might be a couple of occasions where I might enjoy a nice resurrection, but most of the time I hate it. It is usually a sign of lazy writing, or of having written yourself into a corner and trying desperately to undo it. I do believe that 98% of the time when a character dies they should remain dead unless their coming back not only makes absolute sense but also has a stronger impact than their death had. Character deaths are among the strongest and most impactful things that can happen in a story and they should be utilized correctly and not as an easy and cheap mechanism for shock factor or to make readers cry. So, as long as the death is written correctly and has the impact it's supposed to, the resurrection is most probably going to kill the moments that preceded it.

I have to say, I expected this post to be rather short, but then I got carried away and it ended up longer than I expected. Nevertheless, I'm really glad I've been able to finally have laid down here all of my thoughts and I hope you liked this post as much as I did. As always, feel free to share your thoughts with me down in the comments...

Until the next time...

Thank you for reading!