The Ultimate Bane of This Reader's Existence #MFRWauthor #BlogChallenge



Welcome back to another installment of the MFRW 52-Week Blog Challenge.

This week, Week 22, we are asked to describe our BIGGEST Pet Peeve in (any) Book.

This is a tough one.

And, I suppose most people would expect me to include a Warning or Disclaimer or even some sort of Writer's Apologetics for the things I'm about to say... about a profession I happen to 'profess' to be a part of (or claim to take at least a minor part in anyway).

But, I'm not going to do that, so if you do happen to be of the frequent Butt Hurt variety, I suggest you go away now and save yourself from yet another reason to take offense.

This (rant) should be about just ONE pet peeve, which is why I call it a tough one.

I mainly read Romance, folks, so is it FAIR to limit me to just one complaint?

How about I list them anyway but only expound on the real doozie of a pet peeve?

8. GPS issues -- that's Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling issues for those of you who haven't read any of my previous blog posts.

7.  Formulaic Writing -- and I don't mean Harlequin Romance, although they are pretty famous for just such an offense.

I'll be creating a separate blog about this one.

6.  First Person Narrative -- which reads more like diary entries than an actual story with depth, vision, and a point.

I've tried way, too hard to like this writing style and always fail, but I know it isn't the author's fault nor mine.

5.  Redundancy -- repeating the same word(s), phrase(s) within the same sentences, paragraphs again and again and again and again and again and again and again and...

I've begun to suspect that some author's do this in order to meet Word Count quotas, which is just rude and shows a total disregard for the reader.

4.  The Look Inside Deception -- It is so polished and engaging that you are encouraged to buy the book to find out more ONLY to discover the author then threw in the towel and left the reader with a shoddy bit of nothing for the remaining Chapters.

Just know that I will be pointing this out in my review.

3.  Copycat Syndrome -- Believe it or not, some authors are daring enough to practically plagiarizer an old Romance novel, being sure to update things AND expect us readers to not notice.

I include 'blurbs' that tout their novel as being just like someone else's work: If You Liked (book title) Then You're Going to Love My Book!

Really?

And Fairy Tale twists/spins.

No... just... ugh, NO.

But, thank you if you did let us know that you haven't bothered to try writing something original so I don't have to buy your 'work'.

If you are admittedly non-creative and cannot write something original, I have to wonder why you thought it was a good idea to write anything at all.

2.  Award-Winning and/or NYT Best-Seller -- which, 9 1/2 times out of 10 turns out NOT to be the case as I start to read their 'award-winning' work.

Probably the most DECEPTIVE reasoning in our profession.

And, if you want to label this one sour grapes or jealousy, be my guest.

I know it isn't true and am perfectly confident about this complaint.

I refuse to lower my 'greatness' standards in order to justify their deserving to be on said lists when it is beyond obvious they DO NOT.

No one can expect me to read lackluster, formulaic, already-been-written, redundant, and grammatically woeful work yet agree with the NYT or any other Award Giver that the novel deserves such high praise, much less any awards.


This is getting to be a bit much, but I think I've hit my initial target anyway, and here it comes.


MY VERY WORST NOVEL PET PEEVE



1.  Political Correctness


I know.

Shame on me.

I must have voted for Trump, right?

I don't suppose the day will ever come when this childish, ultra-enabling fad goes out of style, but it will never become a thing with this reader (or as a writer).

And as a member of the MINORITY in this regard, I do not give a flying fuu-fuu who I offend, upset, or insult in the PC Banner Waving set.

Believe it or not, I am offended by some things as well, but I do not attend support meetings, go off on a SJW tangent, and I most definitely do not presume to believe that everyone agrees with me.

I take offense at reading graphic sexual situations that are NOT labeled Erotica.

I take offense at having to read vulgar language to include the fuu-fuu word in nearly every paragraph of every Contemporary (and sometimes even in a Regency) novel that I have unfortunately purchased, yet a lot of authors seem to think it is just a word.

I am offended by an author's decision (or maybe it's the editor, but ultimately, it is up to the author to decide) to insert their own opinions or their own religious beliefs (without stating it is a Christian-themed novel).

I become downright livid when an author constantly injects disclaimers, or worse, she has the characters do it for her.

Condoms, Cigarettes, Drinking/Driving, Bike Helmets, Sexual Innuendo, or anything deemed Sexist by today's jaded and forced standards.

The lost art of flirting is forever lost because of Sexist beliefs.

Women tend to take offense at just about everything remotely resembling Sex Anything, yet we are reading Romance novels with graphic sex in them, and our heroines wear barely-there articles of clothing, and they mind-fuu the H without batting a lash.

The H, on the other hand, is constantly back-tracking, apologizing, and chastising himself as he ogles the h, admires her assets, or feels a little something tingly down there upon first sight.

He apologizes... to US, the reader... because, heaven help the author if she OFFENDS anyone.

And from a purely READER perspective, this is the equivalent of playing STOP/GO on the playground.

You're reading, enjoying... BAM! PC disclaimer.

(takes a drink)

Reads on but proceeds with caution, starts to enjoy again, then PC TIME!

Now the nerves are jangled, the heart rate has increased, and the tension mounts with each swipe of the thumb.

Do you really want your reader to struggle to engage in your work, or maybe just die from anxiety overload?

So, SJW/Feminist-Minded writing is my #1 Pet Peeve when reading any novel.

And if you managed to stay with me to the end, I thank you and appreciate your support.

Please click the Linky List below to read more from folks who have a particular Pet Peeve when it comes to Books!





Comments

  1. I too hate the PC movement in fiction. As a business decision alone, it's flat out stupid to offend half the possible readers in the world. And if the author is trying to persuade along a political point of view, the word for what she's offering is "propaganda". Also, while I love reading books by minority authors because I like seeing the world through other people's eyes, I think much of the current "diversity" movement has the potential to lead us to a new kind of censorship instead of greater understanding.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have an interesting, even unique take on this week's prompt!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hear you about the whole PC issue. In my first book, my hero opens doors for the heroine and pulls out her chair for her, etc. I felt I had to insert a comment from him about how he couldn't help himself because he'd been raised to be a Southern gentleman. And, it ticked me off that I felt that way, but I could see readers screaming simply because he'd been polite to her - after all, feminists will holler that she could do those things for herself. It's sad that we've been browbeaten into thinking that a nicety has to be explained.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I too have a growing dislike of anything PC. I had a short fiction story rejected by a group of local authors because *gasp* it was deemed 'too dark and disturbing', and threw beta readers into PSTD flashbacks. Have they never read Stephen King? They pulled my story because one of the main characters had PTSD stemming from a childhood trauma. I didn't know I'd written a story that one could only read in their 'safe' zone, and with their safety blankies. I think as a society we're so afraid of 'offending' anyone, we've forgotten what freedom of speech is all about. I see this on social media all the time. Heaven help me if my beliefs don't match yours.....but belittling someone for not seeing everything a certain way isn't the way to handle an argument. People have forgotten it's okay to disagree w/o throwing stones all around.

    Kenzie Michaels

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Thought Bubble Never Pops #MFRWauthor

Do You Keep a Journal or Diary? #MFRWauthor #bloghop

Unforgettable, is What I Saw #MFRWAuthor #BlogHop