I have a lot opinions, especially when it comes to books. So I thought it would be fun to do series about my thoughts on books and writing.
Today, I wanted to talk about the things that I see in books that irk me and annoy me to no end. These are just few that I came up with.
Novels In Verse
I am not a big fan of the style that these kinds of books tend to have. It doesn’t seem like there’s as much depth to the world building or descriptions a lot times because the writing is so poetic.
White Knight Syndrome
White Knight Syndrome is when someone falls in love with their rescuer. This isn’t usually actually romantic feelings, so much as a trauma bond.
There are some rare instances where it’s done well, but generally it’s kind of creepy.
Serial Killers
Why must almost every book these days have a serial killer? It’s ridiculous!
People love true crime, so serial killers have become trendy. They have be popping up outside of the their normal genres such as horror, and are now making appearances in genres like Historical Fiction.
I don’t even know that there’s even a time where this trope done well. It’s just overdone and unnecessary.
Characters Not Listening To Their Significant Others
When your significant other, your partner tells you that someone has done something to them, don’t say, “That didn’t happen. So and so would never do that.”
Nine times out of ten, something really did happen. I mean the least you can do investigate. Usually they are telling the truth.
In some instances where they are lying and the author uses this as a plot device, but even then, take some initiative and look into it.
An Over Abundance Of Retellings
Retellings can be fantastic, but it seems like there is a massive influx of them, particularly in the YA market.
Because there is such a high volume of these kinds of books, they have begun to feel a little stale and predictable.
Now, there are some retellings that I’ve really enjoyed. But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
Other Authors Carrying On A Dead Author’s Books
Classics become classics for a reason: because they are beloved and the authors are considered experts in their genres.
But when a big-name author dies, often times their estates carry on their work by hiring new authors to new write books and using the original author’s name as branding.
The estates of Agatha Christie, Robert Ludlum, Ian Fleming and many others do this to generate more revenue.
Doing this detracts from the original authors work by crowding out their work in favor of these new books.
Plus, no one will ever be able to truly capture the style that the original author had.
Authors Who Don’t Write Their Own Books
(I’m looking at you, James Patterson.)
In that same vein, is authors who don’t write their own work. Instead they outsource it to ghostwriters and stick their names on it. Once again it’s making a person into a brand.
(This gets on my every last nerve if you can’t tell.)
It also discounts other authors who do write their own work. Because, one, they can’t put out books that fast, and two makes it harder for them to break into the market.
This why there’s been a lot concern about AI writing books, because it cheapens the art and creativity of writing in favor of prepackaged garbage written by a computer entity.
Writing To Trends
It’s pretty easy to spot a writer who writes what’s trendy instead of what they enjoy.
Writing to trends can boost your career, but it’s a dangerous game to play to for multiple reasons.
- It floods the market as I mentioned above.
- Trends come and go.
- It can brand the book and author as a trend follower.
Authors should write what they love instead of worrying about what’s popular.
Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my bookish pet peeves. I would love to hear yours. Email me at cassandra@cassandrastinger.com or tag me on Facebook or Instagram.
