After years of voracious reading, I have developed some pet peeves. You know the sort of thing. Just how is it that the hero can slay a hundred villains but never receive a single injury? Is the villain too stupid to hire good help? Or is poor marksmanship a requirement for true villainy?
Of course, I never do any of the following in my own writing!
Stupidity as a Plot Device
The hero knows his enemy is out there. Does he:
A. Run away.
B. Call the police or yell for help.
C. Move closer to get a better look?
Coincidence Saves the Day
Our hero has been lugging around a sword he pulled from the skeletal hand of a long dead king.
Does he:
A. Go to the nearest antique dealer to see what he can get for the thing. (That’s what I’d do. Wouldn’t you?)
B. Research its mysterious powers so he knows how to wield it. (That’d be a close second.)
C. Remain clueless until the last few pages when he is shocked to discover that he holds the only weapon able to destroy the ancient evil.
Miscommunication as a Plot Device
Our heroine has a secret in her past she is afraid to divulge for fear that the hero will never speak to her again. What happens?
A. The heroine sits down and talks it over with the hero like a rationale human being.
B. The hero discovers it anyway and now he’s angry at her for lying.
C. The author uses this as a weak ploy to keep the lovers apart until the final chapter of the novel. (I tricked you. The answer is B and C.)
Saved by, well everybody
Through the course of the novel our hero is saved time and again by:
A. His natural strength and brilliance. (We wish!)
B. Friends, wise mentors, and dumb luck.
C. The allied forces he called on for help but the author leads you to believe will not arrive in time.
D. Mysterious powers or persons the reader never knew existed until that moment but conveniently appear to save the day.
Of All the Rotten Luck
The hero goes on an excruciatingly long journey and bad things keep happening that prevent him from reaching his desired destination. Are these obstacles:
A. Foreshadowed in the book?
B. Absolutely essential to the plot?
C. Believably orchestrated by the villain so his maniacal goals can be accomplished?
D. Cheap ploys to string the plot along until the real conflict happens. (Just how many times can the bridge be out, or the horse go lame, or a bog monster attack for no good reason?)
Well, Duh!
The reader figures out the great mystery of the novel in the very first chapter. Does the hero:
A. Realize he’s the missing heir to the throne? (I’d daydream about being the lost prince or princess even if I did know who my parents were. Especially if I knew who my parents were!)
B. Catch on that he’s a wizard, half-God, or the Chosen One destined to save the world?
C. Miss every clue leaving the reader wondering about his intelligence?
Okay, these are some of my pet peeves. What are yours?
*Love* this list! Miscommunication as a plot device (great lable) is definitely my highest, though.
One thing I love along these lines is the idea of novel “Magna Cartas” where one lists favorite things and wettest blankets.
Then you picky swear never to use anything in the latter list. Or not. The point is to be aware that we seem to be programmed (by the eat-your-vegetable voices) that stuff we don’t like is somehow better for us. So it’s great to get it all into the open and make conscious decisions.
Another fun thing is the Fantasy-Writers’-Exam? (that link is to my answers– I used it as a device to show my novel’s uniqueness. Anyway, I enjoyed it. I’m sure there’s quizes like this for every genre, and probably a useful way to double-check your work.
I love your Magna Carta. You ‘ve taken this much further than I have. I’d just been reading a book that broke several of the above pet peeves hence the post.
I hadn’t gone to the next step of formalizing it as a contract with myself — or my critique group. I’m going to save your link.
I particularly liked you “courtesy among enemies” as a plus in a novel. You’re right I do like it, perhaps because it’s seldom seen. Too often, the antagonist is all bad. I also agree with your negative smart characters acting clueless. That’s a real big turn off.
Stefanie
In response to the “programmed (by the eat-your-vegetable voices)”
I LIKE vegetables! : )
Ah, but Maria, this is part of what I’m talking about: perceptions change. We all know that and it inspires self-doubt. I eat veggies now too. The problem is that we can start to assume we’re wrong. Humility is good, but lack of confidence, or spending time with what we don’t love (or doesn’t love us back- Hi, gluten) will simply suck the life out of us.
We teach our children to be kind to everyone, but we don’t make them play with everyone. We’re allowed to have likes and dislikes. I think it’s part of what defines us as individuals.
(And, yeah, that ended up a rant. It wasn’t really aimed at you. I have this complex complex where I really wonder what people think of me, even as I don’t particularly let it change my behavior.)