My Fiction Icks

By Jay Grummel

When you read as much as I do you start to notice common things in fiction that make you annoyed, upset  or even want to put down the book completely. I have a bad habit of not giving books much of a chance when they use some of these personal ‘icks’. However, I do think it’s nice to get out of your comfort zone and read things you may not have enjoyed in the first 40 pages.

Texting

I personally cannot stand texting in books for me it takes me out of the story and sadly back into reality. Texting dialogue always feels less emotionally driven or connected. I am really big on emotional connections with characters and texting really puts a wall between the character’s emotions and me. I’ve also noticed when author’s try to write texting dialogue for teens or college aged adults there is an insane use of slang terms and use of language that feels very out of touch for me. I think the use of texting to further the plot tends to feel lazy or rushed.

Slang/Unrealistic Dialogue

As mentioned earlier I hate the use of slang in fiction, especially in dialogue. I mean this when I say it, but absolutely no teenager or college student is using abbreviations in normal everyday conversation unless it is ironic and even then it’s unlikely. Unless the abbreviation is commonly used among the general public such as FBI or CIA then a good rule of thumb is to just avoid it, it will make you feel very out of touch with younger generations and or come across as trashy.

Fantasies Without a Glossary

It’s hard enough trying to keep track of a world being built around you, but to also try to decode how something is pronounced is so much worse. For me I steer clear of fantasies without glossaries because I have a hard time keeping track of who is who, what is what and how to pronounce uncommon names. Adding a simple and quick glossary fixes a lot of missed information and helps your reader keep track of important information as well.

Throw Away Characters

I hate being introduced to characters that serve one purpose to the story whether that be making them one dimensional or making them to just kill them off for a plot shift. I think this type of writing brings a lot of the readers out of the story. It also makes plots that are supposed to be emotional feel weak. Honestly, I just want to understand the characters, good and bad I want to know what makes them a person.