-rant; ya pet peeves / cliches

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04. ya book pet peeves / cliches


Hi, followers of mine (the hell?), I'm feeling really salty today, more than usual, so I thought why not write about it and get even saltier? Of course, this has graphic content, so beware. Now, let's get right into this. 

YA PROTAGONISTS WHO ARE BETTER THAN EVERYONE;

[Yeah, I know this was in the last chapter, but I want to touch on the subject further.]


This is one of the most annoying pet peeves, but, unfortunately, one I see way too often. 

When I, as a teen, read a YA book, I don't want to see some self-insert character whining about how girls who wear makeup or dress in a different manner are sluts. 

That is disgusting and I know there are a lot of impressionable teens out there who, when they read this, immediately think that this is the right mindset to think in. 

Now, I don't wear makeup (probably because I'm dead broke), but I understand why people would wear makeup. Personally, my skin is too irritated by makeup so, even if I could afford it, I probably wouldn't be able to wear it, but enough about me. 

About the dress, if you see someone walking down the street, dressing skimpily, you don't shame them because, first, why the fuck would you do that and, second, it would be ignorant to call them a 'slut' or a 'man-whore' or whatever slurs you want to throw at them. 

It's not offending anyone and they're not dressing downright inappropriately, it's not like they're walking up to people and going 'oh, you're not dressed like me, you cunt'. 

But that is a whole debate in and of itself and I don't have the time or the care to go in depth, so, let's move on before I go Hulk. 


IMPLAUSIBLE TWIST ENDINGS;


 This is pretty self-explanatory. It's when a book's ending is changed abruptly from the one the reader was predicting, this is usually done to ensure sequels and reader engagement, but, whenever I see this, it makes me DNF the book and the series. 

It's okay to have a predictable ending if the book leading up to that point was good, I will never understand why someone will even think this is even a good scheme. 

Imagine a thriller, the main cast are getting chased by someone they think is a serial killer. 

Keyword: think and rightfully so as there are multiple clues and hints leading them to their verdict. 

But, apparently, it turns out to be an old love from the protagonist's past who was trying to help them and, guess what, the next book will be about their past and then the book after that will be about their relationship continuing, the fourth will be about a love rival (cough, cough, read the second chapter, cough, cough) and the fifth will be their kids. 

But, wait, there's a spin-off! Yes, would you be interested in purchasing a book about their kids all grown up?

Would you read the series - exaggerated as it is? Hell to the no. First off, the book has been tied up (although messily) and there is seemingly an 'ending'. Second, if an author firstly sees a book as a mindless cash-cow, that's not someone I'll trust with giving me an enjoyable experience. 

In the end, twist endings are fine, twist endings that would never have happened if the author had not written it in are not. I'm so sick of feeling like an author is all-powerful in a book, it just takes out the immersion. 

BAD ROMANCES; lightning round;


I purposefully made this broad for a reason: this is kind of a list inside a list. So, let's begin.


LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT;


Don't give me that shite, I'm swearing a lot, I'm sorry. Sure, you can think someone is attractive, but don't bloody tell me that one look at a love interest tells the main character that they want to be with them for the rest of their lives. No-one does that! 


TERRIBLE LOVE INTERESTS;


I have a bad taste in my mouth with love triangles to begin with, so maybe I'm biased, but whatever. 

My gripe with this is the fact that they're so predictable: there is (almost) always the charming person you know is going to get the girl/guy and then there is the friend; the kind one, but not quite brave enough to confess their feelings. 

Imagine this on repeat and your money slowly withering away by your spending on shit books. I just feel that authors aren't bringing anything new to this trope and it's just a rehashing over and over. Sadly, I will not be pursuing YA romances unless it's roped in with some other genre 'cause of this. 


ABUSIVE, MASQUERADING RELATIONSHIPS;


This one is inexcusable. I understand if you want to put these in an adult book where a character is trapped in an abusive relationship, but their partner is pretending the relationship is fine, possibly because they are unaware of their actions or want to keep the character in a perpetual cycle of abuse. 

YA, however, is different because you are marketing this to malleable teens (even if you think they aren't, they really are). Imagine they read a scene where the main character, let's say she's female, is running from her significant other, afraid of him/her as they chase after her, intending to hurt her in some way. 

Even describing that made my stomach churn, much less writing it. Needless to say, in a relationship, you should never be afraid of your partner under any circumstances and try and paint that relationship in a good light. It's disgusting, just absolutely revolting. 

I get it if you have some weird kink for it, but write about that and keep it to yourself, don't go selling your work out there and, even worst, market it as YA - something for teens. Okay, I've drank some water, calmed down, I don't think I can go any further without turning into this dude.    

    

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[That's it, supporters of my cause (what am I doing). I'm waving at my screen right now]

WORD COUNT; 1001

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED; Thur, 21 Jun at 9: 28 pm

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