Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read in which we bloggers form new connections, make new friends, and gain more followers.

Q: What writing device or trick most irritates you when reading a book? For example, if an author employs an omnipotent narrator that is sometimes considered bad form.

There are a couple of things that peeve me... I wouldn't say they would stop me from finishing or even enjoying the book, but they'd definitely earn a few negative comments in a review...

• Insta-love ~ can't stand it. There's really no such thing in the real world making it very difficult for readers to relate to. Some slow, steady, steamy romance tops smashing two characters with a cupid's arrow and calling it love any day. 
• Artificial dialogue ~ You know, those strained conversations between characters that make you think, "C'mon, no one would actually say that." Comes across as cheesy and is a total turn off.
• Omniscient narrator ~ Not a good time for this reader. I don't feel a connection to the characters, or the story for that matter, when an author uses this tool. You can't really relate to the emotions of the characters because you're hearing about it from someone else. I usually feel outside of the story in these cases, when I'd rather be completely absorbed in that world. Not good.
• Gushing ~ I really don't know how else to put it. When a girl falls for a guy, usually the reader knows this. We don't need every other paragraph to be about how "his presence is god-like," "his chiseled jaw made her squirm," or "how his dimples instilled butterflies in her stomach." A little bit is good, because we are kept up to speed on the character's feelings, but everyone other sentence is complete overkill and I usually find myself skimming past most of the book in that case.

Wow, it felt kinda good to get that off my chest :). 

Happy Reading (and HAPPY FRIDAY!) Everyone :)

~ Keely ~