Disclaimer here: All of the books I reference are actually ones I love, even if I am talking $#!% about them. Like everything else I write in this blog, it's all just my personal opinions. Permission to hate on me for them.
Oh, and P.S. This is a direct copy+paste from my notes, so you'll see how messy I write while conceptualizing. I also write as if I'm talking to someone, because, you know...I'm crazy.
Things I Like
- Conflicting POV’s (That is, neither side is good or bad. I’m just picking one I think would make the more interesting story)
- Challenging ideas
- Layered meanings
- Intense backstory and world building (though balanced. While I loved the flashback in Rats of NIMH, it feels like it got too far away from the plot)
- Colorful description (as in, actual colors)
- Description weaved into narrative
- Suspense
- Suspenseful action
- Really @#$%^& up things
- Political issues
- Drama
- Scattered puzzle pieces that are put together towards the end
- Psychological mumbo jumbo (both in the character as well as the reader)
- Horrible injuries that throw a wrench into everything
- Elegance in contrast with low-living (the two combining)
- Infiltration (suspenseful infiltration)
- Mischief
- Characters who grow
- Chronological passage of time
- Breaking out of imprisonment (or oppression or the like)
- Failure
- Not all is well, but well enough endings that are full and satisfying (Specials. Unwind)
- I know I already mentioned psychological stuff, but I’m going to take note of dilapidating insanity
- Deep emotions
- Hints of sexuality and romance (rarely and suggestively)
- Clever humor (woven into the narrative)
- Humorous characters having their own %^&*# of a time (Hayden)
- Neutral characters who slowly change their mind
- Issues divulged through dialogue or suspenseful
- fast-paced narrative/action/description
Things I Don’t Like
- Romance driven plots (or books that end up with so much romance, the real issue is shoved into the backseat. Divergent series)
- Long Set-up (Dune. Foundation)
- Contradictions
- Weak middles (the author is just babbling to fill up space)
- Too realistic (organic is one thing, but I don’t like being reminded of our boring ol’ world)
- False facts
- Weak ending (the author didn’t seem to know how it was supposed to end, so they just babble on, or worse, drop it off)
- Too much action (in bulk. Think the newest Hobbit movie. It gets to the point where that big ass battle that took up 80% of the movie just felt like filler)
- (Contrariwise) too slow pace
- Flat characters (Filler characters who have no business being in there)
- Characters who are too angry or angsty
- Stories that work in accordance with the law (crime novels)
- Stories that become repetitive
- weak humor driven plot
- Single setting
- Dark colors
- Getting too far away from the initial conflict
- Too much description in bulk
- Ending that renders the story no meaning (Extras)
- Jump from one time frame to the next (saying a few days/weeks/months passed is okay as long as there’s something to suggest what was happening at the time. Think Unwind. What I don’t like are years, because that leaves huge gaps in the story and compromises my connection with the character. Like Dune)
Okay, real vlog-blog will be up next week. See ya'll then!
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