What annoys you most when reading a novel?

[DireBadger]

Simple- Bad or misused English.

The problem with most translated novels, even AI translations, is that it is utterly obvious because it SUCKS. AI can screen and rewrite small sections just fine, but overall, translating? writing from scratch or even rewriting crap? AI doesn't THINK. It doesn't understand what it is writing, never has, and it shows.

This is not a rant or an indictment; most AI doesn't even think in words... it cuts your words into chunks for its comparison engine, and reassembles similar chunks from its comparison engine to match your styles. The fact that it sometimes gets things right or at least makes them look right is sheer happenstance. Heck, yesterday Grok happily informed me that Scarlette Johannsen starred in 'my super ex-girlfriend', and then ARGUED with me when I assured it that she was nowhere near the film.

The writing field is starting to look like deviantart, where it's 90% crap, and even that ten percent is MOSTLY crap, but at least it's crap that hasn't been translated badly from Nigerian, Portuguese, or Chinese.

But bad English, misused English, and English used that is packed with idioms that have been popular for 3 months and will have died in 1 month. That's what really strokes my groats.

Purple prose. It’s probably what mana depletion feels like.

Yeah, define purple prose without using personal opinions. I dare ya.

 

[BearlyAlive]

The most annoying thing for me (outside of terrible grammar or badly translated ones) are surprise harems, especially when the writer already established a main couple with fun dynamics. Only to throw it all out of the window and degrade the characters so that harem tag can "work somehow".

Bonus hate points if the female character suddenly goes "I will only love guys who have so many girls they won't have time for me anymore".

 

[L1aei]

Simple- Bad or misused English.

The problem with most translated novels, even AI translations, is that it is utterly obvious because it SUCKS. AI can screen and rewrite small sections just fine, but overall, translating? writing from scratch or even rewriting crap? AI doesn't THINK. It doesn't understand what it is writing, never has, and it shows.

This is not a rant or an indictment; most AI doesn't even think in words... it cuts your words into chunks for its comparison engine, and reassembles similar chunks from its comparison engine to match your styles. The fact that it sometimes gets things right or at least makes them look right is sheer happenstance. Heck, yesterday Grok happily informed me that Scarlette Johannsen starred in 'my super ex-girlfriend', and then ARGUED with me when I assured it that she was nowhere near the film.

The writing field is starting to look like deviantart, where it's 90% crap, and even that ten percent is MOSTLY crap, but at least it's crap that hasn't been translated badly from Nigerian, Portuguese, or Chinese.

But bad English, misused English, and English used that is packed with idioms that have been popular for 3 months and will have died in 1 month. That's what really strokes my groats.

Yeah, define purple prose without using personal opinions. I dare ya.

Yes, a lot of people are unaware of what truncation means when it applies to AI.

 

[Shiriru_B]

Terrible names... Was reading a wuxia novel and their MC named their pet tiger Bob.

 

[L1aei]

Terrible names... Was reading a wuxia novel and their MC named their pet tiger Bob.

Had a cat that my parents named Mau, so...

 

[CharlesEBrown]

#2 would be the use of modern slang or jargon in a story set on another world or in a previous era.

Are we talking about DBZ Syndrome? Where one move gets an entire episode; or in this case, a whole chapter?

There was actually a reason for that - the guy who wrote the manga wanted to take a month off to rest and spend time with family. The publisher said: "Only if you can provide us with at least four months of comics." So he did - wrote a fight scene that took four months' of book pages to show ... because the characters spent most of the time just powering up.
When the series was being shot, they came to him and asked him to redo them, and he was: "Has anyone complained? No, then we shoot the scenes just like the book - or you can have someone else redo it."

 

[L1aei]

There was actually a reason for that - the guy who wrote the manga wanted to take a month off to rest and spend time with family. The publisher said: "Only if you can provide us with at least four months of comics." So he did - wrote a fight scene that took four months' of book pages to show ... because the characters spent most of the time just powering up.
When the series was being shot, they came to him and asked him to redo them, and he was: "Has anyone complained? No, then we shoot the scenes just like the book - or you can have someone else redo it."

Thank you for providing that background on why that transpired. That's genuinely funny but good to know there had been a valid reason it happened.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Thank you for providing that background on why that transpired. That's genuinely funny but good to know there had been a valid reason it happened.

Assuming it's true (only heard it from two sources and only one claimed to be involved in any way - believe he'd worked for a comic store in Japan at the time). After that, they only required him to be two months ahead to take breaks, and he didn't repeat the stunt as often, but fans came to expect it supposedly, so he did repeat it.

 

[HouseOfUkiro]

Please include narrative betrayals. For example, the synopsis promises a theme of freedom against structural oppression, but midway through the ending, the story takes a 180-degree turn into a nihilistic, deterministic tale. A well-known example of narrative betrayal is AOT.

The overuse of exposition.
When I see stories that are like 70% exposition, I'm like, what is all this block of text?

Especially when you’ve just opened chapter 1 like whaaam! You just keep scrolling and the words are like ratatatatatatatatah annihilating your mana till you can’t even imagine primary colors.

Had a cat that my parents named Mau, so...

Mau means your mother’s hooo-haaah where I’m from ?

 

[AliceMoonvale]

#2 would be the use of modern slang or jargon in a story set on another world or in a previous era.

It's not the same since this wasn't the original intent, but not too long ago, I was reading a webtoon that was translated, and whoever translated it had characters from another world/time period use modern lingo, when only the modern MC was meant to. It hurt my brain so much. I hated it.

 

[Eldoria]

Your Challenge: Write and entire chapter of the MC going "AHHGGGGHHHH! I'm preparing my attack!" then the side characters reacting and then the villian going "AHHHHHHH! I'm charging my lazer!"

One of the most stupid parts that has become a cliché is the antagonist showing off his/her power while showing how it works to the MC, which is the beginning of the antagonist's downfall. I know... It's a shortcut for the author to explain the enemy's weaknesses.

But it's really stupid to show off and lecture the MC about the limits of the antagonist's power from the antagonist's own mouth. There are many ways to show the antagonist's weaknesses without the need for exposition. It's just that the author is too lazy to 'show it' and prefers to 'tell it'.

 

[JayMark]

One of the most stupid parts that has become a cliché is the antagonist showing off his/her power while showing how it works to the MC, which is the beginning of the antagonist's downfall. I know... It's a shortcut for the author to explain the enemy's weaknesses.

But it's really stupid to show off and lecture the MC about the limits of the antagonist's power from the antagonist's own mouth. There are many ways to show the antagonist's weaknesses without the need for exposition. It's just that the author is too lazy to 'show it' and prefers to 'tell it'.

Yeah, I agree. A character should figure out the weaknesses of their enemies on their won terms. If an actually smart enemy is showing how their power works, they should be doing it to gas light and not giving away any overly useful information.

Or, if an author really wants a villian to show off a cool power, have them do it in the midst of the fight.

Too many writers want to show off the thinking, planning, outlining, details, they've done for their backstories at the wrong times as well.

 

[Abnormals]

I didn't know that was possible. Got any examples?

I read one - it is getting stronger with age. In later chapters, it is 100% drag

 

[ThisAdamGuy]

their MC named their pet tiger Bob

You have hurt George's feelings. Apologize!

 

[CountVanBadger]

You have hurt George's feelings. Apologize!

 

[Shiriru_B]

You have hurt George's feelings. Apologize!
View attachment 43796

George is a wonderful name for them, pls tell George don't be sad ?.

 

[DireBadger]

One of the most stupid parts that has become a cliché is the antagonist showing off his/her power while showing how it works to the MC, which is the beginning of the antagonist's downfall. I know... It's a shortcut for the author to explain the enemy's weaknesses.

But it's really stupid to show off and lecture the MC about the limits of the antagonist's power from the antagonist's own mouth. There are many ways to show the antagonist's weaknesses without the need for exposition. It's just that the author is too lazy to 'show it' and prefers to 'tell it'.

"Sunlight is my DESTROYER!"

I mean, I loved Legend, but this line was so stupid. if they had left it out or only used it once, it still would have been pretty obvious at the end when the mirrors blew him out into space.