BookSpark discussion

This all started with the report this morning that Chick Lit sales have slumped for the first time since it became popular back in the late 90's.

That got me to thinking - what overused cliches/plotlines make you gnash your teeth and put a book down? This could be from any genre - such as the chick-lit (really hate that name) classic:
D.d. wrote: "Boy meets Girl, Boy and Girl fall in love, Boy and Girl have a misunderstanding, Boy and Girl discover mistake and live happily ever after!"

... to any other genre regular.

That's one of the most common...also, I hate how they have so many trios after HP's success-the leader, the smart one and the other seemingly insignificant one who rises up to the challenge near the end.

Ooooh dear! This is going to be way to much fun!
What about when the guy and girl are on the run from danger and all the girl can think about is that she hasn't got a change of clothes or that she's hungry....You're seriously going to worry about that with a phsyco after you?

@Ana - Oh god, that's what's ahppening though: an original formula works well for one person so everyone expects it to work well for them until it's no longer original and being complained about in threads like this! I hate those trios - they're always going to have the insignificant one make good :(

@D.d - I can think of much better things to worry about in those situations - hunger would elude me due to sheer panic!

Another one is - why do only the troubled, recovering alcoholic detectives get the small cases that turn into serial killers on the loose or some terror plot? It just doesn't seem logical that a washed out, ex drunk close to retirement can see what an entire police dept misses!

Hate it when you read a book with a catty old mare in it and lo and behold later on she turns out to be tragically misunderstood. Yeah whatever. She is a female dog! Pure and simple.

D.d. wrote: "Hate it when you read a book with a catty old mare in it and lo and behold later on she turns out to be tragically misunderstood. Yeah whatever. She is a female dog! Pure and simple."

Hahaha, that's a brill example!! Or the quiet mousey plain looking one who's actually drop dead gorgeous (huhwhanow?) That's even been used, and had the mick taken out of it, in films!!

Hayley, a slight variation on yours, when the woman dresses up as a man and nobody notices that she's a girl. Then we're expected to believe that she's this beautiful, small, curvy goddess that all the men are in love with!!!! Run that by me one more time? Are all these men blind? They didn't notice that she was a bit little and a bit well padded in some areas???

D.d. wrote: "Hayley, a slight variation on yours, when the woman dresses up as a man and nobody notices that she's a girl. Then we're expected to believe that she's this beautiful, small, curvy goddess that all..."

Oh yeah, all men are blind to curves - despite their tendency to enjoy staring at them ;P

My point exactly! They would have seen her curves if she'd been wearing her dads amour!!!

This is the hilarious thread here.

D.d., Hayley, Ana everything you said was exactly what I had in mind. Especially the one about the woman dressed as a guy and noone noticing.

Another thing I hate, but it's not exactly a cliche, is that somehow, the universe, Lady Luck, I don't know what... makes something extremely rare happen. Like the two starcrossed lovers are in the same elavetor, or whatever and the power goes off, or they live next to each other, or they're in the same place for vacation, the same class. I mean, pleaze!

Ex's who can't stand each other that find themselves working together. Really? No, I didn't think so!

D.d. wrote: "Ex's who can't stand each other that find themselves working together. Really? No, I didn't think so!"

I second that!

I think the love triangle is getting cliched...especially in YA...but it still seems to be going strong.

I hate love triangles! They make us like the other guy and then leave him high and dry!!!

Loving the comments on this thread thanks for starting it Hayley! I recognize so many of these done to death plots! As a sidenote, I hate the girl that all the guys are falling all over for no obvious reason-it just doesn't happen! Plus, she totally uses them (even though she seems humble)

Ana - I think I'm having just as much fun reading the comments on here as you - it's great!

I'm now going to say something here that will a small part of me inside but... I think the Sharpe stories in general are a tad predictable (I'm sorry Cornwell, so so sorry!!)

They always follow the same formula/plotline just, if you're lucky, with a different setting and characters HOWEVER.... I'll still read them (and watch Sean Bean play Sharpe ;P)

Anagha wrote: "Loving the comments on this thread thanks for starting it Hayley! I recognize so many of these done to death plots! As a sidenote, I hate the girl that all the guys are falling all over for no obvi..."

That's a good one!

Hayley wrote: "Ana - I think I'm having just as much fun reading the comments on here as you - it's great!

I'm now going to say something here that will a small part of me inside but... I think the Sharpe storie..."

What are the Sharpe stories???

Me too Hayley, I still read and watch them! And what is it with him having a different girl in every book? Not very constant is he? Ha Ha!

Veronica wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Ana - I think I'm having just as much fun reading the comments on here as you - it's great!

I'm now going to say something here that will a small part of me inside but... I think th..."

Erm, they're a series written by Bernard Cornwell following a soldier in the British Army, Richard Sharpe (played by Sean Bean!) back in the days of the great British Empire - the first book (written after the rest mind) is

D.d. wrote: "Me too Hayley, I still read and watch them! And what is it with him having a different girl in every book? Not very constant is he? Ha Ha!"

Constant? Sharpe? Dunno if he knows the meaning of that word ;P

Ha ha!!!

Well I don't hate this at all but all of Jane Austen's books are basically the same plot with the main characters changed a little bit (again, I don't hate this, I adore all her novels!)

There is predictable good and predictable bad!!!

Too true

I simply dislike most romance in books anyways. Seriously, you'd think me being a married woman I'd be so enthralled with it but no, I skim read those parts.

I felt at times Hunger Games focused a little too much on the romantic possibilities between Katniss/Gale or Katniss/Peeta. It aggravated me.

My most disliked cliche is where the guy/girl hate each other then somehow start to fall in love. I read a few bodice rippers when I was a teen just to see what they were about cause some are historical fictions and I love historical fiction....almost every single one had this plot. *headdesk*

But I've learned to ignore my black icy heart and focus PAST any romance in a book...or focus on how the character interact with each other.

Minda wrote: "I simply dislike most romance in books anyways. Seriously, you'd think me being a married woman I'd be so enthralled with it but no, I skim read those parts.

I felt at times Hunger Games focused ..."

Minda I love watching how the Hero interacts with his friends, you can tell so much more about the character when he does, after all, being nice to the heroine is kinda necessary if he wants to impress her! But how he acts around everyone else is the real character. I also see where your coming from about the romance thing. Every novel ends with the hero and heroine getting together, but, really that's the beginning of the story isn't it. In essence what they're saying is that romance ends when you get married or become a couple!!! Makes you wonder if it has anything to do with divorce rates doesn't it? Girls are told it's the journey thats fun, not reaching the target!

D.d. wrote: "Minda wrote: "I simply dislike most romance in books anyways. Seriously, you'd think me being a married woman I'd be so enthralled with it but no, I skim read those parts.

I felt at times Hunger ..."

I second that. And by the way, the more I read your comments the more I want to read your book. I wonder what you've done with it. :)

Veronica wrote: "D.d. wrote: "Minda wrote: "I simply dislike most romance in books anyways. Seriously, you'd think me being a married woman I'd be so enthralled with it but no, I skim read those parts.

I felt at ..."

Hi Veronica! Thank you so much for your interest!!! 'Broken City' is available as an e-book on Amazon for the kindle and smashwords.com for other devices. It's available as a paper back on amazon too. If you like I can send you a PDF copy but you'll have to read it on your computer, still, its there if you want it! My full name is D.D. Chant. Thanks!

Thanks for the info and for offering the pdf copy, but I really want to buy it to support the writer, she's really nice! :) And it's not that much, I just need to find the time to put some money in my card, wich means going to the bank, which means going out in the morning... I am more of a notorious creature, but I'll do it!

Here's one - a child who is always destined to save the world is either spoilt beyond belief and learsn to become humble or has led a horrid terrible life in some way or another and ends up rich but still humble - what's wrong with normally brought-up kids being given responsibility :P

Veronica wrote: "Thanks for the info and for offering the pdf copy, but I really want to buy it to support the writer, she's really nice! :) And it's not that much, I just need to find the time to put some money in..."

Thanks Veronica!!! So kind of you! I have the same trouble sorting things out! When it comes to my books everything is neat and tidy, but remembering to top up my phone, call the bank or make an appointment and my brain is like a sieve! Yesterday I got my timing completely wrong and had to leave for the hairdressers just as diner was put on the table!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!!

D.d. wrote: "Veronica wrote: "Thanks for the info and for offering the pdf copy, but I really want to buy it to support the writer, she's really nice! :) And it's not that much, I just need to find the time to ..."

I know what you mean. The only think tidy is my books, everything else is a mess. I can't concentrate on anything, cause my mind is in other worlds.

That must be it, we'er here in body, just not in spirit!!!

Hayley wrote: "Here's one - a child who is always destined to save the world is either spoilt beyond belief and learsn to become humble or has led a horrid terrible life in some way or another and ends up rich bu..."

You're basically describing some of my favorite series!

Anagha wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Here's one - a child who is always destined to save the world is either spoilt beyond belief and learsn to become humble or has led a horrid terrible life in some way or another and ..."

I think the reason this is so often used is because this scenario gives the writer more to work with. Trying to portray normality, yet still making it interesting, is HARD!!!

Oops, sorry Ana, but I really do find it annoying.

D.d - so by making it easier to make it interesting for them they have to stick to the same old formulas? I don't get it, surely it would be more challenging to see the writer try to make normalcy interesting?

Hayley wrote: "Oops, sorry Ana, but I really do find it annoying.

D.d - so by making it easier to make it interesting for them they have to stick to the same old formulas? I don't get it, surely it would be mor..."

Yes definitely, I always find that the more 'normal' the story the more enjoyable it is. But I'll give you a for instance of how normalcy can be hard to write: my book 'Broken City' is set in the near future after a banking crisis. Because it's post apocalyptic I didn't have to stick to so many rules, it gave me much more freedom. The next book I started was set in the present day, and it was so much harder because everything has to be real. As a result I'm still writing it! I've finished another but I'm still working on that one!

D.d. wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Oops, sorry Ana, but I really do find it annoying.

D.d - so by making it easier to make it interesting for them they have to stick to the same old formulas? I don't get it, surely ..."

I'm not complaining about how non-normal the setting is - I was talking about how the chosen ones have always had a non-normal (for their society's standards) upbringing in some way or another - as opposed to a 'normal' child (in whatever setting - futuristic, dystopian, what have you).

Oh I see.

I just finished a horror story that was pretty much one giant cliche. You have the ex-cop, mother and daughter with family issues and horndog hillbillies. A lot of running around, near getaways, and dumb choices that no actual person would make.
I also hate the stories with the jerky douche bags and girls who are so stupid and obsessed. Guy treats me like a jerk, I don't swoon, I leave.

Erica wrote: "I just finished a horror story that was pretty much one giant cliche. You have the ex-cop, mother and daughter with family issues and horndog hillbillies. A lot of running around, near getaways, ..."

Exactly! Some books try so hard to make us believe that the heroine is confidant and clever and then make her make mindnumbingly stupid choices and drool over childish heros who think they are the best thing since sliced bread and the heroine is lucky to have them. WHAT? And this is him trying to win her over? In real life she'd have punched him! And possibly left stiletto marks!!!

I think evil alien invaders are cliches. In my hard sci-fi novel, there is a proposed trade deal with advanced aliens, which can benefit both sides, and a more nuanced treatment of the hazards of first contact with superior technology. It's The Metalmark Contract. For reviews, see http://t.co/I84t38U

D.d. wrote: "Erica wrote: "I just finished a horror story that was pretty much one giant cliche. You have the ex-cop, mother and daughter with family issues and horndog hillbillies. A lot of running around, n..."

LOL DeeDee! That made my day!

Anagha wrote: "D.d. wrote: "Erica wrote: "I just finished a horror story that was pretty much one giant cliche. You have the ex-cop, mother and daughter with family issues and horndog hillbillies. A lot of runn..."

It didn't make his!!!lol.

Somehow I stumbled on this discussion and quite enjoyed reading it. I agree with the observation that "all of Jane Austen's books are basically the same plot with the main characters changed a little bit." Going a bit further I'd say that a lot(not all) of modern romances are nothing more than modern rewrites of Austen. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm not going to read a Harlequin but I really enjoy things like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.