With a plethora of literature at hand, it’s hard to stay original. It’s easy to fall into the tried and true. I sometimes find myself being overcritical of a book that I would have enjoyed without much thought a few years ago (before I picked up the pen myself). I sort of miss those days. Now there are certain literary devices which stand out to me as I read a story. I don’t mean cliché plotlines, I’m talking about small things. They’re not bad or wrong in any way, I just see them often and wonder if they could have been done differently.
Here are two I notice frequently:
- The main character is lost in expository thought and the other character who’s present has to snap their fingers in front of the MC’s face and say, “Hellooooo! Earth to so-and-so. Are you in there?” (It’s the finger snapping that gets me.)
- A character thinks something in their head and another character responds, making the first character blush and realize they accidentally said it out loud. (I see this so much that I wonder if it happens to a lot of people in real life? It’s never happened to me. You?)
Are there certain literary devices which stand out to you while you read a book, or am I just a weirdo for noticing? (Don’t answer that.) Or how about nifty devices that you use (or avoid) as you write?
You are absolutely not a weirdo for noticing! I actually get annoyed by both of those things, because you see them all the time.
ReplyDeleteIt's harder than I thought to avoid such things before I started writing. I have a few things I have to force myself to watch out for. For example, I seem to find the phrase "exhaustion hung on her face" in almost all of my writing instead of "she was tried." It makes me mad at myself! I do like the former better, but not in every piece!
Thank you! I know what you mean about that phrase, and it's hard to remember if we've used a particular phrase in that project or another one. That's why we need brutally honest beta readers to point out our recurring stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteThe thinking things out loud convention bugs me so much. I think I might have used it once, but I'll probably change it. I don't know if anyone is really stupid enough to actually say something really important out loud without realizing it... I haven't seen the finger snapping thing as much, but I've certainly seen MCs going off on random thoughts during conversations waaaay too much.
ReplyDeleteElanor, yes! I must see the thinking out loud thing in every other book I read, and I don't understand the point of it. Seriously, I want to know if anyone reading this has done it! Don't be shy, lol. Does it really happen?
ReplyDeleteGreat thought ^_^ We were just discussing one the other day in critique group - the concept of a female lead pondering repeatedly why the sexy, suave, rich male lead would ever want a girl like her. When you know, as the reader, that's exactly what he wants.
ReplyDeleteThe other one that irks me is someone biting their lip hard enough to draw blood as a casual gesture. To me that implies more than just a skin break and takes a pretty significant bite.
But your question is valid - does anyone besides writers notice this stuff?
Loralie, unless you're a vampire it'd be pretty hard to bite your lip until you bled, wouldn't it? I just tried, and it hurt, but I didn't bleed, haha.
ReplyDeleteI don't think non-writers would notice these small things. I guess that's one disadvantage to being a writer. Oh well. :)
I don't see it as much any more, but I don't like it when characters tell each other things (for the reader's benefit) that they DEFINITELY should already know.
ReplyDeleteWhat drives me nuts is how in the sequel for a YA paranormal romance the male lead gets extra moody and grows distant only to come back in the last 2 pages and be like, "I left because I love you".
ReplyDeleteACK!!! I did number two in the book you just beta read for me!
ReplyDeleteDJ, I know! That happens a lot :(
Jessi and DJ, yes and yes!
ReplyDeleteKelley, after I wrote this post last night I sat down to read City of Glass and Clary did the think out loud thing! I had to laugh. It doesn't annoy me, I just notice it a lot. (I did the first one in my first draft of Sweet Evil.)
I'm starting to get sick of the main character girl and boy being inexplicably and powerfully "drawn" to each other. It's always some unknown force that is forcing them together. Let's go back to the days when a girl liked a guy cuz he's hot and smart and nice and talented, not just cuz she's "drawn" to him.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there is a lot of that, Melanie. I like it sometimes, but there's nothing quite like good old-fashioned attraction. :)
ReplyDelete