Writing Pet Peeves

[_truth dancer]

To all you experts, or others who want to share...

What is your pet peeve when it comes to writing?

Is there anything that you read that gets you shaking your head and wondering why someone didn't pay attention in seventh grade English class?

I'm not a writer but I do receive a lot of long emails from people all over the world. What bothers me more than just about anything is when people do not use paragraphs. It sort of makes me crazy!

:-)

Truth be known, I started this thread so I can improve my own writing skills! I'm guessing I do something that would cause most writers to shake their heads.


~td~

[_Yoda]

I'm not as much of a spelling and grammar Nazi as Shades is, but basic spelling and grammar errors are annoying to me.

For instance, proper use of the words, there, their, and they're.

I have college students who use the wrong forms of these words, and it's like nails on a chalkboard to me.

There = a place (i.e. "Here, there, and everywhere...")

Their = personal ownership (i.e. "Their house is in a nice neighborhood.")

They're = the contraction of the words, "they are" (i.e. "They're going to be a few minutes late.")

[_MCB]

Long complex sentences with big words. Writing to impress others rather than inform or entertain others.

350 page books that can very easily be summarized in two or three sentences, to the point that there is no use in reading the whole thing.

In fiction, well-written scenes with no plot. I am currently reading "Towers of Midnight," written by Brandon Sanderson from notes by Robert Jordan.

[_Hoops]

In fiction, poorly written scenes with no plot.

I don't recall giving you my story to read.

[_Hoops]

To all you experts, or others who want to share...

What is your pet peeve when it comes to writing?

Is there anything that you read that gets you shaking your head and wondering why someone didn't pay attention in seventh grade English class?

I'm not a writer but I do receive a lot of long emails from people all over the world. What bothers me more than just about anything is when people do not use paragraphs. It sort of makes me crazy!

:-)

Truth be known, I started this thread so I can improve my own writing skills! I'm guessing I do something that would cause most writers to shake their heads.


~td~

Characters who fall in love based on someone's eyes.

[_MCB]

In fiction, poorly written scenes with no plot.

I don't recall giving you my story to read.

LOL, yes, that is worse. It couldn't be as bad as the Book of Mormon, could it? See, we have a low water-mark to exceed. So long as it is better than the Book of Mormon, it is worth spending time on.

[_Hoops]

I don't recall giving you my story to read.

LOL, yes, that is worse. It couldn't be as bad as the Book of Mormon, could it?[/quote]

Yeah, it could! I guess we'll have to see.

Would this forum be conducive to longer pieces of fiction? Maybe chapter by chapter? Each chapter is about 2500 words (per recommendation) The one I have the most finished I will be submitting to other forums soon (if I can ever find a da_n webdesigner willing to work on contingency - a diffrerent project) and any crits would be entirely welcome.

[_Dr. Shades]

Rambling. I hate rambling.

If you need to say something via the written word, just come out and say it using as few words as possible.

[_Quasimodo]

Rambling. I hate rambling.

If you need to say something via the written word, just come out and say it using as few words as possible.

+10

Did you ever see the movie "A river runs through it"?

The father (a Presbyterian minister, played by Tom Skerritt) is home schooling his son. Several times the son gives versions of an essay he is writing to his dad to read. Each time the father reads it and gives it back, saying "shorter". Good advise.

[_Scottie]

Saying "anywho".

Drives me nuts!