Writing Pet Peeves

[_TrashcanMan79]

"Your mileage may vary."

Drives me crazy every time I read it.

[_Morley]

"It's" as a possessive. "It's" always means "it is."

Anywho, your mileage may vary.

[_Dr. Shades]

"It's" as a possessive.

Actually, that's not correct. "Its" is a possessive.

[_Roger]

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.

Could you elaborate on that?


mine: switching than/then

[_Corpsegrinder]

This isn’t a writing pet peeve so much as a story structure pet peeve but it still bugs the ever-loving crap out of me--stories that go absolutely nowhere until, say, page fifty.

You know the type--these abominations usually start with an overly-detailed narrative of an excruciatingly dull series of events that have nothing to do with the plot. For example, imagine a first chapter that spends 5000 words describing a ditzy teenager applying makeup in front of a huge mirror…while neglecting to inform us that just outside her room, zombies are devouring civilization as we know it.

In sort, I really hate stories that don’t hit the ground running.

[_Morley]

"It's" as a possessive.

Actually, that's not correct. "Its" is a possessive.

[My pet peeve is using...] "It's" as a possessive. I understood the thread was about listing our pet peeves.

[_hatersinmyward]

Grammar may bother some.

Personally I find reading right to left much more relaxing than from left to right.

I'd also prefer my female companion to drive the automobile if the steering wheel is on the left.

[_hatersinmyward]

Probably because I carry my stress on my right side.

[_Bond James Bond]

This isn’t a writing pet peeve so much as a story structure pet peeve but it still bugs the ever-loving crap out of me--stories that go absolutely nowhere until, say, page fifty.

Lol. I submit any sci-fi book written by Michael Crichton as evidence of this pet peeve. Just skip to page 46 (that's my usual rule) and you'll be fine. Try reading Jurassic Park from page 1 and you'll die by page 2.

(Caveat: Eaters of the Dead starts out pretty fast, *but* you have to skip the tedious preface where he explains why he's going to plagarize Beowulf and then footnote it like it's a historical monograph of real academic research.)

Also, any writer who says "inasmuch" especially starting a paragraph.

[_Morley]

I'm not a big fan of the phrase, "And it came to pass...".