Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can’t deal with bad editing?
A: Lack of basic research. Especially when it pertains to specific locations a story is set in. If you are going to use a real city as a plot setting, have the respect to your readers to actually do some research on it. I once read a book where an Oregon city was placed in Washington instead and don't even get me started on 50 Shades where Portland is apparently in Washington between Vancouver and Seattle. *rolls eyes* Look at a damn map! At the VERY least!!
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Good answer. It is extremely annoying. I expect authors to do the research or refrain from bringing it up at all. If you don't know anything about an area, make up a town instead so readers don't expect anything.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and following. Following via GFC.
Megan @ Love, Literature, Art, and Reason
I have to agree Megan! :) Thanks for following in return!
DeleteI don't mind if detail are off, after all it's fiction so I just assume the author made everything up :-)
ReplyDeleteNew follower.-
My answer to that is if it's just going to be made up, why use a real city at all? I rarely do, simply because I like to be unrestricted. Thanks for the follow!
DeleteHaha! This is exactly why I'm nervous about setting my WIP in the US when I'm from the Philippines XD
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by my F&F Friday! New follower :)
- Kazhy @ My Library in the Making
A good way to do that is to become part of a writing community. Especially online, it is very easy to find international writing communities where you can pose questions. Small things, like slang for different regions, can trip up an author from another location. Most people don't even consider that the US is so big that different places, like the South versus the Pacific Northwest have very different speech patterns/phrases.
DeleteThanks for the follow in return!
Oh yeah! I can totally agree with that. I much prefer a book to either make up a fake town or to not even tell me the location of the town. Just let me visualize it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, new follower GFC! www.yellsworld.blogspot.com (already followed me)
Yep, making it up is much better imo. Thanks for the follow.
Deletehhahah! so funny! i never thought of that. i'm geographically challenged!
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by today!
trish - my follow friday
Thanks for following in return!
DeleteLOL! My geography sucks so bad that is usually the last thing on my mind! :p
ReplyDeleteOh, and I forgot to mention I'm following you back. :)
DeleteGood call on the research angle - I don't know how many times I've bored my wife to tears with just how stupidly inaccurate a book is.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I like what you said about entertainment being why we read AND write . . . couldn't agree more.
New follower.
That is a GREAT answer!! You would think with all the work it takes to create a book you would want to make sure the facts are correct. :/
ReplyDeleteNew Follower via GFC. Would love for you to stop by blog and check it out and follow back if you could. :)
Christine
Rainy Day Reads
www.rainydayreads.com
You'd think, but not everyone does. I already followed you a few weeks ago, but thanks for the follow back!
DeleteI totally agree! I haven't read 50 shades but the fact she got stuff wrong about my city is absolutely infuriating! I read another book that took place in Portland where a girl went to a school and the author totally described the school wrong! But that's more forgivable than putting a city in the wrong place.
ReplyDeleteYep!! Well, it's a little better. Not much. LOL. But yes, looking at a map is a basic effort, imo. Thanks for the follow, Larissa!
Deletehaha. Your reply made me laugh. Lack of research isn't a deal-breaker for me, but it DOES make me roll my eyes. And I generally comment about the issue in my reviews. I figure that some types of fiction is meant to be fun rather than intelligent, so I just accept it as fluff. (If, however, the books is "literary fiction" then I slam it for lack of research.)
ReplyDeleteAs for your comment on my blog about not reading YA books because you can't stand the teenage angst, I know how you feel. I like YA fiction, but I actually avoid books written by women or with female characters unless the book comes specifically recommended. I know that sounds awful, but men generally don't make their characters as "romantically" whiny. *shrug*
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm following you back!
Thanks for the follow in return. I just have a really hard time with whiny characters. Angst is okay, but whiners kill me. I guess I'm just not willing to accept laziness in authors, which is what it feels like, especially nowadays when information is so easy to access.
DeleteI completely agree with you! I think it's even worse if you're from the area or city that's been used. Then you're extremely familiar with how it should be and pick it apart to no end. Thanks for stopping by my FF this week. Following you back via GFC.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely bothers you more when it's close to home, I agree. Thanks for the follow in return.
DeleteGreat answer. Authors should definitely do their homework!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the follow. I'm following back :)
I try to be meticulous about it. Thanks for the follow back.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI didnt think of that but it's true. Thanks why it's best to either stick close to home or make up a city.
ReplyDeletebtw the way following back
DeleteI definitely agree! Thanks for the follow back!
DeleteNew Follower. I completely agree with you. Research is key in any book, no matter what it is about. Thanks for sharing and visiting my FF. =]
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! Thanks for the follow back Michael!
DeleteHaha oh 50 Shades... great answer! Following you back :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Momo!
DeleteI heard that thee 50 books had all sorts of those errors in it. I just read a book where the author messed up the area code of my city. It kinda pissed me off. I mean how hard is a google search?
ReplyDeletenew GFC follower
-Amanda P
Paranormal Romance
Me too. I put it down after a few pages though. It only took a little to realize I didn't care to read it. Thanks for the follow!
DeleteOooh poor research is a GREAT answer! I wish I'd thought to include that in my FFF as well! And I had to laugh at your 50 shades comment (LMFAO - there I laughed again) Thanks for sharing & for visiting my FFF earlier & following me! I've gone ahead and followed back via GFC :)
ReplyDeleteMicheline @ Lunar Rainbows
Glad I could amuse you! ;) Thanks for the follow back.
DeleteHaha, great answer. Really the small details should be easy, right?
ReplyDeleteLol! Great answer!! Research is important, I agree!!
ReplyDeleteThanx for visiting my FF!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace