Thursday, September 23, 2010

30 Day Book Meme - Day 07

Day 07 - Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise

The Big Misunderstanding...I hate when writers include a misunderstanding that can be cleared up easily if two characters just talk to each other. I literally cringe when I read the scene and hope against hope that the author will clear it up quickly. Some do, but most don't, preferring to use that misunderstanding to increase the conflict between the protagonists. I hate that. Hate, hate, hate it...Even so, if the rest of the story is good and I actually like and sympathize with the characters, I'll keep reading. But if this is thrown in on top of a book over which I'm already wavering, then that is usually the key for me to close it and walk away.

Authors that avoid these kind of misunderstandings - or use them as a brief story point, the resolution of which brings the characters closer together, are the ones that keep me coming back to their stories again and again. An example of an author who proved that misunderstandings can serve as brief plot points that build a couple's relationship is Shana Galen - she used it to great effect in The Making of a Duchess (read my review).

So what is your leave favourite plot device?

Teresa

Currently Reading: The Exile of Sara Stevenson by Darci Hannah

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