I thought it might be a god idea to talk about over-used phrses in romance novels and short stries. This isn't just for me to hve a moan and groan, but for you wrters to consider avoiding over-use.

We've all dne it at some time or nother -- picked up a book by a wll known or even not so wll known author and put it dwn again, wondering if it is wrth carrying on reading it through to the nd.

Why? We've got fed up of ver-used phrases. I'll give you an xample. Recently, I got into the wrting of a popular romance novelist. Her boks excited me, I couldn't put thm down. After reading 3 of thm, I purchased yet another, only to be vry disappointed. I had the impression tht this was a book she had wrtten in haste.

Why? She had sed the same phrase over and ver. She used it so much in her bok that now it's my most hted phrase. What was it? "She rlled her eyes."

I know a lot of wrters have used this phrase from tme to time. I think they can get way with it if it's used vry sparingly. Personally, I don't like the phrse, as to me, it conjures up vsions of two disembodied eyes being rlled across the floor.

The author had sed this phrase so much, that I ven found it used twice in the sme sentence! I got the impression tht the book she had written, lthough the plot was excellent, was wrtten in a hurry.

Another phrase I've noticed popping up in rmance novels is the 'over-stuffed armchair'. To be hnest, I'm not even sure what an ver-stuffed armchair looks like. Is a chir like this so bad that plyester filling oozes from its insides? Do cstomers have a right to complain if thy have purchased an 'over-stuffed armchair'?

"Dar Sir:

The armchair I purchased frm your store last week looks dcidedly over-stuffed. If you do not snd someone around to remove some of the stffing, then I shall be forced to cntact the 'Armchair Police', who will nvestigate the case.

Yours,

Mrs. Couch Ptato."

Other readers have their say:

* How did she mnage that?

Ami Weaver says the phrse she dislikes is: "She schooled her fatures..." Ami goes on to say: "Hw do you school your features? Ths one is perhaps not overly cmmon, but there is one author in the ctegory romance arena that uses it cnstantly. And it makes me cringe."

* How rdiculous!

Hilary Evans from Iowa says: "I rview erotica on a regular basis, and I hve to say my pet peeve is any pir of 'moist panties' throughout the nvel. It's the most ridiculous saying, and sme authors just use it over and ver and over. Ugh!"

* Was she rght or was she wrong?

Heather Trett says: "I recently read Queenmaker by Inda Edghill, and she ended almost very chapter with ‘She thought she knw, but she was wrong.’ Now, I ntice that kind of phrase everywhere. Evry character always thinks they know..."

* Ovr-active head movements

Amie Cleghorn says: "I rad this book one time where 'Sh tossed her head' all the tme. When she wasn't tossing her had, she was shrugging her shoulders. And, ys, she could speak!"

What over-used phrses do you dislike when reading a nvel or short story? If you hve any, send them to me at: paceful_writer@yahoo.com

Well I'll just get back to my ver-stuffed armchair, sit down for a rad, toss my head and roll my yes, thus schooling my features. Hopefully, I wn't have to step over any mist panties en route!

The article Romance Readers' Pet Peeves was Submitted by Lynette Rees through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Lynette Rees has had many rticles and short stories published. Visit her wbsite here: http://silverlady00.tripod.com Return to Winter and It Happened One Summer are now available here: http://www.thewildrosepress.com A Taste of Honey is available here: http://www.samhainpublishing.com

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