Unpopular Opinions Tag

  So, I saw this tag on Annika Smith's blog, (please check out her blog it is really awesome)  and I needed post ideas anyway, so I decided to do it! This seems like it is going to be fun!

                     A Popular Book/Series You Didn't Like

 

I started reading this, and I put it down and never picked it up again. Hazel seemed kind of whiny and I just wasn't appealed to by this book.

Also,

The Finishing School series I didn't like. I started to read the first one, and I actually started to like it, but then they had to get into Werewolves, which I have always hated. Too bad.

A Popular Book/Series Everyone Hates but You Love

I honestly could not think of any other one. But this series is great so far. I'm on the third book, and I love it. I've heard some bad reviews, so that's why I'm putting under this category.

A Love Triangle Where the Protagonist Ended Up With the Person You Didn't Want Them to Be With

You weren't expecting this, were you? Well, I really, really think Jo should have married Laurie. IN my opinion, Amy's age was too far from Laurie's. Totally upsetting.

A Popular Genre You Hardly Read

I honestly can't stand the teenage romance types of books. No, I don't mind romance in a story. But when it is solely about the romance. It is also unrealistic as teenage romances rarely last anyway. So I guess my answer would be YA Romance. 

A Popular/Beloved Character You Dislike

I know that he is a villain, but I honestly can't see why people like the Joker. He is purely evil and I just can't stand him.

A Popular Author You Can't Seem to Get Into

Everyone really likes John Green. I just don't. His books (or at least the ones I seen) are basically about teenage romance which I said before I dislike. 

A Popular Trope You're Tired of Reading

Unless there is a very, very specific reason for having your character be The Chosen One, it is a cliche that I'm tired of. (That is, unless the book is well written) 

Also,

Vampires and Werewolves. I can't stand those creatures. I guess because they are oversexualized in so many stories and not written as monsters (which they actually are).

A Popular Series You Have No Interest in Reading

  

The Mortal Instrument series and also The Selection series have never appealed to me. I've never read them, and I never intend to.

A Show/Movie Adaptation You Liked Better Than the Book

The Princess Diaries book was terrible, but I just loved the movie. Especially since it had my all-time favorite actress in it: Julie Andrews. 

A Popular Style of Cover That You Can't Stand

I don't know if this counts, but I don't like when the book has a perfectly good cover, and then a movie adaption of it comes out and the cover changes to something from the movie. That totally makes me sad. 

That is all for today! 

-The Bandit

Write Everything for a Reason

   This is a very important thing for writers everywhere. Yes, it is a well-known tip. But it is also important. Every element in your story needs needs to be for a reason. Even the smallest, seemingly stupidest thing such as a mosquito buzzing around your character's head. Why? Because people don't like to read things that have no purpose in the story.                                                                              I love that thrill that I get when I'm reading a story and then something that seemed irrelevant from earlier in the book suddenly has a very deep meaning. It's called a plot twist. Most people enjoy them. 

   

   Now, when I talk about mosquitoes buzzing around, you might think "What meaning could that have?" Very simple answer: you're building the setting. The readers now know that the characters are outdoor in the evening, that it is probably cool and damp, or maybe near a body of water. The reader might not think of all this, but the average person knows that mosquitoes like cool, damp climates and so this information will be in their brain subconsciously. 

   

   Adding events that have no relevance to the story just to meet the word count requirement is a big turnoff. You don't want to do that. Filler books are the worst. Needing to do this comes from lack of plotting. I'm a bit of a pantser myself, but even I push myself to do at least some plotting so that I won't have to write filler scenes which are my arch-nemesis. 

Anyway, just something to think about, my friends! 

-The Bandit

   

Do Or Don't: Grey Area Villain

 
   So, I've been thinking a lot about this, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all.

   First, I should tell you what a grey area villain is.  (in case you don't know). There are a few of types of these though.

1. The sidekick villains who are working against the Hero, but are sort of uncomfortable about it. They are leaning towards abandoning their 'master'. (E.g. Mirage from The Incredibles)

2. The ones who everyone loves because they feel bad for them. Maybe they had a bad past, or there is hope for redemption for them. (E.g. Smeagol from Lord of the Rings, Bucky from Captain America: The Winter Soldier) When I say Smeagol, it is because by the time you get to The Two Towers, you start to feel bad for him because of what the Ring did to him. Basically, it destroyed him, and he now has no control over himself.

3. The person who starts off good, but wants something badly and is willing to do anything to get it; they turn evil even if their original intent was good. (E.g. Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars)

4. The villain who is still completely evil, but everyone loves them anyway. The reason? Usually it is because they are good-looking or have a lovable quirk (makes sarcastic quips at totally inappropriate times). (E.g. Loki from Thor, Joker from Batman)

5. (This one technically does not count) The one who is supposed to be good, but everyone (reader or viewer-wise) hates anyway (E.g. Jar-Jar Binks from Star Wars)

   One good reason to have this type of antagonist in your story is that it puts more emotion in it. Gives the readers a type of ardor and most of the time, causes them to love the book more.
   One bad reason to have a grey area villain is that it might make the readers love the hero less. Maybe even dislike them for going against the villain. We do not want this to happen unless it is intentional. One of the worst things for a writer is having the reader hate something that you meant for them to love and cherish.
   Another bad reason is confusion. This isn't as likely, though.

   It can be risky (for some) to have this type of character, but in order to determine if this is what you want, look at the original intent for the story. If you want it to be a good old-fashioned, black and white, good and evil story then (obviously) don't use this antagonist.  If you want it to have a more ironic, emotional feeling, yes, you should use this...but with caution.

Until next time!

-The Bandit