The Dragon's Lair

Don't you hate it when you're reading a story and you find yourself becoming increasingly agitated by some minor plot point or characterization that, in the grand scheme of things, doesn't matter in the least bit. And yet you can't let it go!

I'm reading this nice little fanfic that I really want to enjoy, and I'm trying to enjoy it, I really am. But I'm having this issue with it that I can't seem to shake. In the story, the author has one of the character's smoking (which the canon character doesn't do, but that's not the issue). Now, I'm generally not a fan of characters who smoke (because all I can think about is how they're going to die of lung or throat cancer) but my issue isn't so much with the character smoking as it is with how the other characters handle his smoking. That is, they completely ignore it. And the reason this bothers me is because the other characters are always so dang worried about smoking character's well-being - his physical health, his mental health. Heck, smoker even lives with a friggin' physician! And no one even attempts to so much as hint at the idea of this character - who they worry so much about - quitting smoking.

Which... I suppose I can kind, sort of understand why, since said character's angst meter is through the roof and the last thing he needs is to be pressured or hounded. But, still... it's actually weirding me out that the other characters aren't saying anything. Seriously, it's starting to become like an itch that can't be scratched with me, and it's making it very difficult to enjoy the story. It's like I can't wrap my head around the other characters caring so much about smoker, and yet they say absolutely nothing about his smoking.

*Shrugs* I don't know. Maybe something was said and I missed it, but the thing is - and maybe this is just me - I totally see the characters as being the type to gently persuade their friend who they care heaps about into quitting smoking, and it's like my brain can't compute the characters saying nothing at all about the matter. And I'm sure the author probably views the matter in a different light and totally sees the other characters as not wanting to add what they think is unnecessary pressure on their friend. But, crap, it won't stop bugging me! (In fact I'm almost tempted to say something about it, but managed to refrain from doing so thus far).

I may have to just stop reading it, or wait until the author finishes it. I am seriously surprised by how much this has been increasingly bothering me. It's a trilogy, and the more I read, the more the characters say nothing about the smoking, the more the entire thing makes me twitch.

As I said - like an itch that can't be scratched.

They're ba-ack!

If anyone is curious as to why I haven't touched on some of the suggested topics it's because some of the topics are rather fanfic centered and I want the discussions to be centered around both fanfic and original fic.

Tonight's topic is on wording, word choices and using words in a way that makes your story flow and holds your reader's interest.

I start with this question: Have you ever read a story that A) even though it was well written, interesting, the content superb and agreeable, something about the story still managed to give you a headache or B) have you ever read a story that though well written and interesting, made your mind wander more often than not and you wished the author would - to put it bluntly - shut up already? I just finished a book not too long ago that actually did both. Though it was good, it just kept going and going and going... yes, the plants have special powers, we get that already. To quote Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Get on with it!

And also this question: have you ever stopped reading a story for something as trivial as, say, the author's choice of words? I have. I believe it was because of the gratuitous use of the word giggle. I don't trust stories written by people who actually think grown men giggle, and said men are neither drunk, drugged, insane or ten years old.

Now on to the topic question - how the heck to avoid all the above mentioned pitfalls?

Another two-fer.

How to survive a plateau ie where you cannot seem to move ahead
and think maybe it was a mistake.

and

What to do when you have a beginning and an end, and nothing really interesting as a middle.

Thanks to everyone who's made topic suggestions thus far. I've decided to combine two suggested topics.

The Fine Art of Character Voice while still staying original

and

How to avoid Mary Sues

One, because I think these two topics excellent for getting into character discussion and also because, two, I'd been having issues with one of my own character's voices (I feel like the character may be channeling the tenth Doctor from Doctor Who a little too much).

I would also like to add a third topic to this - making your character fallible, or, how to write a character so that they're not always right. Because I don't know about everyone else, but there have been times I've been horribly tempted to make my protagonist nothing but the voice of reason.

So please chime in with any thoughts you may have, whether it's all the topics or even just one of them.