Top 4 things that make me crazy when I read....

If you're wondering what these posts come from, I'm following (unofficially) this set of prompts here.

Top 4 things that drive me crazy when I read

 

Okay, you guys. Small disclaimer, I do hope I don't shoot myself in the foot with this post. It asked, I have opinions. (Those that know me know, oh, lordy, do I have opinions!!!) So with that small disclaimer in mind.... Things that make me crazy in reading....and I guess a little bit in writing too.

#1 Every girl wants to have a baby!

Thank you, No! I am happily child free. No children for us. Gives me way more time to write. :) This absolutely ruined Friends for me. The chick gets pregnant--or believes she must get pregnant otherwise she'll not be whole? Nope. I'm out. Feh. CLICHE! No.No we don't, Hollyweird/NYC. Thanks all the same.

#2 Torture or rape, after which the characters fall in love.

 Gag me. Sure you can tell me the heroine's been tortured or raped in the past, but I'd rather not see it. And if she falls in love with her rapist and "reforms" him (don't laugh, I could, but I won't, name you some books I've read where this happens--in the Romance genre. Not the horror genre, mind you), no. Just no. No. Do that, I'm out.

#3 Witches are evil/wear black/wear robes/wear pentacles/own cats/casts spells that fill the air with swirly colors and sparkles....

OMG, don't even get me started. Okay, I love wearing black, but that came before, you know *whispers* I found paganism. And look, some of us don't even use the term witch--or wear pentacles...or own cats. And just once, just once, I'd like a nouveau fantasy movie/tv show to let the magic happen with no visual representation. Snap their fingers, maybe; twitch their noses, okay. Swirly colors and smoke and sparkles? What is that, even? Disney, again? (Yeah, yeah, Cait's magic has a color; some cliches have to be, begrudgingly, used and Cait's magic has a lot of "kitchen sink" stuff in it.  My harshad warriors ... don't, though, do they? No. No they don't....not yet, anyway.)

#4: Stereotypes. Okay, I guess #3 above qualifies to go here, but there are other stereotypes that are used far too often that drive me the crazy, so they deserve their own number. Some you're probably not going to believe. Some have become so overused in the industry they're downright clichés. Take a deep breath now. Agree to disagree... Ready?

a): All girls love to collect shoes.

Where the hell did this one even come from? Sex in the City? Look, I don't live in NY, I don't live in a high rise, I don't lust over guys in suits--and I only wear shoes when I fricken need to. I hate wearing them. The only time I put them on is when I'm leaving the house--and then, it's tennies. (and there was this one time, I left in my Crocs, instead of my actual tennies.) I tolerate boots too but they're more for practical reasons, because...well, let's just say they stay on my feet better. But I'd much, much rather go barefoot. All girls love shoes? CLICHE!

b) Southerners are podunks, beer-swilling, gun-totin', pickup driving, country music lovin', sports fan, hillbillies/hicks.

 *GAG SPLUTTER RAGE* Can we just drop this one, please? I am living proof that NONE of those apply. (Okay, maybe the country music, if you count Jason Isbell, Drive By Truckers, and Shovels & Rope as country) but I also prefer Metallica, and have been known to listen to Enya and jazz, blues and classical. The rest? Nope. I don't resemble that at all. Neither do many of my southern-born and dwelling friends. (Especially those of us with college degrees.) Have the southerner host an art opening for once, or take his girl to the symphony without whining, and checking his phone for the latest sport stats, please?

There are more that I could add to this list but I fear I've already bored you. *eg* So those are my top 4 things that make me crazy in books. How about you?

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Juli D. Revezzo is the author of the MOURNING DOVE LOCKET, the latest in the Antique Magic paranormal series, also the Celtic Stewards Chronicles fantasy romance series, as well as the Victorian Romance HOUSE OF DARK ENVY, among others. Her books are available at Amazon and elsewhere.

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Happy Birthday, Virginia Woolf

Yes, yesterday was author Virginia Woolf's birthday. Most people know her from their school reading, or that (god awful) movie the hours. I discovered her work in college when a lit professor assigned us To The Lighthouse (right before I got into a car wreck that threw me out of school for a while. Ugh). Mainly her fictional work, but she also wrote essays, short stories, and tons of letters and diary entries. 

Yes, I found her novels a little hard to wrap my head around, the flow of her narrative is not what we've come to expect. Dare I say, it takes work to understand? Her writings are definitely not for the lazy reader. And she didn't bother herself with the "rules". Remember, she was writing in the 19-teens and '20s, so, unlike the writers today, not everything is always wrapped up in a nice little bow. 

And she wasn't afraid to try things no one else had. I mean, think about it? Who else do you know who takes a paragraph out of their narrative to give the point of view to a crab? The Modernists might've played around with the novel's form, but as far as I know, none of them (*coughmencough*) had the balls to do that.

But, to me, I think that's probably what makes her so cool. The fact that I have to wrap my head around her stories makes it worth it to me. One of my favorites? Well, Jacob's Room. I won't tell you why. You have to read it, and follow it all the way to the end, to find out. I wouldn't recommend a new to her reader start with Jacob's Room, though. If you've never read her before, her earlier books, The Voyage Out and Night and Day, especially, are easier reads. But her experimentation, to me, even outside the impact she made on feminism, is what I especially love her for. (It's a shame writers aren't allowed to try such bold experiments, these days...but I digress) Even today, she still inspires me to forge ahead, and try things I maybe haven't before.

So, I have to take this day just to say, once again, happy birthday, Virginia and salute her bravery as a writer and a woman. :)

A smattering of her work:

Novels

• The Voyage Out (1915)
• Night and Day (1919)
• Jacob's Room (1922)
• Mrs Dalloway (1925)
• To the Lighthouse (1927)
• Orlando (1928)
• The Waves (1931)
• The Years (1937)
• Between the Acts (1941)
•  
• Others:
• The Diary of Virginia Woolf 1915-1919:  
• The Diary of Virginia Woolf 1920-1924
• A Room of One's Own 
• Moments of Being

A few quotes:
“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” —Virginia Woolf

“So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say. ”

“My writing now delights me solely because I love writing and don’t, honestly, care a hang what anyone says....”

Have you ever read any Virginia Woolf? 

What's your favorite book by Virginia Woolf?

Other links about Virginia:
On Wayne McGregor's ballet Woolf Works
Virginia Woolf: The Highs and Lows of Her Creative Genius 
The Unsaid: The Silence of Virginia Woolf
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Happy Birthday, Virginia Woolf http://bit.ly/2jBI9y4 @julidrevezzo #authors #writerslife #virginiawoolf Tweet this!

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Juli D. Revezzo is the author of the MOURNING DOVE LOCKET, the latest in the Antique Magic paranormal series, also the Celtic Stewards Chronicles fantasy romance series, as well as the Gothic romance LADY OF THE TAROT. Her books are available at Amazon and elsewhere.

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