Not cliche per se, okay maybe they are

Books and movies where the hero breaks up with their girlfriend to "keep them safe."

Conflict between the MMC and FMC due to some stupid misunderstanding that they could have solved if they just talked about it.

Check out the series of romance cliche workouts posted at the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books web site! They list cliches in sex scenes along with specific exercises to do when you encounter said cliche. http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/romance-novel-reader-workout-vii

They are hilarious!

One cliche that always irritates me- Naive sheltered virgin is as seasoned and knowing as a professional escort on how to have kinky sex. Even though she's astonished by the sight of her first real life weiner, she somehow manages to deep throat him while doing a tongue trick a Thai whore would envy.

ARoyce said:

Check out the series of romance cliche workouts posted at the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books web site! They list cliches in sex scenes along with specific exercises to do when you encounter said cliche. http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/romance-novel-reader-workout-vii

They are hilarious!

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After thinking back over the last few books I've read with this workout in mind, I'd say I could have dropped 2 dress sizes if I'd put in the effort!

Although the heroine was married before she met the hero, her husband was selfish/sick/gay/absent/impotent/dead/all of the above. Therefore, she either never had sex (virgin widow surprise prize for the hero!) or never had an orgasm before she met him.

In a historical, neither the hero nor heroine considers pregnancy as a potential consequence of all their unprotected sex. When the heroine's reputation and life would be ruined by pregnancy out of wedlock, this usually makes me think they've both read the script and know the author isn't going to spring any such surprises on them until the epilogue.

***TRIGGER WARNING****



This is romance-related, but may apply more to yaoi/BoyLove (and really old romances) stuff in particular: Whenever dubious consent (dub-con) is used. Whether it's the MC being blackmailed (or threatened to be exposed for whatever reason) into doing the sexy times or when the Main Character has stockholm syndrome after being...you know.

It's why I don't read yaoi anymore. I read some sweet romances in yaoi/shounen ai that are between consenting lovers, but this non-consent thing is something I've seen many times in yaoi/yuri stuff and old romances.

I'm glad that there are sooo many types of romances out there and that publishers actually put labels for these kinds of uncomfortable situations. I just love romance, but I can't deal with those kinds of situations.

I'm currently very irritated by characters who are terribly insecure about their looks - even though they are in fact totally gorgeous - and feel sure the object of their affection won't want them because of this. I don't know if it's meant to make them more relatable to the rest of us, but it just gets tiresome and makes them seem like they are either blind or have self-esteem issues and, incidentally, that they think the other person in question is entirely shallow.

*lol* I confess... I've been guilty of that one. Not sure if it matters, but my rationale was simply taking the coward's way out... hmmm, or maybe the lazy way out, to simultaneously make the heroine more likeable and flawed, yet justify the hero's instant attraction.

Hehehehe... a few readers called me on it, but for the most part, the readers loved the book.

Becky Black said:

I'm currently very irritated by characters who are terribly insecure about their looks - even though they are in fact totally gorgeous - and feel sure the object of their affection won't want them because of this. I don't know if it's meant to make them more relatable to the rest of us, but it just gets tiresome and makes them seem like they are either blind or have self-esteem issues and, incidentally, that they think the other person in question is entirely shallow.

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Yes! This thread! *hugs to OP*

How about when (no matter the circumstance- train platform, big ball, car accident site, whatever) the moment the MMC sees the FMC he becomes instantly aroused by her. To me, sometimes this is super creepy.

The names! I know there's confines you have to work within sometimes, but I actually read a book that had an earl who's title was Grey. Yeah. And I am sick of heroines with really flowery names they shorten to unisex names. And blatantly ethnic names. Okay, so maybe Sam or Joe isn't romantic for your dark Hispanic alpha, but do you have to call him Domingo or Julio or whatever?

And articshark, I am totally with you on the TSTL heroines. Add in whenever she and the hero are on the run...they don't have time to stop. Ever. Unless its for sex.

Here is the thing with cliches, some people still love 'em. I love the cliche of older man younger woman stories and will usually buy just about any of them I see. So, while some stuff is overplayed to the extreme, someone out there loves them. Why else would authors tend to specialize in one genre? They know their fans love cowboy, werewolf, bdsm, whatever. That said, I've also seen authors use cliche's in a bad way in that they write the same BOOK over and over again. You pick up the next book they write and you know that in chapter 1 there will be a fight, chapter 2 a kiss, chapter 3 reluctant sex, chapter 4 fight, chapter 4 anal sex during make up sex, etc.

Ann_Mayburn said:

That said, I've also seen authors use cliche's in a bad way in that they write the same BOOK over and over again. You pick up the next book they write and you know that in chapter 1 there will be a fight, chapter 2 a kiss, chapter 3 reluctant sex, chapter 4 fight, chapter 4 anal sex during make up sex, etc.

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^^^THIS!

I finally gave up on two authors after starting book 3 or 4 in a series and going, "Hey, wait...did I read this already?" And I hadn't! I'm sure it's a function of signing a multi-book deal and realizing you're blocked or have run out of new ideas for that world (not that the writer is lazy) but Holy Mother of God, don't make me buy it...(OK, I have free-will, yes. You didn't MAKE me...)

I always shook my head at absolutely gorgeous and spunky young heroines who were sheltered by their parents from the naughty intentions of men and the cold, cruel world, thus rendering them childlike in the extreme until they are kidnapped or run away into the arms of someone who immediately inspires them to turn into a 'sex kitten' (hate that term) and go wild.

Ann_Mayburn said:

One cliche that always irritates me- Naive sheltered virgin is as seasoned and knowing as a professional escort on how to have kinky sex. Even though she's astonished by the sight of her first real life weiner, she somehow manages to deep throat him while doing a tongue trick a Thai whore would envy.

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This ^^

Hey, that's no inborn talent, a women needs a little practice to get good at that task. Practice, and lots of...opportunities to practice.

Becky Black said:

I'm currently very irritated by characters who are terribly insecure about their looks - even though they are in fact totally gorgeous - and feel sure the object of their affection won't want them because of this. I don't know if it's meant to make them more relatable to the rest of us, but it just gets tiresome and makes them seem like they are either blind or have self-esteem issues and, incidentally, that they think the other person in question is entirely shallow.

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The thing is, just because the hero thinks she is totally gorgeous and she doesn't think she is gorgeous....does that make her gorgeous? You see what I'm getting at?

OMG, save me from 'edgy' MCs - usually immature characters whining about how wrong the world is and generally throwing a tantrum. *shudder*

I think what irritates me most is when the female MC is talking about her sex life and says something like I'm usually shy, I don't do this kind of thing, blah blah blah right in the middle of a scene where she's banging some guy in an elevator, park, insert any other public place.

I just find it really hard to buy that someone who is normally shy in bed is all of a sudden throwing her inhibitions to the wind after knowing this guy for 5 seconds.

Multiply my irritation times a hundred if she's a virgin.

gingerwoman said:

The thing is, just because the hero thinks she is totally gorgeous and she doesn't think she is gorgeous....does that make her gorgeous? You see what I'm getting at?

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Being in love with someone can make you see them as more gorgeous than they actually are of course.

I just seemed to have read a few characters lately who are so insucure it's annoying. Not only about their looks, but always assuming they've said or done the wrong thing and ruined everything and everything is all their fault and maybe they should just go and hide under the bed and not bother other people with their pathetic self. Okay, so we all feel like that sometimes. And the early stages of a relationship can be full of "oh damn, I said something stupid, they'll think I'm an idiot and break up with me" moments. But, yeah, some characters take it so far I want to tell them to grown a damn spine and/or balls.

Becky Black said:

Being in love with someone can make you see them as more gorgeous than they actually are of course.

I just seemed to have read a few characters lately who are so insecure it's annoying. Not only about their looks, but always assuming they've said or done the wrong thing and ruined everything and everything is all their fault and maybe they should just go and hide under the bed and not bother other people with their pathetic self. Okay, so we all feel like that sometimes. And the early stages of a relationship can be full of "oh damn, I said something stupid, they'll think I'm an idiot and break up with me" moments. But, yeah, some characters take it so far I want to tell them to grown a damn spine and/or balls.

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Having those insecurities gives more reason why the characters don't come together in a romance but if that's the main reason it's very boring, if you write a character like that you need a strong reason for their insecurities, otherwise it's just annoying. And some books don't have any reason so it's just blah blah blah boring cakes.
I tend to write insecure heroines but in Wicked Wonderland the heroine is insecure for a few reasons, she was found in a dumpster as a new born baby, and she has an anonymous stalker who leaves her nasty messages.
In my current WIP the heroine's mother was very abusive.

articshark said:

If your heroine is anywhere past college age and she is still a virgin, you are writing more about your fantasy wishes than the reality women live today.

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So glad to see that someone shares my opinion. When I decided to start writing my MS, my first decision when it came to my lead female was that she was going to be, shall we say, seasoned. I saw no reason why she had to be a tribute to purity. As a matter of fact what I ended up loving most about her (and people who have read my MS agree) is that she is REAL. She's had a lot of sex, with a lot of different guys, and you know what? I think she's still a pretty great character. And that's not just because I wrote her lol.

I crave real females when I read. I don't necessarily mean physically real. I can handle the perfect boobs, perfect waist, blonde main character, but if she's a virgin with image issues then it just becomes more about her getting over herself than it is about the love story.

At least that's how I see it. Feel free to disagree

I write Regency Romances, but I've been doing some proof reading across the genre range, trying to help new writers who are further down the learning curve. I have good grammar and spelling so I can be helpful to those who find it a problem. I had no problem proofing an American
modern romance, a violent and sex-charged thriller, a vampire and werewolf story and a YA sword and sorcery set in post Roman Europe.

But then I was asked to read a romantic novel with in Victorian London. The writing was fairly good and there were few grammatical or spelling mistakes so although the start was a bit slow I settled down to read it. At first the author's lack of historical research irritated me but after fifty pages I was falling about in hoots. Every anachronistic pitfall possible she'd fallen straight into. She just hadn't down her homework. If the book had been set in America she might have got away with it, but she had no understanding of English society either today or at any point in the past.

Such a shame when she could do the hardest part, the writing. Some historical romance writers get away with being vague about period details, never mentioning a date or any event that could exactly set the period. This author hadn't taken that lazy writer's trick to heart. She was detailed and the details wove through the plot so deeply that cutting them out would be difficult. I presume she'd made the assumption that setting in a historical period is the same as writing fantasy, and hadn't realised that the period restricts plot and characters.