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Book Review & Contest Insights from Real Reviews and Submissions
What separates great books from the rest? Below are articles with insights from real reviews and contest submissions—what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve your book. You’ll also find a wide range of articles covering writing, publishing, marketing, and more. Each article has a Comments section so you can read advice from other authors and leave your own.
Three Most Boring Literary Trends
Many trends have come and gone in the field of literature. While some of them have pushed readers' imaginations to the limits and helped propel the written word to greater lengths, several trends have also made literature boring. These movements have made very little contribution to the written word and caused literature to lose its impact on our culture and society. If you have studied literature from various eras, you might have your own idea of which literary trend bores you most. This article will feature some of the most boring literary trends that appeared over the past few years.
1. Bad Paranormal Romance
A romance between a mortal and a vampire, werewolf, or other type of monster was cool back then. Unfortunately, too much of it is a bad thing. These days, paranormal romance has become one of the most over published genres. And the bad thing about it is that it just features the same types of monsters (vampires, werewolves, fairies, angels), and the same clichéd storyline over and over again.
Several paranormal romance titles, especially in the young adult section, teach teenage girls the wrong lessons about love. Just take a look at Twilight. This book tells girls that they should fall in love with boys that are rude, or if a boy leaves you behind, it means that they love you. Some girls might be so enthralled with what they are reading that they might suddenly apply this in real life.
2. Alternative Literature
This is a type of literature that got its motifs from the internet culture. Most people criticize Alt Lit writers because of their very unorthodox methods of creating poems using bad spelling and weird punctuation marks. In addition, Alt Lit also focuses on spontaneous expressiveness and erratic pubescent passions. It has gained popularity thanks to blogs like Tumblr and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
It has received negative views because it over glorifies online communication and other bad traits such as narcissism, solipsism, backslapping, and bratty attitudes. But since this type of literature is very young, there is still a chance that it can evolve into a better form that can produce meaningful poems.
3. Rise of Bad Role Models
The world of literature is always filled with numerous heroes and very interesting characters. Who can forget the bravery of Harry Potter, or the amazing research skills of Lisbeth Salander?
Unfortunately, fiction is also filled with bad role models. In several popular titles, girls are portrayed as somewhat weak and stupid. They become martyrs for their husbands or boyfriends who push them around and treat them like dirt. Several main characters do not know the difference between love and lust.
Thankfully, there are authors who are still trying to break this bad trend. Suzanne Collins, for example, created Katniss Everdeen – a fictional teenager who is smart, selfless, and aware of the social and political issues happening around her.
Although these literary trends are deemed as boring, it is still important to study them. The books and poems from these genres provide writers and readers with an insight on the writing styles and techniques that should be avoided.
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Why Some Books Win Awards (And Most Don’t) — Insights From Real Contest Submissions New!
What separates award-winning books from the rest? After evaluating contest submissions across a wide range of genres, certain patterns become clear. Some books consistently rise to the top. Others, even with strong ideas and clear effort behind them, fall short. The difference is rarely dramatic—it...
What We’ve Learned From Reviewing Hundreds of Thousands of Books (And Why Most Don’t Stand Out) New!
After reviewing and evaluating books across thousands of submissions over the past two decades, certain patterns become impossible to ignore. Some books immediately stand out to reviewers. Others—even well-intentioned ones—fade into the middle or fall short. The difference is rarely luck. It comes down to...