Adam Selzer (sigh, he’s so adorable. Check out Sparks if you haven’t already.) posted this over at his blog:  YA stuff to avoid from now on. His list is awesome and spot on. I am going to add to it.

11. He didn’t add “no romantic interests who act like rapists,” but I’m going to. I’m also going to stop reading books that have these sorts of boys in them. Urk.

12. No more average girls being chased around by 3, 4, even 5 different boys like it’s mating season. This doesn’t happen in real life, nor do we want it to. It’s awkward and weird and reeks of an author’s narcissistic fantasies starring a weird idealized author-self.

13. No more clumsy girls. I get it’s just another way for the girl to need the male lead to catch her sometimes because not only can she not take care of herself, she can’t even walk straight. It’s kind of offensive and stopped being cute ages ago.

14. Violently passive girls. Girls who walk into the open arms of a blood thirsty killer because they are kind of hot. Girls who willingly go to the docks at midnight to meet a bad guy and yet still make mention in her head that it’s a really bad idea. Girls who don’t listen to their gut because they aren’t good at saying no. Girls who meet someone online and go on a date without telling anyone who or where she’s going. Girls who walk around the warehouse district alone at night because she’s too nervous to ask for a ride from the cute boy.

15. Being reminded of some character trait every couple of pages. His marble, God-like body. His cold skin. Her biting her bottom lip. His hotness. Her clumsiness. Her averageness. Her messy hair. His messy hair. His lopsided grin. His adonis-like body. His bronze skin. Her untamable red hair. We get it. Save the word count for plot twists.

16. GIRLS IN DRESSES ON COVERS FOR NO GOOD REASON.

17. Dead girls on covers for no good reason. (Carrie Ryan gets a pass on this. She writes about zombies. Fair is fair.)

18. Abusive, condescending boys who don’t shape up, but the violently passive girl takes it anyway. See number 11 and 14.

19. Girls who can’t do anything for themselves. Anything.

20. Setting up characters and situations where the phrase, “You have no regard for your own safety/life,” is used as an accusation against the female lead character. Especially when this leads to the male character taking over her life and decisions because she can’t be trusted to make any decisions for herself.

21. She really can’t make any decisions for herself. Give her some roller skates and she heads for the nearest cliff.

 

Ok, clearly I have some issues to work out with my genre.

Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments and stop over at Adam’s blog and say hi! His blog is excellent.