Cliche fun
One of my pet hates - as those I've beta-read for may know - is the word "chuckle". In my opinion, nobody below the age of, well, fiftyish chuckles. Not in wizarding Britain. Nor do their eyes twinkle. And you know, if I think these words are so horrible for the younger generation, there's a good case for me eradicating them from my vocabulary for the older generation, too. But that's my personal issue.
Harry does not chuckle. Seriously, he doesn't. He might laugh, grin, smile, even giggle. But in my opinon he doesn't chuckle. At least, not until he reaches middle to late age. I'm sorry, but in my opinion, chuckling is reserved for the older generation.
Also, if you think Ginny lives in the 1950s, I may need to kill re-educate you.
What do I mean by living in the 1950s? I mean, if your Ginny runs away from Harry giggling without good reason and he chases her down and that's somehow a prelude to sex. I mean, if her walking out in a swimming costume or bikini sends Harry and the Weasleys into shock (this was mildly amusing when the first stories like this appeared in, well, 2001. No longer). I mean, think about your characters as real, breathing people who live now, not in some fairytale world of neverwhere. Seriously. Put yourself in their place and figure out how you would react in their situation. I don't care if you're a girl and he's a boy, and you can't think of anything else to do. Just sit there and think about it. It's how life goes on.
I know Ginny isn't everyone's favourite character, but I do think JKR did a good job of portraying her as a potential equal for Harry. She's sporty, emotionally strong, feisty, and she's been through horrible experiences that nearly match his. So why do people do them both the disservice of sending them back a generation or more in terms of gender issues? These are two amazing characters - throw them together and see how they stand up!
What are your word pet hates, because of what they say about the characters? What are better ways of dealing with those issues, in your opinion?
Morning after ETA: Hee! Okay, I guess I got people talking. Will try and respond to all the comments asap, but in the meantime, feel free to keep chatting amongst yourselves. :)
Harry does not chuckle. Seriously, he doesn't. He might laugh, grin, smile, even giggle. But in my opinon he doesn't chuckle. At least, not until he reaches middle to late age. I'm sorry, but in my opinion, chuckling is reserved for the older generation.
Also, if you think Ginny lives in the 1950s, I may need to kill re-educate you.
What do I mean by living in the 1950s? I mean, if your Ginny runs away from Harry giggling without good reason and he chases her down and that's somehow a prelude to sex. I mean, if her walking out in a swimming costume or bikini sends Harry and the Weasleys into shock (this was mildly amusing when the first stories like this appeared in, well, 2001. No longer). I mean, think about your characters as real, breathing people who live now, not in some fairytale world of neverwhere. Seriously. Put yourself in their place and figure out how you would react in their situation. I don't care if you're a girl and he's a boy, and you can't think of anything else to do. Just sit there and think about it. It's how life goes on.
I know Ginny isn't everyone's favourite character, but I do think JKR did a good job of portraying her as a potential equal for Harry. She's sporty, emotionally strong, feisty, and she's been through horrible experiences that nearly match his. So why do people do them both the disservice of sending them back a generation or more in terms of gender issues? These are two amazing characters - throw them together and see how they stand up!
What are your word pet hates, because of what they say about the characters? What are better ways of dealing with those issues, in your opinion?
Morning after ETA: Hee! Okay, I guess I got people talking. Will try and respond to all the comments asap, but in the meantime, feel free to keep chatting amongst yourselves. :)