Sci-Fi Romance discussion

I'm working on an alien-abduction style SFR, and I'm making sure that it doesn't annoy me with any of the tropes I don't particularly care for in the genre, but it got me thinking...what might be a peeve for other readers?

What annoys you most frequently in an SFR, and what do you feel are the best characteristics?

For me, I can't stand whiny heroines who take 70% of the book to accept what's happening. And I'm not a fan of the constantly discovered new limitless powers. I think pick a certain type and amount, and then leave your characters with limitations--otherwise, conflict seems manufactured.

What do I love about SFR? So many things...strong heroines and complex heroes; interesting abilities or cultures, world-building, and the idea that love transcends the universe.

What do you think? Help me avoid the pitfalls!

Great topic Mattie!

I get annoyed with "deus ex machina" in general. Whether it's a new power the heroine didn't know she had or some revolutionary tech that only gets mentioned now that the H/H are trapped, I get frustrated with the quick (or at least, untelegraphed) solution to the climax.

There's plenty to love in SFR. Like you, I find strong heroines and a world of diversity to be a powerful point in it's favor. But I'm a fan of logical progression as well. If you rely on a thing to get past The problem, then show it to me early in the story so I remember it.

JC Hay

Great topic Mattie!

I get annoyed with "deus ex machina" in general. Whether it's a new power the heroine didn't know she had or some revolutionary tech that only gets mentioned now that the H/H are trapped, I get frustrated with the quick (or at least, untelegraphed) solution to the climax.

There's plenty to love in SFR. Like you, I find strong heroines and a world of diversity to be a powerful point in it's favor. But I'm a fan of logical progression as well. If you rely on a thing to get past The problem, then show it to me early in the story so I remember it.

JC Hay

Thanks!

I totally agree--to me the deus ex machina trope is lazy. If it hasn't been mentioned before, or isn't an integral part of the plot, then a power or special weapon or whatever isn't a satisfactory resolution to conflict. I prefer when the heroine is forced to use her special knowledge or just grim determination to overcome obstacles; and of course, I can't stand just waiting for the hero to do the rescuing! :)

I hate it when the romance develops to quick. I like a slow build while the two work together solve whatever the author has as the big problem.

On the flip side, I don't like one of those heroines who's not going to let anyone tell her what to do even if the advice is good. I hate heroines that are so in-your-face you want to slap them and tell them to calm down and listen.

I don't mind a slower romance but I don't want the culmination to be at the end of the book. I won't want to read the next book because it feels almost like one of the historical romances that does the same thing over and over again.

I don't mind some battles but I just read one book that was battle after battle after battle, maybe 30 (and that's not an exaggeration) that I became bored and if it weren't an author that I usually love, I wouldn't have finished the book.

Yes, the "too smart for everyone else, even if they clearly have the life or battle experience to know better" heroine is one of the least likable, particularly, when someone dies or is hurt because of her pride. I think that heroines & heroes should make mistakes; if they are too perfect they are no longer relateable. But those mistakes have to be forgivable, and it's hard to come back from mistakes made out of smug overconfidence that get someone truly hurt.

I don't know if it qualifies as a trope or not, but the whole we're going to go explore another galaxy thing. Yanks me out of the story every time and I sit there wondering how the heck are they going to travel that far? Does the writer not realize just how far away the next galaxy is and how big and unexplored our own is?

I also hate it when the hero plays second fiddle. I'm all about the hero, all the time, and I HATE it when he gets ignored or shoved aside. And the worst is when he has no POV. That's a guaranteed way to make me stop reading. Nine times out of ten I don't give two figs about what's going on with her. I want to know what's going on with him.

That's a good one Rachel! I hate when the hero has no POV. He doesn't need to be 50%+ for me, but shouldn't be less than 40%. I'm interested in both characters. Give me both stories.

JC Hay

If the writing is good and I connect with the characters, I'll put up with a lot. ;)

What usually stops me in my tracks is an irritating heroine. The Whiny and Weak, the Mary Sue, and the Unrealistically Uber Warrior Woman are probably the three types that I won't connect with.

Good luck with your story, Mattie!

I also don't like it when a new superpower shows up just when it's needed. Also on board with the whole leaving the galaxy thing. Additionally I'm not fond of aliens who look and act just like humans only hotter. Also not fond of lazy world building. Alien worlds need to be different but need to make sense, alien creatures need to be alien but not ludicrous and space ships/space travel needs to feel real somehow. I have a very low tolerance for sci-fi stories built solely around a mystical religion.

What do you think about the POV being split between 1st person and 3rd? 1st person for the heroine for the majority of the book and then a few scenes from the 3rd person voice of the hero? This seems to be a trend, but i find it kind of annoying.

On the third person, first person narratives I've got to agree with you Mattie: I don't like it either. One or the other, please, not both. It smacks of lazy writing. The good writers out there, if they chose to have more than one point of view but wish to use first person do so by splitting the narrative and adjusting the voices.

Jacqueline wrote: " I have a very low tolerance for sci-fi stories built solely around a mystical religion. ."

Me too !!!!

Carolyn F. wrote: "Jacqueline wrote: " I have a very low tolerance for sci-fi stories built solely around a mystical religion. ."

Me too !!!!"

Marking that one down as a definite "to be skipped!" Thanks.

Hi! I actually loved Space Junque...until the end when the fantasy stuff started out of the blue. I was really bummed.

Pet peeves...
1. SF or plots that are forgotten when the sex starts. Years ago I read an SFR in which there was literally a ticking bomb going to destroy the planet and kill everyone. The heroine was supposed to save them. But, as soon as the hero captured her and the sex started they NEVER saved the planet. They forgot all about it. Story ended. When I emailed the author she basically shrugged and said, 'oops'. So, I assume they were screwing when they and everyone else died and even the publisher didn't care.

2. Authors mistaking galaxies for solar systems. Yes, there are stories which really DO have travel to other galaxies, but your vacuum salesman can't be 'galaxy hopping' every few days. It shows you don't know just how big a galaxy is. I stop reading or give a very low rating for this. I hate it! And I've read several where I *know* the author didn't know and a few others where I suspected it. It's not as rare as you'd think.

3. H/h constantly drooling over the other and ignoring the important things happening. If the ship is being shot at you won't be constantly wanting to lick the guy's biceps. Ok, maybe if you really think you're about to die and then only for a second, but not in between each button press.

Non-SFR-specific:

Bad editing. It has to be one amazing story for me to keep reading if a story has issues my kid can point out. There have been some where she'd look over my shoulder and start laughing. Literally. One when she was 10. She was 10! And English was the author's first language. I only finished reading because I promised the author I would. (A promise I seldom make anymore.) And yes, I told her it read like a first draft and she didn't appear to care. It wasn't SFR, it was Romance.

If it's really bad I quit and I don't feel guilty. If the author didn't care enough to even use spell check or grammar check or fix things pointed out by their proofreader why should I care enough to finish reading it or buy more of their work?

Other non-SFR-specific petpeeves are things like pregnant women whining about how they're ugly now that they're so fat (when they gained about 10 pounds). An mc being a total jerk to the love interest, never improving, and they still fall in love with them. Being an unrepentant jerk and tricking or forcing the other to marry them and the other seeing the trick and being like "oh, it'll improve when we're married." TSTL characters. Deux ex machina.

I'm pretty forgiving and give lots of chances but there are SO many books out there that if it becomes a chore to read a book I will give it at least 20% of the page count and then stop reading if it doesn't improve.

SFR used to be tiny and now there are hundreds of books coming out each year. No reason to read something that annoys me.

Anna M--
Those are some great points! I completely agree about the editing. I'm a self-pubbie, and even though I can't yet afford professional editing services (which are in most cases prohibitively expensive), I take the contract between reader and author very seriously. Spell-check, although useful, is nowhere near enough in my opinion. I read, re-read, and read it again for errors, then I pass my book on to my long-suffering mother (who is a former English teacher...lucky me!), who does the same. Then my Dad reads it. Then my beta readers. And then, I make suggested changes and read it one more time before putting out for people to purchase. It's time consuming, but I fully believe that if I'm asking someone to spend time and money on a product I'm putting out, it should be as error free as humanly possible. Stuff still makes it through, no doubt, but I do have a hard time understanding how anyone could be satisfied putting out a book that is riddled with obvious errors. Major turn-off to me as a reader and author.
I love how SFR is expanding...so many good authors and so many who are indies, which is awesome. It's one of the most welcoming genres for indies, i think.

Lack of editing is the single reason I always hesitate to buy indie books. A former English teacher is fine for copy editing and proofreading, but not anything else. English teachers don't know the intricacies of creating fiction, just how to dissect it once it's done.

A good editor is worth their weight in gold. I use Danielle Fine, because she has an editing package that's exactly what I need at exactly the price I can pay. She also knows SFR. She saved my bacon with my book coming out next month.

I could NEVER live with myself putting something out without an editor. Danielle sees things I don't even realize are problems, and so far she's been right every time.

I have another peeve. STOP CALLING THINGS A ROMANCE WHEN IT'S NOT A ROMANCE!!!!

I just finished my third one in a row where I went into expecting a full-fledged romance, because that's what the book description promised me. I was lied to. It was not a romance. Heck, it barely qualified as romantic.

If you're going to call something a romance, and you want romance readers to explore the genre, it damn well better be a romance. An actual, full-fledged, moments of growing intimacy, watching them figure out how to get past their issues and conflict, ROMANCE.

I am a romance reader first. And I'm tired of picking up books that promise me a romance and I don't get what I've been promised. And to make it worse, some of the authors don't seem to have the faintest idea what a romance is.

I have had a few moments myself picking up a book and wondering what it's doing in the genre in which it's posted. Urban fantasy seems to get that a lot too, when many of the times the book would simply be categorized as paranormal or even sci-fi. But that's the curse and the beauty of the changing industry now i think--everyone has different ideas as to what constitutes romance or sci-fi, or fantasy from urban fantasy, or even rom-com (cuz heaven knows i've read something labeled as a romantic comedy and been left completely befuddled). I find that I can forgive almost anything though if the characters are compelling and the story draws me in.
Although if it's a romance, I definitely am looking for my HEA...that's what we read it for, right?

It's not hard to define a romance, and there's tons of stuff available for writers to learn how to write one. It's not that difficult to take it seriously and learn what you're doing so you can do it right.

Romancelady--
I completely agree about the coma thing. Maybe not quite that specific, but it is a bit baffling when the heroine - or the hero for that matter - has been on the brink of death and then suddenly wants some outrageously athletic nookie. I know it is a fantasy, but sometimes a gal needs a break!
I too love a world that keeps me coming back for more. As I am writing my book now, I find it challenging to build a world without overdoing and overwhelming it with detail. What do you all think is too much, and what is not enough?

I agree with Jacqueline. What is up with the aliens that are not alien? LOL. I'm not saying they have to be giant bugs, but maybe include some differences, preferably things that make them more cool (but useful) or lend themselves to the plot, LOL.

My other pet peeve is when the author says Muslims have led to WWIII or something or busts out a population based on Saudis. Yes, I know some people think it's "exotic"...

I know exactly what you all mean. These things make me roll my eyes. I read one called a "romance" and the "romance" was the late teen girl saying, "hmm, okay, I'll have sex with you strange boy" in one paragraph and "OMG! I love you so much I'll die for you (literally)" in the next. And it was not a YA book. The SF was good, the rest, bleh.

I do also get annoyed with the use of the word "God" in sex scenes. I'm not extremely religious, but I guess I did go to Sunday School enough to not want to read that then. They could just say the other person's name. I don't put down a book for this though. I just start skimming if it happens a lot.

This is a good conversation. I agree with many of the comments made. One other trope I'm tired of is the heroine barely scarping by but showing how strong and clever she is by saving the hero. Why can't she just be doing fine, but perhaps be underutilized? And why does there have to be such a power gap between heroine and hero? A little of this goes a long way for me.

And, while I see the second more in fantasy than SF, I really try to avoid time travel and reincarnation stories.

I don't like it when the science is not at all plausible.