What pulls you out?

Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books?

The awesome co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue! Check out their response and others by clicking on IWSG.

I’ve been gone from IWSG for a while. A long while, but I’m back. This is a great question. I have come across it lately because I’ve been reading a ton.

I couple of things really throw me out of a story and will cause me to stop reading. I don’t want to be frustrated while reading. Reading is supposed to be fun.

1. Inaccurate industry facts. I write sports romance and nothing irks me more than when the write doesn’t do their research on the main characters occupation. With all the research available on YouTube and the internet, their no reason to get these facts wrong.

2. Head-hopping. It’s an amateur writer and if they have an editor, an amateur editor mistake, too. Every line in a book should be written in an established POV. It can be 1st person or 3rd person or even the dreaded 2nd person. Scene by scene or chapter by chapter needs to be told from the established prospective.

3. Unnecessary writing. This one is hard because even as a writer, I never know what is enough and what is too much when it comes to everything. Too much description. Too much back story. Too much of characters inner thoughts. Too much of setting. And worst of all, too many scenes. If you can get to you point with less, do it.

What pulls you out of a story?