What kicks you out of a story.

[GonzoLife]

So I want to know what makes you 'Nope Out' of a story? For me it is two things;

1, Un-realistic body mechanics; if your POV character is being finger banged while sitting at a table in a restaurant, the person doing the fingering is going to need arms down to their knees and maybe an extra shoulder to reach your MC's G-spot while sitting in the chair next to your MC with our the whole restaurant knowing what is going on. I am not calling out names I just read a story and it was hot but the scence threw me out i could not get back in to it.

2, Unwarned Non-Consent; when I am not ready for it. I stopped watching 'Outlander', which my husband loves, because it felt like every time a new P.O.V. character was introduced the next thing that happened was a rape scene. I love Consensual Non-Consent, and some of the Mind Control I have read has been hot, but worn a person before your hurt the character you are trying to make me like.

 

[YDB95]

Humiliation that the reader is supposed to think is erotic. It's one thing if the character is accidentally seen naked and discovers s/he likes it, but if s/he clearly does not, that ain't sexy.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Author insertions, where the author then inserts something. There goes half of my stories .

Em

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Unicorns and any other contrived porn shit.

Women who up until then haven't been perceived as hot but then suddenly it's discovered that they have runway model measurements that just have been hidden under baggy clothing for years.

Men who can get women into bed by doing nothing.

Men who are fabulous performers in bed by doing nothing. (having a big cock is still doing nothing)

Characters whose only attractive feature is some body fetish.

Women who just happen to dress extra skimpy in normal every day situations that don't call for dressing skimpy.

Virgin women who cum the first time.

Virgin men with good stamina.

Men who are fully super hard, and as the scene gets steamier they get even harder and harder still.

(Non)-plot that is nothing more than situations contrived to conveniently wipe away all obstacles between the characters hooking up.

I'm sure that there's more.

 

[bumpercars]

As someone who writes a lot of NC/R, I agree especially with point 2. Some things always need content warnings. If it's in the NC/R category then that counts as a warning, but elsewhere you as the author need to include one.

As a reader, I nope out of stories with realistic pain or anguish, any story where the characters don't feel like they're making their own decisions, and anal.

 

[Euphony]

Measurements.
4th wall breaking.
The "sex has to happen" feeling. (prefer it organically comes from genuine connection, which isn't necessarily a full on romance)
Endless descriptions of everything.
Weather reports with no barring on the narrative.
Impossible proportions/anatomy outside of Sci-Fi.
Virgin super lovers.
Orgasm Obsession.
Celeb "stand ins" for description (we all have different context. Do the character work)
Pain, suffering, humiliation without SIGNIFICANT reason
Kama Sutra lovers (where it seems the only reason for continuing sex seems to be so they cover/checkmark every position possible.)

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Heavy handed character descriptions.

Don't bother reading me.

 

[KeithD]

water sports

 

[RainyDayPen]

I like a lot of kinky fetish things and BDSM things and I am really good at ignoring kinks that don't do it for me and just focusing on what does get me excited --- but I don't like anything involving consumption of bodily fluids etc. I can't ignore that and it's an instant turn off. Thankful to all who warn ahead in tags or in the top so I can just back out.

 

[ronde]

Body descriptions that are detailed down to the last pubic hair (or lack thereof).

Any measurements made by the character perceiving them - "I could tell she had 40DD breasts under that shirt", "I couldn't believe he had a 12" cock that was 3" thick."

Men who come "lots of steaming hot cum" and are hard and ready to go again almost immediately.

"First times" that go on for more than a few minutes.

Many more that involve improbable situations.

 

[Cali_Love]

Perfect, flawless characters. Booo.

 

[EroticCupcake]

I echo all the thoughts on measurements, and also the perfect bodies / characters.

Based on feedback so far in this thread, it looks like most writers feel this way. We want to put insecurities and flaws on our characters, even if they are superficial.

Is any John Q. Reader like "Man, I was super in to this story, but I get the feeling the girl has A-Cups and I'm only down for DD." Surely that doesn't happen?

 

[AG31]

Interesting question. I certainly do quit stories early. I'm not sure why, and will start watching. Maybe report back here. But I do think it's usually either because 1) it's just not my thing. Nothing against the story on its merits or 2) the writing is just too klunky. Maybe I'll be able to define klunky better when I've analyzed some more.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Is any John Q. Reader like "Man, I was super in to this story, but I get the feeling the girl has A-Cups and I'm only down for DD." Surely that doesn't happen?

Someone started a thread here last week that emphatically stated that they had to be 34C.

 

[Euphony]

Is any John Q. Reader like "Man, I was super in to this story, but I get the feeling the girl has A-Cups and I'm only down for DD." Surely that doesn't happen?

They wouldn't give the initial kudos.

"God damn author f*cked up a good story with itty bitty titty committee and wasted my god damn time."

Other authors are the only ones who seem to be able to appreciate parts but not the whole. (likely b/c they understand the process and decisions that have to be made) At least going by comments/AH discussions.

 

[GlennJenko]

Bad grammar usually does it for me. A few mistakes are understandable and pretty much a given, people aren't perfect, but when every paragraph has mistakes it takes me out and makes me just focus on those errors rather than what is going on in the story.

Connected, but I immediately nope out when a character's name changes with no warning or explanation. E.g when a character is introduced as Emily and yet several times throghout the story she's called Eva. It's extremely amateurish and if the author couldn't even be bothered to check they consistently used the same name for one of their main characters, I don't think it's worth my time.

It may not make me completely exit the story, but I'm definitely taken out of the story when during the sex there's someone (usually a woman) being like "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH". It again feels kind of amateurish and while I do think there are certain places it can work, seeing a block of that just takes me out and makes me think of better ways to convey what someone is feeling in such a scenario.

 

[EroticCupcake]

Bad grammar usually does it for me. A few mistakes are understandable and pretty much a given, people aren't perfect, but when every paragraph has mistakes it takes me out and makes me just focus on those errors rather than what is going on in the story.

Connected, but I immediately nope out when a character's name changes with no warning or explanation. E.g when a character is introduced as Emily and yet several times throghout the story she's called Eva. It's extremely amateurish and if the author couldn't even be bothered to check they consistently used the same name for one of their main characters, I don't think it's worth my time.

It may not make me completely exit the story, but I'm definitely taken out of the story when during the sex there's someone (usually a woman) being like "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH". It again feels kind of amateurish and while I do think there are certain places it can work, seeing a block of that just takes me out and makes me think of better ways to convey what someone is feeling in such a scenario.

This highlights an interesting idea I need to think about. The opening moments of a writing need to convey to the reader something like "relax, you are in good hands here."

I don't exactly know how to do that, but it's worth thinking about before submitting something.

In terms of non-perfect bodies, I feel like there is a special moment early in a relationship, where potential flaws (i.e. small breasts, big breasts, big ears, one crooked tooth, etc.) are the things you latch on to as special. You are so in love with that person, that a "flaw" becomes something personal to love.

Having flaws in character is not just realistic, but also necessary to capture one of the most fun parts of romance and love.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What kicks you out of a story.​

So. There is one thing. The same phrase repeated again and again.

So maybe the MMC has a really ripped chest. Seeing this referred to multiple times in essentially the same, or even - heaven forfend - exactly the same words.

• I looked at his bulging pecs
• Man, his pecs were super fine
• With pecs like those you don’t need to work
• Pec-o-licious
• I buried my head in his muscular pecs
• Pecs get your fresh pecs here
• His shirt was tight and couldn’t contain, let alone conceal, the perfection of his pectoral muscles

OK, I get it, he has pecs of steel. But you told me twenty times.

I know it’s hard to avoid repetition. It’s the bane of my life. But a little more effort, please.

Em

 

[Euphony]

So. There is one thing. The same phrase repeated again and again.

So maybe the MMC has a really ripped chest. Seeing this referred to multiple times in essentially the same, or even - heaven forfend - exactly the same words.

• I looked at his bulging pecs
• Man, his pecs were super fine
• With pecs like those you don’t need to work
• Pec-o-licious
• I buried my head in his muscular pecs
• Pecs get your fresh pecs here
• His shirt was tight and couldn’t contain, let alone conceal, the perfection of his pectoral muscles

OK, I get it, he has pecs of steel. But you told me twenty times.

I know it’s hard to avoid repetition. It’s the bane of my life. But a little more effort, please.

Em

My Inner Goddess has no idea what you're talking about.

 

[GlennJenko]

This highlights an interesting idea I need to think about. The opening moments of a writing need to convey to the reader something like "relax, you are in good hands here."

I don't exactly know how to do that, but it's worth thinking about before submitting something.

I feel you. I'm still in the process of writing my first story here (finally almost finished though!!!) and the opening is not something I'm proud of. It's a bit dull and I think takes too long to get going, so I'll need to try and edit that to be more enticing.

I'm thinking of looking at some other stories I like to see how they start and then go from there to use a similar thing in my own writing. Not copying, of course, but taking inspiration if needed.

 

[ElectricBlue]

An infodump in the first three-hundred words, or anything starting, "When I returned home on my summer break." Gone as fast as I can back-space.

 

[StillStunned]

Wait, do people actually read the stories on Lit? My stats seem to say otherwise.

 

[stonedinstilletos]

Lately, the one that’s been taking me out of the story has been when the author loses continuity (maybe I’m using the wrong word). For example, in one story I was reading, they started talking about going to prom, then they were coming homecoming, then it was prom.

The other one that is a real turn off is when the dialog is not set off with quote marks but instead is put into a pseudo script format and bullet pointed.

 

[FeralSmile]

Bad grammar usually does it for me. A few mistakes are understandable and pretty much a given, people aren't perfect, but when every paragraph has mistakes it takes me out and makes me just focus on those errors rather than what is going on in the story.

Same. Spelling and grammar are essential for me to engage with a story. I can forgive a lot and suspend disbelief in terms of characters and situations, but the writing itself won't grab me if I'm constantly noticing basic flaws. One or two mistakes isn't an issue (typos happen, and editing can leave behind artifacts of what came before), but frequent errors will cause me to stop reading entirely.

 

[StillStunned]

Unrealistic and overly stilted dialogue. I read a story here years ago, where a couple were talking. Every time one of them spoke, they began by saying the other's name.

"Annie, I'm so happy you're here."

"Bob, why?"

"Annie, I've been yearning for you."

"Bob, I've been yearning for you too."

Etc.

The only reason I kept reading was to see whether this continued throughout the story. It did.