@@StallionFernando I highly doubt the women writing these books listen to rap lmaoo and even if it did they should be old enough to know it isn't something to put into their books. Besides, music and books are very different because books you get invested in characters and storylines and therefore these themes being put into books are far more problematic than in music. Music can influence but not nearly as powerful as books are. A rapper isn't trying to tell you an ideal version of the situation, an ideal man or relationship. They haven't spent years on their verses. Authors should take farrrr more accountability. And not all rap is about this type of shit, rap can be extremely deep and even poetic. But as usual the only parts that hit the charts are the ones glorifying, as ALL genres of music do, money, women, cars etc and that's what represents it. A lot of rappers have stopped writing anything meaningful because it doesn't make any money or make them successful, it's quite sad really.
Here's some additional worst tips: 11 - This is a romance, so the whole setting needs to revolve around this romance. Your side characters don't need personality, they're just plot devices to either help or hinder the relationship. 12 - Is one of the leads having any interaction with someone of their desired sex? Then the other lead needs to immediately assume infidelity. There are no other people in your life when you're in love! 13 - If the romance is forbidden in any way, the leads must constantly angst over their damned souls and/or rave about their bigoted society! 14 - The only way to show someone love is to do something big and spectacular! Nobody ever falls in love with the little day-to-day things. Pulling off an amazing stunt is the only way to reconcile after a falling out.
Oh man! So true! Especially the point about story structure or plot. Sometimes I finish a book or movie and I’m like “what was the point of that?”. I know there’s such a thing as character driven stories, but good ones are not at the expense of plot. Thank you for this additional list.
lol. I'm writing about a vampire. But so far from a romance. There's isn't even a subplot love story going on. XD But what's up with the fairies anyway?
We all know that Squire Darcy emerging from the fairy dust fountain, tunic painted on his manly yet spritely chest is exactly what Pride and Prejudice and Wings needed.
@@happymilk7433 (it's a joke, I'm being sarcastic, I don't know if you are too, I'm just referencing that "it sounds fake" line from Jenna's vid, so sorry if you took it seriously)
One of my pet peeves is when the man is expected to do EVERYTHING while the woman just passively waits or even resists. That's why you get tropes like kidnapping because it takes that (frankly boring) dynamic to the extreme. I adore romances where both people are active participants in the relationship. Down with the "woman who secretly wants it" trope. Give me women who OPENLY want it, who actually have to do something to make the romance progress. Give me a couple who makes a move on each other and waits to see how the other reacts.
Yea. Also, I've noticed that when having the man do everything, the authors will often filter most events through the woman, making the scenes easier to write or even skippable in some cases, requiring less research (like, make the man have a complex plan, but instead of showing all the struggles he had to go thorough to execute it, just show the results the woman sees). I've noticed this is a common tactic used by authors who are just lazy.
AND let's not forget "banter"... or innuendo... double entendre... or any of a variety of "codes" used in conversation to subtly make a pass and the good natured ways to handle it... Writers have especially forgotten how to choreograph a short chat that could be understood on more than one level... especially around the beginning of a couple "checking each other's motives out". It should be BOTH kinda funny and kinda hot and exciting... leaving the reader with a combination of "Did s/he really say that?" and "Did s/he really mean it THAT way?!" ;o)
Bruh, let me tell you. When I was younger and still a huge part of purity culture, this trope and borderline rape scenarios were my dirty fanfic tropes. You get the fuel fantasy of 'its not your fault' and the expression and exploration of your sexuality. It's not good. And!! It helps justify and romanticise the kinda mediocre way men from purity culture are gonna treat you, too. God, I hate it now.
Okay, question: did the guy that betrayed the queen faerie end up becoming a love interest of the MC and he and the guy with the golden mask get into a love triangle over her? (Book club. Also, I cannot get the line, "he sheathed himself inside me" out of my memory.)
Mini Williams oh yep rhysand? he ends up as feyre’s mate in the second book. it’s kind of jumpy bc ACOMAF (the second book) really reads as if someone read ACOTAR and wrote a redemption fic for rhysand. i cant STAND the first book it’s so toxic and problematic?? also yes that line is disgusting eW
Carolyn Tellier yeah tamlin (spring court dude) kinda becomes the villain in the second book and you’re meant to root for rhysand?? which is kind of weird considering how predatory and weird he is in the first book....in the second book tamlin becomes hella abusive and basically locks feyre up and abuses her it’s a wild ride
@@mayday4495 Mate???? Oh, no. It gets worse. I completely forgot their names 😂 (I always forget character names). I hated Rhysand for exactly the same reasons.
Let's not forget that if your story is outside the romance genre, then it needs a romantic subplot, regardless of how much it doesn't fit. It's also critical that the subplot gradually replaces the main plot. Stopping the dark lord from eating the sun can wait, I'm gonna bone the love interest!
‘Their personality is a box of tissues.’ Ya know, depending on the kind of tissues, this could say a lot. Are they those flimsy, scratchy ones that make your nose irritated? Are they soft and rip in seconds? Are they full of disgusting things? Crumpled from being shoved in a pocket with the intent to use them down the line, but then forgotten? Do schools have fundraisers to buy them? Have they been through the washing machine? Not even getting into the box itself... I need to know!
Ah. You are the kind of writer who when someone is shot goes into three pages of describing the gun and the bullet and the targeting system and the manufacturing and the sales and distribution in excruciating detail. Not even getting into the holster and the box it came in... Somewhere during those three pages the guy who got shot gets up, bandages his wound, and drives himself to the doctor.
gerald frost maybe the box has a very important backstory and a personality and character arc! Maybe it contained the heart of fallen kings, maybe it was a priceless artifact imbued with a soul, but turned bitter and full of hatred because some random tourists mistook it for a trash can! ~we’ll never knoooooow~ Jokes aside, I look far to deeply into the wrong things constantly, but it’s fun. So thank you? Yeah, thank you. Now to go shoot a character...
Once, I've beta-read a novel in which a girl had a sexy time with her boyfriend under a shower while talking about ... her best friend that just happen to be sexually agressed. Best scene ever !
That's like sex-ception! But grosser! It's like the one time, where I read about a guy hooking up with another guy at a bar and as they were aggressively making out and then really going at it, he thought back to the last time he had sex with his ex-boyfriend, basically describing that scene instead and I was like "Dude... You're being penetrated _right now_ ... Priorities??" That and a whole layer of "that's not a topic to be discussed while doing the exact thing that shouldn't be discussed in this context".
To achieve a meet-cute that can show simple interest without insta love, you can simply show simple interest lol. Maybe something cute that they pick up on about the other when they did first meet, and the physical response to that (not over the top; you’re not on the verge of an orgasm over a stranger lol, but maybe your heart beats a little faster when they get near) To show that they’re *right* for each other? The easiest and best ways I’ve seen storytellers show how right characters are for each other are with showing how well they work together. That’s a little more challenging to set up as a meet-cute, but something like being put into the same project for school or for work and discovering that you guys operate on similar wavelengths as they’re trying to solve a problem (or more creative situations than the ones I could come up with lol) could be a good way to show this
It’s an art to slow writing. Slow down your process and build up to it. Make the protagonist relate to how you act around friends of the opposite sex then boom at the end let them get together. I learned the hard way from writing fast track romances.
To me this only works when the two characters don't like each other at first, despite a compatibility in their personalities that is apparent to the reader. So the READER sees it as a "meet cute" but it's not really love at first site, or insta love. (Both of which are super cringe and dated IMHO, love is hard damn work)
I feel like #1 fairy porn is meant to be shade towards shara j maas books and I'm HERE FOR IT. Like honestly, I read the throne of glass series when I was in highschool and it started out with a badass female assassin and ended up with... fairy porn, as you so cleverly worded. And yes, fairy porn is basically all she writes about since that's what acotar AND her latest series are about. Edit: OH MY GOD, I literally finished writing this comment as soon as she said "high lord of the summer court", I'm SCREAMING😂😂😂
Also, can we talk about how toxic the mc's love interests always are and how shara literally *acknowledges* it (Aelin always talks about how awful it is for Rowan to be possessive and territorial of her all the time) yet continue to write about them? My god, I'm annoyed at that.
@@danamirrors4310 oh gosh, where do I begin, so there's a lot of "we just survived an important ass battle, now imma throw you against a wall with my air avatar power and mentally finger you with my weird ass 'invisible hands' (yes, that is an actual thing an actual character, Dorian, could do) power" and a lot of "ride me but like watch out for my wings bc they sensitive... like my d-" and btw, there's this thing where significant others are called "mates" and your mate is basically handed out to you by... a fucking boiler, I'm not lying, so there's this "bond" you have (of course) where you can feel each others feelings and I guess that gives you the right (if you're a dude, of course) to be totally possessive and territorial of them and to literally not let them be near a person of the opposite sex ever. Oh, scents are also a thing, like if you ever meet a fae dude, know he's gonna be aware of everything you've put in your body in the past 24 hours and they gonna know if you're horny or on your period too. And obvi a fuckton of metaphors for private parts (that I wish I could remember) because god forbid you utter the words "penis" or "clitoris", that's basically illegal. Uhh... I'm sure I'm forgetting a LOT but again, I've read the books a couple of years ago when I was in highschool and I think I've buried the trauma deep down, so that's the best I could do.
@@danamirrors4310 You're so very welcome for passing this very important fairy porn knowledge on, I know, I'm basically a saint, you don't have to grovel.
I literally have no clue. It sells, but I'll be damned if I knew why. People are sick in the head, or can't for a second imagine how any of that would feel in real life? I don't know why people want to read about characters that are effing morons and abusive shits. It's not exactly interesting or characters you'll remember with a nostalgic feel a few years later. *shakes head*
Really? No-one is here to point out how Jareth, The Goblin King (AKA David Bowie in a huge wig, tights and tons of glitter) is still one of the most masculine and badass characters in film? Just me?
Thank you for calling out the horny trauma trope, I used to think I was the odd one out because I always found it strange how anyone could want to have sex or make out after something horrible happened, I thought it was just an ace thing but you've made it clear that any audience with common sense thinks the same. Comforting a partner shouldn't require their clothes to come off. Can't believe that has to be said yet here we fucking are. And might I add that illness (mental or physical) is not a personality trait? Adding it to a character and/or their relationship doesn't make them or the relationship good or interesting, a lot of writers just throw it in there and hardly develop it well. Wtf is it being romanticized when it's barely referenced or has any weight to the story, relationship, and/or character development? *Cough* 13 Reasons Why *Cough*
I think it's equally weird with the make-up sex stuff that happens in movies all the time... like 2 seconds after they fought. I dunno about other people, but being really angry doesn't turn me on. XD
This is the third video that made me say "people write like this?" out loud. I really need to set some time for more reading. Experience the horrors myself
I’m running a D&D game, and one of the player characters is an asexual fairy with psychic powers. They killed the main villain’s second-in-command last session.
I just got done asking a friend of mine why girls fall for bad boys that have shallow attitudes towards them and are abusive. That I swear I could turn into horror story based on real events. Why people consider this or that romantic is beyond me.
Yeah, the faerie sub genre has been treated pretty poorly, which is such a shame, because celtic mythology and folklore are really interesting. A fey story with a healthy relationship would shock and delight me.
Your makeup is so on point today but also I just wanted to take a moment and love on how unashamed you are that you love romance. I don't even read romance and I know the genre is generally looked down upon despite being immensely popular and making a lot of money. PSA ladies (and gentlemen) you don't have to be ashamed of what you like!!! I also love how you hate on abusive romance and love healthy romance. I totally agree with you. I admire you Jenna, I really do. Keep being a cyborg 🙂⚙️⚙️⚙️
You KILLED me right at #1 XDDDDD And 8:00 threw me right back into the English Sailor Moon dub where they tried to un-lesbian a couple but failed so horribly they ended up making them a lesbian cousin couple instead.
😂...😨...4:59, sounding a lot like the romances my mother used to read... When I was twelve I never could understand all of it... ....maybe that's why I'm so screwed up now! 🤘😁. Thanks.
Okay so I am writing a "shifter book" but it's not a romance. There is romance in it but honestly I read other shifter romance and was like "yeah anything but this" 😂 for one I didnt let my main Male mc just let his "wolf" take over. No he was like "she is human she wont understand this we have to go super slow" and he does. Also I refuse any cheating in books. I honestly dont read books if I see that. And I dont like love triangles, because it doesnt make sense to me.
Omg!!! The sarcasm in this is on point. Love it. Although I have to admit I really perfer fantasy romance, just with consent and healthy relationships.
Oh yeah, I'm living for these vids. Can't get enough of the snark [and of course, the advice]. About died of laughter when the mention of the "high lord of the summer court" came up.
Jenna! I just wanted to say that the romance in TSC was so pleasantly surprising. It was so refreshing in a genre dominated by the same relationship story over and over. You're awesome!
Alright, so with #2, the same thing happened in watchmen. An unbelievable number of people in New York were killed by a giant alien squid monster and somehow that caused nite owl and silk spectre to smash. I DONT UNDERSTAND. but because the story was good, no one complained.... no one complained except me 😂
I couldn't make a comment when I first watched this video. I love how it was dripping in sarcasm,.and it was actually very much like a George Carlin comedic talking point. Absolutely enjoyed it.
7:46 I need to steal that ice cream analogy for future conversations. Thank you so much for acknowleding the existence of asexuals (and anybody else who isn't interested in sex for any other reason)! 💜
Holy crap Thanks Jenna for all these most recent videos! They have been perfect for my second novel! Y'know what? Imma add you to my Special Thanks at the end of the book! (If that's okay)
OMG! This video totally made my day! You literally covered everything I loath about a lot of bad romances out there! Also, don't forget! It's not a true romance about love if there are no love triangles! I mean how does the character really know their love interest is the one if there's no competition and they don't get to bang both to see who they like better! Better yet! The LI needs to cheat on the main character so that when the love interest finally comes back around to her, it's always a her btw, the main character knows that it's true love because they always come back to them - or maybe it's because MC is a door mat?
It's one thing to deal with grief by trying to live your life EXTRA hard by doing the first person you see on the street (honestly no shame here, people react to death differently than others) but it's another thing to ugly cry on one page and bumping uglies on the next
Imma be real. I have read an emotionally abusive, fairy dark romance where she gets pregnant and where one of the love triangle is desperate to knock her up, to the point where if he understood birth control he'd stop it. I enjoyed the shit out of it while hating it.
Celtic pagan here and it's weird because I was planning an Arthurian thing centring a girl Mordred as the main character... And none of the fae characters were main character love interests at all. All of them are extremely powerful, potentially dangerous and when they're being helpful still not fully trustworthy. The main romantic interest for Mordred was actually one of the maid girls working at camelot, actually :p And she is like, one of the main factors in helping Mordred grow and learn what good happy relationships are so she can escape her abusive relationship with her mum. (The maid is also her own person and gets up to some fun stuff of course)
#5 has ruined a lot of stories and shows for me , but "You know that kid is gonna go places, like therapy or prison." makes it worth it. The laugh I had took me by surprise. Every line in this is gold but that one is definitely my favorite.
Jenna!!! I love your videos. Thanks for always advocating for normal instead of abusive romanticized relationships P.s. how does one become one of your beta readers
I think that goes for anything. As long as it's with consent and not just an "insert random mythological creature here" and have them rape/abuse the woman for funsies until she somehow "falls" for him. That's the sick part. I'd say you can use whatever creature you want, as long as it's written as if it's between actual people and with consent and mutual attraction.
“Some may call him a predator but I call the police.”
This was my favorite line.
I'm still laughing at this
The best line from this video 🤣
hahahaha! IKR? I'm looking at you Edward from Twilight who sneaks into Bella's bedroom at night to watch her sleep!
That was such a great line
this was so sarcastic I thought I was watching terrible writing advice.
TWA, a legend
thought so
That's a crossover that should exist.
Yes please I need this crossover
Nah, where was the love triangle? Can't have a TWA without one.
"If they wanted to read about actual characters, they'd pick up a book. Wait a minute..." 😂😂😂
I'm DYING from all the laughing!
A non-fiction book. ;-)
1:11 Writing a thesis is easy
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"Women aren't funny" - People who haven't watched Jenna's videos.
I feel bad for anybody who watches this video that doesn't understand sarcasm and/or satire
It's ok. People that inept probably don't watch Jenna's videos.
I don't. ;o)
We soooo need a sarcasm font.
The fact that she needs to say these things disturbs me. How did we come to a point where these are acceptable trends?
That’s just how fleeting romance truly is
Its fiction.
Blame rap music.
Shade at a court of thorn I think Sarah j Maas or something.
@@StallionFernando I highly doubt the women writing these books listen to rap lmaoo and even if it did they should be old enough to know it isn't something to put into their books. Besides, music and books are very different because books you get invested in characters and storylines and therefore these themes being put into books are far more problematic than in music. Music can influence but not nearly as powerful as books are. A rapper isn't trying to tell you an ideal version of the situation, an ideal man or relationship. They haven't spent years on their verses. Authors should take farrrr more accountability.
And not all rap is about this type of shit, rap can be extremely deep and even poetic. But as usual the only parts that hit the charts are the ones glorifying, as ALL genres of music do, money, women, cars etc and that's what represents it. A lot of rappers have stopped writing anything meaningful because it doesn't make any money or make them successful, it's quite sad really.
*Jenna:* 10 worse tips for writing romance
*90% of Wattpad Writers:* Note them down!
and I'm the other 10% XD
Oof. Right in the feels.
the harry styles adopted me fan fic writers are shook 🙈
hey that’s illegal🥴
@@meyrins8058 same here
Here's some additional worst tips:
11 - This is a romance, so the whole setting needs to revolve around this romance. Your side characters don't need personality, they're just plot devices to either help or hinder the relationship.
12 - Is one of the leads having any interaction with someone of their desired sex? Then the other lead needs to immediately assume infidelity. There are no other people in your life when you're in love!
13 - If the romance is forbidden in any way, the leads must constantly angst over their damned souls and/or rave about their bigoted society!
14 - The only way to show someone love is to do something big and spectacular! Nobody ever falls in love with the little day-to-day things. Pulling off an amazing stunt is the only way to reconcile after a falling out.
Oh man! So true! Especially the point about story structure or plot. Sometimes I finish a book or movie and I’m like “what was the point of that?”. I know there’s such a thing as character driven stories, but good ones are not at the expense of plot. Thank you for this additional list.
completely agree on all of this but especially number 11!
#11 is literally why I don’t read genre romance
Jenna: Your Romance SUCKS!!
Vampire Novelists: Hey wait a minute
🤣🤣🤣🤣
lol. I'm writing about a vampire. But so far from a romance. There's isn't even a subplot love story going on. XD But what's up with the fairies anyway?
@@SysterYster I actually really like vampires, but more the classic type. I also happen to really like puns, even if they *_suck_*
*gay characters look away from each other and sip tea*
@@Someone-or8tp Hahaha! XD
Oh yeah, Fairies is what Jane Austen was missing. That’s why her romances aren’t very popular or well known.
We all know that Squire Darcy emerging from the fairy dust fountain, tunic painted on his manly yet spritely chest is exactly what Pride and Prejudice and Wings needed.
@@jbcatz5 this comment needs more appreciation 😂
I literally, LITERALLY laughed out loud at this one. You've outdone yourself with this! 😂😂😂
I'm doing the same! I can't stop crying because of the laughter!
Well, the pain caused by the laughter, but who is counting?!
1:57 Writing a thesis is easy
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"Think as them [romantic interest] not as a human, but rather as a hand with lotion."
That made squawk lol.
As an asexual, I can confirm I do not exist
I mean, it sounds fake ngl
Marianiki2002 Strong How?
@@happymilk7433 (it's a joke, I'm being sarcastic, I don't know if you are too, I'm just referencing that "it sounds fake" line from Jenna's vid, so sorry if you took it seriously)
Yes, imagine if allos weren’t the only ones around. Wack.
We're just as real as dragons guys XD
One of my pet peeves is when the man is expected to do EVERYTHING while the woman just passively waits or even resists. That's why you get tropes like kidnapping because it takes that (frankly boring) dynamic to the extreme. I adore romances where both people are active participants in the relationship. Down with the "woman who secretly wants it" trope. Give me women who OPENLY want it, who actually have to do something to make the romance progress. Give me a couple who makes a move on each other and waits to see how the other reacts.
Yea. Also, I've noticed that when having the man do everything, the authors will often filter most events through the woman, making the scenes easier to write or even skippable in some cases, requiring less research (like, make the man have a complex plan, but instead of showing all the struggles he had to go thorough to execute it, just show the results the woman sees). I've noticed this is a common tactic used by authors who are just lazy.
@@claire98 RIGHT?! Who has such poor taste that they don't enjoy watching a pining man? It's freaking adorable and we deserve to see it.
AND let's not forget "banter"... or innuendo... double entendre... or any of a variety of "codes" used in conversation to subtly make a pass and the good natured ways to handle it...
Writers have especially forgotten how to choreograph a short chat that could be understood on more than one level... especially around the beginning of a couple "checking each other's motives out". It should be BOTH kinda funny and kinda hot and exciting... leaving the reader with a combination of "Did s/he really say that?" and "Did s/he really mean it THAT way?!" ;o)
Couples who are openly attracted to each other? _Heresy!_ What do you think this is, real life?
Bruh, let me tell you. When I was younger and still a huge part of purity culture, this trope and borderline rape scenarios were my dirty fanfic tropes.
You get the fuel fantasy of 'its not your fault' and the expression and exploration of your sexuality. It's not good.
And!! It helps justify and romanticise the kinda mediocre way men from purity culture are gonna treat you, too.
God, I hate it now.
'fairie porn' 'your love interest is now the high lord of the summer court' JENNA HOW MUCH DO YOU HATE ACOTAR
Jenna: YES.
Okay, question: did the guy that betrayed the queen faerie end up becoming a love interest of the MC and he and the guy with the golden mask get into a love triangle over her? (Book club. Also, I cannot get the line, "he sheathed himself inside me" out of my memory.)
Mini Williams oh yep rhysand? he ends up as feyre’s mate in the second book. it’s kind of jumpy bc ACOMAF (the second book) really reads as if someone read ACOTAR and wrote a redemption fic for rhysand. i cant STAND the first book it’s so toxic and problematic?? also yes that line is disgusting eW
Carolyn Tellier yeah tamlin (spring court dude) kinda becomes the villain in the second book and you’re meant to root for rhysand?? which is kind of weird considering how predatory and weird he is in the first book....in the second book tamlin becomes hella abusive and basically locks feyre up and abuses her it’s a wild ride
@@mayday4495 Mate???? Oh, no. It gets worse. I completely forgot their names 😂 (I always forget character names). I hated Rhysand for exactly the same reasons.
I knew that Jenna was sarcastic, but damn. You dropped this 👑
The biggest takeaway is that Jenna had to explicitly state that this was sarcasm.
THAT is what took this whole episode of comedy gold and turned it into a smoldering tragedy. ;o)
"Awwww yeah choke on that mucus"
Why does your comment say it came out like 5 days ago wtf lol
@@orion_x-000 I'm a patron on patreon and got to see it early
@@AnnaKateTheGreat91 Ohhhh ok. That's cool you got to see it early!
Someone should be taking this out of context
Let's not forget that if your story is outside the romance genre, then it needs a romantic subplot, regardless of how much it doesn't fit. It's also critical that the subplot gradually replaces the main plot. Stopping the dark lord from eating the sun can wait, I'm gonna bone the love interest!
Villain *nomnom!*
As Krimson Rogue once said about an Onision novel, "It's weird, man! Do you pick up chicks at funerals?!" Great video, Jenna, as always! :)
"Romance means sex."
*laughs in asexual*
Same bruh
me
"Romance means sex" should fall into the bin with "The difference between Love and lust is 'spit' and 'swallow'..." ;o)
*laughs also in asexual*
1:42 Write an essay quickly
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"Choke on that mucus". Lmaooooo.
"Think of them as a hand covered in lotion." That sentence had me reeling, somehow managed to bring tears to my eyes. Dear lord. Thank you for that.
‘Their personality is a box of tissues.’
Ya know, depending on the kind of tissues, this could say a lot. Are they those flimsy, scratchy ones that make your nose irritated? Are they soft and rip in seconds? Are they full of disgusting things? Crumpled from being shoved in a pocket with the intent to use them down the line, but then forgotten? Do schools have fundraisers to buy them? Have they been through the washing machine? Not even getting into the box itself... I need to know!
Ah. You are the kind of writer who when someone is shot goes into three pages of describing the gun and the bullet and the targeting system and the manufacturing and the sales and distribution in excruciating detail. Not even getting into the holster and the box it came in...
Somewhere during those three pages the guy who got shot gets up, bandages his wound, and drives himself to the doctor.
gerald frost maybe the box has a very important backstory and a personality and character arc! Maybe it contained the heart of fallen kings, maybe it was a priceless artifact imbued with a soul, but turned bitter and full of hatred because some random tourists mistook it for a trash can! ~we’ll never knoooooow~
Jokes aside, I look far to deeply into the wrong things constantly, but it’s fun. So thank you? Yeah, thank you. Now to go shoot a character...
Once, I've beta-read a novel in which a girl had a sexy time with her boyfriend under a shower while talking about ... her best friend that just happen to be sexually agressed. Best scene ever !
That's like sex-ception! But grosser!
It's like the one time, where I read about a guy hooking up with another guy at a bar and as they were aggressively making out and then really going at it, he thought back to the last time he had sex with his ex-boyfriend, basically describing that scene instead and I was like "Dude... You're being penetrated _right now_ ... Priorities??"
That and a whole layer of "that's not a topic to be discussed while doing the exact thing that shouldn't be discussed in this context".
Omg! Please tell me the writer changed that part
@@bri1024 She found a publisher but then thought her book wasn't that great (!) and declined. I think she wrote it again.
A video on the meet-cute would be great. How can you show that two people are right for each other in the first scene without instalove?
“Some may call him a predator but I... call the police.” LOL
To achieve a meet-cute that can show simple interest without insta love, you can simply show simple interest lol. Maybe something cute that they pick up on about the other when they did first meet, and the physical response to that (not over the top; you’re not on the verge of an orgasm over a stranger lol, but maybe your heart beats a little faster when they get near)
To show that they’re *right* for each other? The easiest and best ways I’ve seen storytellers show how right characters are for each other are with showing how well they work together. That’s a little more challenging to set up as a meet-cute, but something like being put into the same project for school or for work and discovering that you guys operate on similar wavelengths as they’re trying to solve a problem (or more creative situations than the ones I could come up with lol) could be a good way to show this
I hate the meet-cute so very much. In all it's forms. That's Hallmark channel, not real life.
It’s an art to slow writing. Slow down your process and build up to it. Make the protagonist relate to how you act around friends of the opposite sex then boom at the end let them get together. I learned the hard way from writing fast track romances.
To me this only works when the two characters don't like each other at first, despite a compatibility in their personalities that is apparent to the reader. So the READER sees it as a "meet cute" but it's not really love at first site, or insta love. (Both of which are super cringe and dated IMHO, love is hard damn work)
Why do I feel like Jenna was personally attacking Sarah J Mass haha 😂
She is lol
🤣🤣🤣 "When will my prince come?!" Ohhh thank you for this hyperbole.
TIMESTAMPS:
#1 FAERIE PORN 1:43
#2 GRIEF BONER 2:34
#3 DUNGEON VIBES 3:31
#4 DYSFUNCTION 4:13
#5 DIAPER DUTY 4:58
#6 VIRGINAL IDIOT 5:41
#7 INTIMIDATION 6:16
#8 CHARACTERIZATION IS FOR LOSERS 6:57
#9 BOINKING 7:43
#10 EDGE LORD 8:29
Thank you, I was looking for something like this :)
"Aaawww yeah. Choke on that mucus!"
I laughed and gagged all at once
I feel like #1 fairy porn is meant to be shade towards shara j maas books and I'm HERE FOR IT. Like honestly, I read the throne of glass series when I was in highschool and it started out with a badass female assassin and ended up with... fairy porn, as you so cleverly worded. And yes, fairy porn is basically all she writes about since that's what acotar AND her latest series are about.
Edit: OH MY GOD, I literally finished writing this comment as soon as she said "high lord of the summer court", I'm SCREAMING😂😂😂
I finished reading it just as she said high lord of the summer court 😂
Also, can we talk about how toxic the mc's love interests always are and how shara literally *acknowledges* it (Aelin always talks about how awful it is for Rowan to be possessive and territorial of her all the time) yet continue to write about them? My god, I'm annoyed at that.
I've never read those books, but I'm curious about what the hell is, like... How, how does fairy porn works?
@@danamirrors4310 oh gosh, where do I begin, so there's a lot of "we just survived an important ass battle, now imma throw you against a wall with my air avatar power and mentally finger you with my weird ass 'invisible hands' (yes, that is an actual thing an actual character, Dorian, could do) power" and a lot of "ride me but like watch out for my wings bc they sensitive... like my d-" and btw, there's this thing where significant others are called "mates" and your mate is basically handed out to you by... a fucking boiler, I'm not lying, so there's this "bond" you have (of course) where you can feel each others feelings and I guess that gives you the right (if you're a dude, of course) to be totally possessive and territorial of them and to literally not let them be near a person of the opposite sex ever. Oh, scents are also a thing, like if you ever meet a fae dude, know he's gonna be aware of everything you've put in your body in the past 24 hours and they gonna know if you're horny or on your period too. And obvi a fuckton of metaphors for private parts (that I wish I could remember) because god forbid you utter the words "penis" or "clitoris", that's basically illegal. Uhh... I'm sure I'm forgetting a LOT but again, I've read the books a couple of years ago when I was in highschool and I think I've buried the trauma deep down, so that's the best I could do.
@@danamirrors4310 You're so very welcome for passing this very important fairy porn knowledge on, I know, I'm basically a saint, you don't have to grovel.
I don’t think any of those things are mutually exclusive. In fact, I think I’ve actually read several books that had all of them...
Garrett I’m so sorry you had to go through that man. This is hurting my soul but I’ve read many stories with these and i might die
Please share the titles! That's exactly the type of book I send to my ex wife!
Why are so many writers so determined on making their love interests the most loathsome characters ever.
Because it sells so readers want it, look at fifty shades.
The dRAmA. I'm not even joking.
I literally have no clue. It sells, but I'll be damned if I knew why. People are sick in the head, or can't for a second imagine how any of that would feel in real life? I don't know why people want to read about characters that are effing morons and abusive shits. It's not exactly interesting or characters you'll remember with a nostalgic feel a few years later. *shakes head*
@@claire98 But you can have plenty of drama without all the stupid. :P
@@SysterYster I wish every writer knew this
Is it just me or is she calling out SJM at #1 😂
Exactly what I was thinking 😂😅
I was literally thinking about that and then she said "high lord of the summer court", I'm dead💀 I'm so here for it, I 100% agree with her😂
I wonder if she’s read her books 😆
I feel like half of this video of calling out SJM.
Just at the first one?
Really? No-one is here to point out how Jareth, The Goblin King (AKA David Bowie in a huge wig, tights and tons of glitter) is still one of the most masculine and badass characters in film? Just me?
"Your romance sucks" I feel personally attacked... It may be true, but not all demon partners are easy to please.
I felt that. I also have a demon 😔
I also have demons. But it's not a romance. :P
Dang and here I sat, thinking that I was special writing about an incubus...
Why trend-mill, why??
@@midnight8341 lol. My demon is a nature demon, so at least the type is different. :P
@@SysterYster so it's a case of "No, see, mine is _totally_ original. It's blue!"? xD
Looks like Terrible Writing Advices has taken over Jenna's channel.
Beware of the almighty Love Triangle
Love triangles are soooo 1980. We're on to love hexagons, which is what witches do.
Thank you for calling out the horny trauma trope, I used to think I was the odd one out because I always found it strange how anyone could want to have sex or make out after something horrible happened, I thought it was just an ace thing but you've made it clear that any audience with common sense thinks the same.
Comforting a partner shouldn't require their clothes to come off. Can't believe that has to be said yet here we fucking are.
And might I add that illness (mental or physical) is not a personality trait? Adding it to a character and/or their relationship doesn't make them or the relationship good or interesting, a lot of writers just throw it in there and hardly develop it well. Wtf is it being romanticized when it's barely referenced or has any weight to the story, relationship, and/or character development? *Cough* 13 Reasons Why *Cough*
I think it's equally weird with the make-up sex stuff that happens in movies all the time... like 2 seconds after they fought. I dunno about other people, but being really angry doesn't turn me on. XD
This is the third video that made me say "people write like this?" out loud. I really need to set some time for more reading. Experience the horrors myself
Save yourself some time, and just watch a few episodes of Sword Art Online.
The book I'm outlining actually discouraged those kind of romances, so that makes me happy hearing this.
I am VERY glad that my fairy character is asexual now.
I’m very glad my fairy monarch obsessed with their former lover’s family is seen as a creepy guardian at best, outright villain at worst :D
My fairy character died :/ and Iove her
I’m running a D&D game, and one of the player characters is an asexual fairy with psychic powers. They killed the main villain’s second-in-command last session.
The sarcasm levels are off the charts with this one. 😳 I love it.
I am literally crying with laughter this is perfect.
I was just thinking about romantic subplots for my comic, how lucky. Thank you for making this video!
I love how she is so real with these writing tropes.
Your points, all of them, are helpful but I needed to hear the part about the love interest being their own person. Thank you!
this is just an entire rant video about Sarah J mass, and honestly... I'm here for it.
I just got done asking a friend of mine why girls fall for bad boys that have shallow attitudes towards them and are abusive. That I swear I could turn into horror story based on real events. Why people consider this or that romantic is beyond me.
“Some people like to take things slow.” You are queen, and I love you
Yeah, the faerie sub genre has been treated pretty poorly, which is such a shame, because celtic mythology and folklore are really interesting. A fey story with a healthy relationship would shock and delight me.
Knife was a good fairy story. It's YA, but I really liked it. Cute.
Oh God there's still hope for me
Your makeup is so on point today but also I just wanted to take a moment and love on how unashamed you are that you love romance. I don't even read romance and I know the genre is generally looked down upon despite being immensely popular and making a lot of money. PSA ladies (and gentlemen) you don't have to be ashamed of what you like!!! I also love how you hate on abusive romance and love healthy romance. I totally agree with you. I admire you Jenna, I really do. Keep being a cyborg 🙂⚙️⚙️⚙️
I detect a SJM reference!
Also "The pervert of the unfulfilled Karen's sexual fantasies" I DIED
You KILLED me right at #1 XDDDDD
And 8:00 threw me right back into the English Sailor Moon dub where they tried to un-lesbian a couple but failed so horribly they ended up making them a lesbian cousin couple instead.
Every point of the video was a direct attack at SJM lmao
Yeahhh she needs to watch this .😑
😂...😨...4:59, sounding a lot like the romances my mother used to read...
When I was twelve I never could understand all of it...
....maybe that's why I'm so screwed up now! 🤘😁.
Thanks.
I was in the middle of a huge gulp of water when she said "choke on that mucus".
I never thought we would need to teach writers to not write about an exotic prince buying y/n off in an auction
Thanks for mentioning my book and using it for your giveaway 😃. Happy release week Jenna ⭐️
Okay so I am writing a "shifter book" but it's not a romance. There is romance in it but honestly I read other shifter romance and was like "yeah anything but this" 😂 for one I didnt let my main Male mc just let his "wolf" take over. No he was like "she is human she wont understand this we have to go super slow" and he does. Also I refuse any cheating in books. I honestly dont read books if I see that. And I dont like love triangles, because it doesnt make sense to me.
*Top 10 worst anime relationships*
Yes. Also, top 10 worst manga/light novels tropes.
Pamela Spaulding lol
This is just what I needed 👉👈
Lesson learned, don't drink water while watching Jenna 😂😂
I choked i should have sawn this comment 💀
I was drinking tea...
@@benjaminthibieroz4155 oh no that's the worst, so sorry 😂
@@gracechristensen4479 I did NOT spit it out. I struggled, but tea shall not be spilled. Not a single drop.
@@benjaminthibieroz4155 oh good, spilling tea is a very sad thing lol
Omg!!! The sarcasm in this is on point. Love it. Although I have to admit I really perfer fantasy romance, just with consent and healthy relationships.
Oh yeah, I'm living for these vids. Can't get enough of the snark [and of course, the advice]. About died of laughter when the mention of the "high lord of the summer court" came up.
Jenna! I just wanted to say that the romance in TSC was so pleasantly surprising. It was so refreshing in a genre dominated by the same relationship story over and over. You're awesome!
LOL 🤣🤣🤣. I really needed this
Even on a Sunday. Jenna gave us a special treat and it's not Halloween 🎃🤠🎃
"It's not romantic unless its dysfunctional" haha I wish I'd took that as an advice for writing only haha
I am ROARING with laughter and side-eyeing some books I’ve been reading 🤣
Alright, so with #2, the same thing happened in watchmen. An unbelievable number of people in New York were killed by a giant alien squid monster and somehow that caused nite owl and silk spectre to smash. I DONT UNDERSTAND. but because the story was good, no one complained.... no one complained except me 😂
I'm feeling personally attacked since my romance novel is literally about fairies...........
Same lmao, you aren't alone
3:37 I guess you hated 365 Days? Understandable.
The roasting is truly sublime 🤣🤣🤣
Almost spat out my coffee several times. I need more videos like this! The amount of sarcasm here 🤣🤣🤣
Jenna's shirt is the mood of my conscience. I should be writing lol
Btw jennaaa can't wait for TSS! 💜
I love it, cause now I can write a healthy romance AND an unhealthy romance to contrast the healthy one.
Thank you my Cyborg Queen :D
None of these are as romantic as, "get in the truck Granny, and grab the beer."
If this was the first line of a story, I'd definitely read the first page! It asks tooooo many questions!
I aspire to be able to maintain a sarcastic dialogue for this long *puts hand over heart as tear rolls down cheek*. Love u Jenna!!!
At least 5 of those come from the ACOTAR series and I'm here for that
I couldn't make a comment when I first watched this video. I love how it was dripping in sarcasm,.and it was actually very much like a George Carlin comedic talking point. Absolutely enjoyed it.
7:46 I need to steal that ice cream analogy for future conversations. Thank you so much for acknowleding the existence of asexuals (and anybody else who isn't interested in sex for any other reason)! 💜
Jenna: "Most respected and acclaimed romances begin with capture."
The Force Awakens writer: "Wow, this girl is a genius!"
Holy crap Thanks Jenna for all these most recent videos! They have been perfect for my second novel! Y'know what? Imma add you to my Special Thanks at the end of the book!
(If that's okay)
OMG! This video totally made my day! You literally covered everything I loath about a lot of bad romances out there! Also, don't forget! It's not a true romance about love if there are no love triangles! I mean how does the character really know their love interest is the one if there's no competition and they don't get to bang both to see who they like better! Better yet! The LI needs to cheat on the main character so that when the love interest finally comes back around to her, it's always a her btw, the main character knows that it's true love because they always come back to them - or maybe it's because MC is a door mat?
I love when Jenna does the sarcastic vids. I laugh out loud at every single one.
love you Jenna!!!
i’ve never seen so much sarcasm in one video and i’m here for it (u’r amazing jenna!!)
It's one thing to deal with grief by trying to live your life EXTRA hard by doing the first person you see on the street (honestly no shame here, people react to death differently than others) but it's another thing to ugly cry on one page and bumping uglies on the next
Imma be real. I have read an emotionally abusive, fairy dark romance where she gets pregnant and where one of the love triangle is desperate to knock her up, to the point where if he understood birth control he'd stop it. I enjoyed the shit out of it while hating it.
She packed all the sarcasm the world could possibly offer into this one video here
Celtic pagan here and it's weird because I was planning an Arthurian thing centring a girl Mordred as the main character... And none of the fae characters were main character love interests at all. All of them are extremely powerful, potentially dangerous and when they're being helpful still not fully trustworthy. The main romantic interest for Mordred was actually one of the maid girls working at camelot, actually :p And she is like, one of the main factors in helping Mordred grow and learn what good happy relationships are so she can escape her abusive relationship with her mum. (The maid is also her own person and gets up to some fun stuff of course)
#5 has ruined a lot of stories and shows for me , but "You know that kid is gonna go places, like therapy or prison." makes it worth it. The laugh I had took me by surprise. Every line in this is gold but that one is definitely my favorite.
ok, I was allowing UA-cam to take me on a journey of Romance novel how to's, and this list was hilarious. I almost spit out my cereal. Thank you.
Jenna!!! I love your videos. Thanks for always advocating for normal instead of abusive romanticized relationships
P.s. how does one become one of your beta readers
I admit I laughed the whole time while wondering how you can say all this with a straight face, without shuddering in disgust. Thanks for sharing!
You are a beast! I bow to you! ❤️ this! THIS brutal honesty is why I follow you! Thank you!
Video starts at 1:42
Jenna giving off so much Dom energy in every single video. Love it💖
Great video as always!
One of the best episodes of Terrible Writing Advice yet.
This is very helpful Jenna !!
For fairies... as long as it's done ok? Don't need all men to be masculine. There could also be a beautiful, respectful romance with someone pregnant.
I think that goes for anything. As long as it's with consent and not just an "insert random mythological creature here" and have them rape/abuse the woman for funsies until she somehow "falls" for him. That's the sick part. I'd say you can use whatever creature you want, as long as it's written as if it's between actual people and with consent and mutual attraction.
yeah i agree
OMG I nearly spit coffee all over my keyboard laughing at this. Thank you so much