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Paper Fury

Unrealistic Happenings In YA Books (Pt. 2) That Make Me Dissolve Into Earth’s Fiery Core And Ne’er Return

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There’s nothing worse than sitting down to snack on a book and finding it insufferably unrealistic.

Well, I mean, there’s probably a few things that are worse. Like zombies eating your brain or misplacing your tea so it gets cold or watching someone blithely dog-earing a book page. But. Let’s lay ALL THAT ASIDE for now and concentrate on the real tragedy that is unrealistic happenings that often appear in books.

And look, this is PART 2, because apparently I have a lot to say on this topic. You can find Part One here, where I complain about books not mentioning greasy hair, allergies, being cranky because you’re over overtired, and the ridiculousness that is the idea that parents actually remember their kids’ names without yelling out the dog’s name first. Come on.

So here I shall bring to you more things I’m squinting suspiciously at. Because I think I’m a suspicious person by nature and this is due to being betrayed as a child * by my parent putting kale on pizza that one time.

* This was, like, a month ago. BUT I WAS JUST A CHILD.

1. WHEN THEY RIP CLOTHES TO MAKE BANDAGES.

Maybe I’m just a weak armed limpet due to not eating my vegetables as a child, but mate, have you actually tried to rip clothes??? Because it’s hard. And I can only imagine in those medieval times where the weave was thick, strong, and durable, but yet these people be tearing their shirts off ALL OVER THE PLACE in order to make bandages for the dying loved ones. *

Honestly if I was on a quest with some pour soul who lost their arm and needed a bandage, I’d just have to let them bleed to death because I couldn’t tear my shirt.

NOTE TO SELF: Do not go on quests with Cait ever.

 

* Obviously like strong warriors would have better luck with this, or if you started off the tear with a knife. But I legit read about puny people who’ve never worked a day in their lives suddenly becoming beasts of muscles and, like, I have questions, son.

2. FAINTING AND PUKING BUT JUST KEEPING ON LIKE A STEADFAST LITTLE CRUMPET.

In my experience, fainting and puking are very hard things to get up and just keep trotting on like nothing has happened. * And actually if you’ve fainted for longer than 2 minutes, it’s dangerous??? But in books they seem to just faint ALL the time and then wake up in 4 days and that awkward problem is over, thank goodness.

 

REASONS THEY KEEP FAINTING IN BOOKS:

  • because the situation is too awkward to go through
  • they see blood
  • they have a panic attack and the writer doesn’t know what that means so just LET!! THEM!! FAINT!! that’ll work!!! **
  • someone delivered shocking news
  • they need attention
  • they need a nap and fainting = naps apparently
  • it’s cooler to end a chapter with a blackout scene

 

In my experience, fainting ended with a lot of nausea. Although that was me. I would be interested to know if anyone else has fainted and what it felt like!! TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS.

Also vomiting?!? It happens SO MUCH IN BOOKS and yet everyone continues on with the adventure when they’re done. How about how GROSS your mouth is afterwards?!?? How about like then having low energy due to just upheaving all your food? And don’t even get me started on how crabby you get when you’re sick. WHERE ARE THE DETAILS HERE.

 

* I feel like this whole post is just confessing how WEAK I AM. OMG. NO ONE COME PREY ON ME NOW THAT I’VE DISPLAYED MY WEAKNESS.
** Spoiler: that is not what a typical panic attack is.

3. ALL THESE 16 YEAR OLDS ARE FINDING TRUE LOVE AND THEIR DESTINIES SO FAST AND I CAN’T EVEN FIND MATCHING SOCKS.

It’s possible I am just very bad at matching my socks up. But how do people even find the meaning of life AND their one true love in like a year??? Or a few weeks??? I was told I’d figure out what to do with my life when I turned into an adult. Such lies. Adulting is built on lies. There’s actually nothing beneficial about adulting except reading past your bedtime.

 

4. NO ONE EVER SEEMS TO THROW THEIR BACK OUT.

You know that moment when you’re just existing and you like turn to wave regally to someone and then — BOOM — your back is out and you’re never going to move again for the next 9 weeks?? HOW COME THAT NEVER SHOWS UP IN BOOKS. And this isn’t because I’m an old granny, hush your mouth. I used to throw my back out when I was a small teen too.

I would be REALLY impressed with a hero who survived the apocalypse with a neck strain and spent 94% of the book looking like a pretzel to avoid moving. That’s the kind of hero the world needs.

FANTASY WARRIOR EXPECTATIONS: I will carry huge battle axes and blast about the world decimating my foes.
FANTASY WARRIOR REALITIES: I haven’t looked left in 9 years tbh because my neck is out.

 

5. INTROVERTS WHO DON’T SEEM TO TAKE ALONE TIME.

See the thing with introverts is: THEY DO NOT FUNCTION UNLESS THEY HAVE ALONE TIME. You think it’s just a preference??? Hahaha. No. It’s survival. You want to know why Smaug exploded all those dwarves and that mountain? He was an introvert and someone disturbed the 2000 years he needed to regroup before facing society again.

It’s different for everyone. Some people need a day alone. Some people only need a few hours. I need 1 year of solitude = for every 1 hour of social interaction. *

I just don’t BELIEVE IT when I read books about “introverts” and yet they always seek out people. Ew. And why. **

 

* Me
** Fyi in case you are a marmot = INTROVERSION DOES NOT EQUAL SHY. You can have shy extroverts. Introversion simply means you need time alone to centre yourself. If you feel energised after hanging around your favourite people, you’re probably an extrovert. It’s about energy NOT personality. I actually am ridiculously surprised with how often people don’t get this…

 

6. THE WIFI CONNECTS RATHER WELL AND I’M SUSPICIOUS.

The other day I sneezed and my WiFi went down for like 9 years. True story. WiFi is a fickle creature and one that is not to be tamed, underestimated, or relied upon in crucial moments of existence.

When I read a book where they go through a snowstorm but afterwards the WiFi is now working? HAHAHAHHAHA. You wish. That’s Gandalf level wizardry right there.

 

7. EVERYONE RANDOMLY BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER ALL THE TIME AND HOW EVEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?

I can’t even manage to meet up with people I’ve ORGANISED to meet up with, let alone bump into that handsome young hellion you met in chapter one who just HAPPENS TO BE THERE in that crucial moment to be sucked into the rest of the plot and most likely be your OTP or some sort of special chosen snowcone flake.

How does that even happen.

I live in a tiny town and swear I never see the same person twice.

I’m 99% sure all these chill “Oh fancy seeing you here!” events that happen in books is actually because people are using covert tracking devices. Or black magic.

 

8. EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO SAY ALL OF THE TIME.

Now I get it…this is a story. We don’t want pages of awkward blank stares and we don’t want to  give up our SWEETLY GLORIOUS witty banter.

But I am just saying…how does no one lose their train of thought??! I swear, I’ll be in the middle of an argument and just OKAY YEAH RAWR WERE WAS I GOING WITH THIS. Or when you walk into another room and have no idea what you went in their for.

I just want, once, to read a character walk into a room — then immediately walk out to go back and try and find the thought they just dropped.

 

9. BRUISES.

Yes bruises do show up in books! But can we talk about the part where bruises HURT??? I tend to read about them and it’s just “oh he’s been beaten up so look — bruises!” But, mate, if you get smacked in the face by an orc, you’re going to feel those bruises for DAYS.

Not to mention mysterious brusies.

I’m waiting to read a book where the a character says, “Woah, that’s a big bruise! How’d you get it?” While the protagonist looks at it, pokes it because that’s what you do to bruises, and says “I haven’t the faintest.”

Where the freaking flying flipped frosty pancakes do these bruises even COME FROM.

 

10. WHY DON’T THESE TEENS GOOGLE THEMSELVES INTO THE GRAVE?

It amazes me when I read books about where the teen is experiencing magical changes or maybe even mental health issues in contemporaries — AND NO ONE EVER GOOGLES IT. Okay so your eyes are glowing in the dark and you’re probably shapeshifting at night??? Dude, google. And that time your arm twitched spontaneously? GOOGLE. You will be diagnosed with 92 life threatening illnesses in 15 minutes and the plot will move along a lot faster with less of the “WHY AM I LIKE THIIIIIIS”.

Because you’ll know. You’re a werewolf with the chicken pox and will die when you’re 21.

And honestly every single book about mental health I read where the characters don’t google, I just sit there snorting. Don’t come @ me with saying you, dear protagonist, have anxiety. You haven’t googled yourself into an early grave yet. I don’t believe you. I KNOW HOW IT REALLY IS.

 

 

anymore unrealistic happenings in books to add to my list?!? do you think we need more nitty-gritty realisms in books? or would it be tedious? do you get mysterious bruises? have you googled yourself half to death before?? have you ever fainted? TELL ME ALL.

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  1. Omgawd, I never thought of the Googling thing! Hahahaha. Imagine all of the story threads that would be killed by that one. XD Fainting, yeah, you are whoozey for awhile; and to me characters seem to faint way too easily. And the coincidence thing, runnung into people just at the right time when even running into them ever in your life is a 99 to 1 chance. You know that one is my biggest pet peeve. Thanks for another entertaining post. 😀

    Reply

    • I KNOW RIGHT?! Chapter one: she googles and realises she has depression. Chapter two: she gets help. Chapter three: end of book. 😂 I mean I GET IT THOUGH…I’m just poking fun! It would ruin a lot of plots, but I do think (especially in this age?!) that characters use the internet a lot more than sometimes authors remember to let them.

      I’m glad you enjoyed this! 😜

      Reply

      • All Harry Potter books would be dead in 10 pages if wizards had google.

        “What…is….a….horcrux?”
        “Oh. Ohhh. OH.”
        *casts Google Maps spell*

        Reply

        • One of the fun and challenging things about setting my book in 1979 is showing the lack of communication. No internet. No cell phones.- if you call your secret love interest either of your parents might pick up the other line. Five channels on the TV.

          My protagonist’s cousin had top come stay ta his house for a couple days. The first night he was a selfish man and refused to give up his bed, making her sleep on the floor in another room. Realizing his error, the second night he volunteered to sleep on the couch, but woke up in the middle of the night with a stiff back. That was an excuse I used (although it has happened to me) to get him to share the bed with her. “You poke me with anything – I’ll break it off!|

          Reply

    • I FORGET MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT SO MUCH.😂 I need like a 5-point outline in notes if I’m going to host a conversation. *coughs awkwardly* And why don’t people google?! Google is great.😂

      Reply

  3. Characters in books never get carsick! And I do and I resent this. No road trip for me, just lots of puking. To say one good thing for Twilight, Bella did decide that Edward was a vampire based on internet searches. And that was in 2005 so no excuses. I just feel so vindicated whenever I’m injured and get a bruise (just like when I feel sick and have a temperature) because it is proof. I have never fainted, but I have googled symptoms. Basically, it’s always cancer. From my own experience of being a bit of a seamstress, cotton weave fabric is relatively easy to rip, especially if it’s loose, but stretch anything and polyester? No way. I like some realism (like characters going to the toilet) but I can see how it’s also kind unecessary for the plot sometimes. I would love to see a character get her period just when the battle is starting and deal with that AS WELL, I think it would be interesting.

    Reply

    • Oh well GO BELLA! I forgot about that, but that is a small relief. 😂 And I hear you with the carsickness!! Although I do read plenty of books where they get seasick so at least that’s relatable.😂

      And yes, totally! Too many annoying details would make a story absolutely tedious and you have to move the plot along. But it’d be nice to see, like you said, girls getting their periods. And I won’t lie…when they’re like locked in the bottom of a ship or whatever for a week, I do have questions about where they’re going to the bathroom.😂

      Reply

  4. I also like those parts where these characters vomit and five minutes later they have a kissing scene. You can wipe and rinse your mouth all you want, but I’ll always feel very icky reading those scenes hahaha. And YES to needing alone time! Can we hold off on the apocalypse for an hour or two so I can recharge please? Most obliged.
    Inge recently posted…Aly & Inge Gush Over FairyLoot’s TRICKSTERS BoxMy Profile

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  5. *takes notes to avoid putting these things in my books*

    But I can attest to the bruises thing Cake, it’s a clumsy person thing. I am currently looking at my scabbed ankles and counting five I have never seen before. And this is a daily occurrence, and I haven’t the faintest idea when or how I got them. 🙂

    But yes! Love this! Loved the previous part also, I’m going to go and reread that now.

    Reply

    • Bahhaha well it’s just my opinion, don’t forget!😂 But omg I AM NOT CLUMSY…well…I mean I walked into the table the other day but I think it tried to attack me??? Because surely I am not clumsy. *blinks rapidly* 😂

      Reply

  7. The only time I fainted was due to heat exhaustion (apparently, biking when it’s 100 degrees Fahrenheit out is bad for you?!). I sort of staggered around like a drunk person for a few seconds, then I lost my hearing, then my vision went colorless and fuzzy, and then everything went very briefly horizontal (because I fell over). I woke up just a couple of minutes later. I don’t remember being nauseous, but I do remember having a terrible headache and immediately drinking, like, a GALLON of water.

    Re: mental health and googling. I’m going to “actually” you on this (I know, I know, but hear me out; I’m not trying to be snotty, just wanting to share my personal experience). When I was diagnosed PTSD and major depression as a teen, I did not google because I very much *didn’t want to know,* partly because I was in denial and partly because I was ashamed (something reinforced by my parents essentially treating me like I was broken and my life was ruined).

    Prior to my diagnosis, I also did not google because I didn’t really understand that anything was wrong. Like, it didn’t occur to me that was I was experiencing were *symptoms,* so much as just…the extreme end of my personality spectrum, if that makes sense. It was very clear to other people that I was acting abnormally, but to me my feelings and various mental states made sense in the context of what I was going through. It definitely wouldn’t have occurred to me in a million years to google any of it. What would I have even asked? “Why am I sad and angry all the time?” “Why do I have terrible nightmares every night?” I *knew* the answers to those.

    I’ve talked to various mental health professionals about this since then, and what I’ve been told is that it’s not at all uncommon for people with mental illness to not really be conscious of the fact that what they’re experiencing is abnormal – or, if they are, they either minimize it and try to repress it, hoping that will make it go away, and/or they blame themselves and think they’re bad people for feeling the way they are (this was also me), rather than understanding that they’re ill.

    I get where you’re coming from, but I think you’re attributing your level of savvy and understanding of the way the mind works to everyone, and most people just don’t have that level of introspection. I dunno, I have two MCs in two different WIPs dealing with mental illness, and neither one of them are googling anything, for reasons that make sense to me based on my own lived experiences.

    (Sorry for vomiting all over your comments. I’ve been reading your reviews for while, but this is the first time I’ve commented [I think; I have a fuzzy memory of maybe doing it once before, but possibly I imagined that]. The comments about mental illness kind of struck a nerve with me, in case you couldn’t tell.)

    Reply

    • Hi! It’s totally okay to give your opinion! My posts are supposed to be a discussion.

      I will agree to disagree however! I have an anxiety disorder so I’m not throwing flippant comments about mental health around, it is something that I’ve thought about a lot in books and doesn’t make ANY sense to me why it’s not included of having characters who want to know more. I was googling things many years before I was actually diagnosed…and honestly of all the people I know with mental health issues/disorders, they’ve/we’ve all known something was different wanted to find more. That’s generally how people get a diagnosis, knowing that something is going on. I actually am kind of surprised you’d say people aren’t introspective. Be careful not to generalise in your direction too!

      Obviously everyone is different and my posts are going to be generalised, but just so you know….my blog is for comedy. 🙂

      Reply

  8. The clothes ripping thing!! YES. Oh my gosh! And this could quite possibly be my favourite quote of all time:

    “The other day I sneezed and my WiFi went down for like 9 years. True story.”

    Reply

  9. Oh how I love your blog posts!! You have me giggling every single time, especially the part about introverts in this post :). I had never thought about many of these things, but you are so right!!

    Reply

  10. I don’t read much contemporary so I don’t know about the Google one, but in the odd books I have read, I’m sure there was one where the internet was frustratingly out. They ought to use that as a plot device more often. But not do often that it become cliche.

    Solution to the bandage problem is to make sure the character has a knife (you too, just some multi tool pocket knife). Then they can cut the shirt. It’s probably still hard, but not impossible. I can remember a book where that did happen. They were actually making flag’s to stop a train, but that’s another story. Anyway, if you can get in started with a knife( though the hem for example, those don’t tear.), it will be easier. At least woven are tearable. Knits on the other hand… you gotta cut that all the way.

    Reply

    • It just makes more SENSE in contemporaries to actually use the tools at hand, right?!? I can’t even imagine why they wouldn’t google stuff, except it’d make the book very much shorter.😂

      And yes! So long as they start off the rip with a cut, that makes sense, but like all this ripping off of these (supposedly really tough shirts?! that survive like dragon fire any other time?!) makes me have questions..

      Reply

  11. I love this post! These things bother me when I read about them in books too. I always think that characters who get hurt, unconscious, or sick make ridiculously fast recoveries. And none of them ever seem to worry to much about these injuries/illnesses like normal people would. They just carry on with little mention of these things ever again. Unrealistic.

    Also, have you ever noticed how all of the responsibilities a character has at the beginning of the book, seem to just magically melt away when they need to focus their time elsewhere….and nobody else in their world notices.

    Reply

    • Eeep, thank you! It’s always a fun topic. 😂 And the moral is = I would DIE IN A BOOK. I am such a puny bean.

      And omg yes to that too! And lucky one doesn’t need sleep when the big finale battle comes…

      Reply

  12. My faint experince is related to my epilepsy and it pass few phases, one in which I’m conscious, but then I don’t remember any of that, and one in which I’m really out. Usually I woke up already knowing what happened, not confused – maybe tired – and trying to get up. So my opinion isn’t really relatable or reliable. But one time I broke my head, becuase of the way I fell, and I wanted to get up even if all the doctros were like: “no, stop, for whatever sake.” 😂 So, I guess that’s just me.

    About fabric, I think it depends. I study at a fashion academy and I have to tear many types of fabrics during the lessons, usually because it’s faster then cutting it. Yet, sometimes a scissors can help but some are really easy to break.

    And sometimes I wake up and later I notice that I’ve bruises. For where, what and why I don’t know. Probably I wrestle with my bed.

    Reply

  13. I get mysterious bruises all the time. WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? Most of them probably come from banging into furniture because I’m uncoordinated. I’ve also wondered why characters don’t Google stuff. I Google everything, even random stupid things. Google is life.
    Aj @ Read All The Things! recently posted…July Wrap-UpMy Profile

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  14. I swear, every time I read your posts, I come away with about a gazillion ideas on how to improve my own writing… 😂😂😂 I agreed with EVERY. SINGLE. ONE of these!!! This is perfection, I tell you! PERFECTION!!!

    I personally think I’m an extrovert, and I have been told multiple times that I am. I come away from hanging out with my friends feeling super excited and energized. BUT! If I am in a group of people who I have no clue who they are, I AM SOOO SHY. IT IS WEIRD. So I like to call myself the introverted extrovert, but after reading this, perhaps I am just a shy extrovert in some cases, haha! (I also get really anxious about situations I’m not familiar with, and I can honestly say that I have never fainted while having an anxious episode… 😂😂😂)

    ALSO!!! I have literally sprained my left neck muscle like 3 times now, and IT IS SO PAINFUL, OH MY WORD. Seriously, why DOESN’T this ever happen to people in books? All you have to do is turn it wrong and CRACK. There it goes.

    And also IS THAT PEPPER AND THOR IN THAT GIF?????

    This post was utter perfection, Cait! I literally was laughing out loud!! 😂😂😂

    Reply

    • N’aww, seriously?! Okay that TOTALLY makes me happy.😂I mean this is definitely just my whacky opinion but haha, I’m glad you agree!!

      And you can totally be shy and an extrovert! You can be really friendly and be an introvert too. 😉 I probably don’t help smash stereotypes because I’m sUPER SHY and a huge introvert, which is the hugest cliche. But heyyyy, it is what it is.😂 But yes, anxiety is definitely not exclusive to introverts.

      UGH, to spraining one’s neck. That’s sooo awful. The other day I was running and just threw my back out so bad it honestly felt like I broke ribs or something! I never get why that doesn’t happen in books when they’re jumping off trains and stuff.

      Reply

      • Well, not ALL of the stereotypes should be smashed! CLICHES ARE GOOD BEANS TOO!!! #savethestereotypes (and oh my word, your comment about shyness reminded me of your sister’s YouTube video challenge, and I THINK I DIED LAUGHING WHILE WATCHING THAT!!!!)

        Ugh, yes!!! When I sprain my neck it feels like I broke it. And since it’s so close to my face, I can hear the gritty muscles just snapping when it happens and just BLECH. It’s quite terrible!!!

        Reply

        • THAT’S TRUE. Not all cliches/stereotypes are bad! They just become bad when we creators don’t stretch the limits or find new angles to tell them from.

          AND I DIED DOING THAT YOUTUBE VIDEO SO I HOPE YOU APPRECIATE THE GHOST OF CAIT WRITING THIS COMMENT NOW.

          Reply

          • Apparently it took me two whole months to respond to this??? #FAIL

            That is SOOO true! I love how you put it, too! Stretching the limits and observing from new angles is DEFINITELY what we should be doing! Not just telling the same cliche over and over again. XD

            OH MY WORD I AM FINALLY TALKING TO A GHOST. I CAN SCRATCH THIS OFF MY BUCKET LIST NOW…
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  15. Maybe it’s the adrenaline that gives them the strength to rip clothes :O
    If it’s not that I don’t know what it is because I definitely would not be able to do that as well. I mean… how do you even do that? ‘^^
    Maybe clothes of the past were easier to rip…?

    Let them faint when they’re having a panic attack?
    -_-
    Oh no… a panic attack is consistent of so much more.
    That being said it actually is cooler to end a chapter with a blackout scene, I can’t argue with that, I’m afraid ‘^__^ (guilty of writing so myself!)

    Because. For some reason, out-going people have made it their mission in life to force us introverts into the world. They seem to think they’re doing us a favor when in reality they cause much horror and chaos O__O
    Just leave us be, please. Do not come near.
    But do they listen? Nooooo.
    *that’s my experience, at least* ‘^^

    Wi-Fi… After a snowstorm?
    *in too much shock to answer that*

    Perhaps we should start intentionally bumping into people…?
    No, forget it, too risky.

    It is true that 99% of my bruises appear for no apparent reason :O
    The other 1% is when I accidentally bump into things (not people though, I’m afraid).
    I’m really good at bumping into things, though. It’s an unwanted talent of mine.

    Chat with me questions:

    Even so I try to forbid myself, I google myself into the grave too many times to count.
    I feel a twitch? Google.
    I feel a random headache? Google.
    My knee hurt? Google.

    It still amazes me how they always tell you “YOU’RE GOING TO DIE” no matter what you google. I mean… how is this even possible?
    I’m the master of mysterious bruises, and I puked so many times I can say with certainty this is not something you just walk off.
    Do you feel better afterward? Sure.
    But it’s a tiresome act and one that leaves you with a horrible taste, ugliness, disgust, and sometimes even stomachache.

    On a brighter note ^^ – Loved this post 😀
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    • It’s true! Clothes would be easier to rip if they were really well-worn too, or something. I just find people who are otherwise described as weak ripping all their clothes is a bit unrealistic.😂 And I’m glad I’m not the only one who googles everything! I mean…it’s totally normal to diagnose yourself with a few life-threatening illness if you sneeze too much. :’) 😂😂

      Reply

  16. It is frustrating that everyone knows exactly what to say without losing their train of thought. Always amazing comebacks without missing a beat. I think about this a lot. I’ve also started mentally writing down conversations with my husbands…and I think half of the words would be “uh…” and “like.”

    So question about WiFi: Is it pretty good in Australia, or are there some constant problems, or does it just vary by place? Is it expensive? I remember hearing someone say something about WiFi in Australia, like it didn’t work as well, but us Americans tend to spread falsehoods like that, so I’m just clarifying.
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    • I just want to read one time for a character to be yelling and then lose their train of thought entirely.😂I mean they did it in Big Hero 6 and it was my FAVOURITE MOMENT.😂

      I actually have no idea, since I’ve only lived in Australia hahahahahh. What’s the wifi like in America? Ours is crappy but like is that relative to…me just being impatient or actual Australia being a monster? WHO CAN KNOW.

      Reply

  18. WELCOME TO WHY I HAVE ALL BUT STOPPED READING CONTEMPORARIES. Authors apparently think teens are bizarre creatures that don’t behave at all the way teens really do, and it makes me ANGRY. One of the most realistic parts of “Twilight” was when Bella was Googling vampires! Seriously! I don’t have my teen characters Googling, but they DO their research (in their world, books are the most reliable source). They don’t just sit around and toss about slang regarding the problem, they actually LOOK IT UP, like they did in “Harry Potter” — which makes so much sense!!!

    And the whole thing with getting massively hurt and then they’re totally fine 21 seconds later — yeah, not realistic on steroids!!!

    Reply

    • YES!! It doesn’t make sense for teens to willingly stay in the dark…they are curious creatures!? I was looking up EVERYTHING when I was a teen and reading so many books just because I wanted allll the information. I legit have a book (it’s magical realism though) where a character has his phone and just googles things all the time and it’s adorkable and so endearing because he’s googling “conversation starters” so he can work up the courage to talk to his crush.😂Then the world ends, but you know what? WHATEVER. THESE THINGS HAPPEN.

      Reply

  20. Yes.
    Yes.
    Yes…
    AND YES.
    The introvert thing for sure. Like. What introvert functions fully when they are constantly surrounded by 748929 squabbling people??? I am stressed out just thinking about it.
    Also THANK YOU. How hard is it to put real stuff in books??? I get random bruises all the time. Also can someone stub their toe and almost die (because we all know that can kill a man), or bump their head on a corner and curse like a pirate????
    THANK YOU FOR THIS. Apparently we are going to be writing some very realistic books here!
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    • I KNOW RIGHT?! There should be more introvert-meltdowns where introverts regret saving humanity because the world would be much more chill if there were less people. #IntrovertLogic 😂

      Reply

  21. To be fair, writing introverts is very hard because they don’t move the plot unless you actually FORCE them too (like I dunno demolish their house and then abduct them by aliens or something.) I had a very introverted character once and he literally stayed in his room 90% of the time and purposefully avoided all social contact with the girl he liked and all other plot threads. So.
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    • That is true!! I wouldn’t want a boring story where an introvert was actually coping.😂 Buuuut, it’d be nice for them to like lose it at people occasionally and go seek out a quiet space, even if the chapter skips over that part haha.

      Reply

  22. YES, CAIT, POINT OUT THOSE FLAWS. But like, really, I’m 17 and I haven’t found my true calling, magical powers, and future destiny to save the world. WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN, I HAVE BEEN WAITING. And also can I just point out that when someone faints they are not usually out for hours and/or days at a time? It’s more like a few minutes. WHY AREN’T AUTHORS GOOGLING THIS STUFF, TOO?
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    • YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY A FAILURE, ERIN. HOW COULD YOU BE LIKE THIS. *stamps foot* 😂😂 I’m like 23 and still haven’t been chosen or like developed into a werewolf or something. I’m confused and disappointed.

      Reply

  23. The ripping thing might be easier than you think, especially if they can get a thread loose first. I suppose it depends upon the strength of the weave, like you said about medieval fabrics.

    #5 really bugs me too. :/

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  24. You should do a part 3 at some point because OHMYWORD I love these posts so much xD. And literally, your first point? I almost shrieked when I read it because FINALLY someone else realizes that tearing clothes to make bandages is unrealistic! Honestly, I was going to write something about cloth bandages in my book … and then I reached down and tried to tear my own shirt and NOPE hahaha. Not happening, people. All of this post was so on point so THANK YOU for calling out all the very unrealistic things about YA books xD.
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    • Aww THANKS, SAVANNAH!! I will most definitely continue this series…it’s fun to snark.😂😂 And honestly I read them tearing clothes for bandages so much and every time I’m like “but hooooooow is it so easy.” I can’t even tear open a chip bag usually (although to be fair, they make those things super tough). *sighs* 😂😂

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  25. I had never thought of the google thing before but it makes sense?? A lot of books would be shorter if characters just googled.
    And I HAVE fainted before! I have completely passed out twice, and gotten close almost a million times. Granted, I have an illness where fainting is like the main thing….
    I’ve never actually been nauseated though?? Usually I get really hot and sweaty and gross, then all of a sudden I’m on the ground and people are looming over me like “why is she just lying there what happened” and then I get super tired and just curl up on my bed for, like, 3.7 years.
    I think the effects of fainting are random and different for everyone?? It’s interesting to hear about other people’s experiences. though 😝.

    Emily Y
    emilyywrites.wordpress.com

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    • Especially these contemporary kids! I don’t know why they WOULDN’T google?!

      ugh to fainting. I’ve only fainted once (although I threw my back out the other day and nearly peeled over again) and it was sooo awful. It makes me feel bad every time I write fainting into my books now.😂 I fainted from low-blood-sugar though, so I guess that explains the nausea? It probably isn’t the same for all types of fainting. haha.

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  26. ALL THE THINGS HERE. It’s just so accurate. There are so many weird, unrealistic things happening in books when you look too close…And then you feel weird because EVERYTHING IS JUST SO WEIRD AND UNREALISTIC? Or maybe that’s just me. It always bothers me a little bit when something huge happens and they faint, get hurt or something big. We all would stay in bed for a thousand years but them, they are able to get up a second later, feel better and get on with their quest and everything. Okay, not maybe a second, but still? I wouldn’t want to go on ever again with anything hahaha.
    Great post, Cait!
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    • Bahah, no no it’s not just you! And I know I’m being nit-picky here, but it’s like NICE when books add in that extra smudge of realism. It just makes me feel really like the book is REAL and then when the bad things happen, it’s worse, because the book already feels so much realer. YAS. WIN FOR US ALL. WE LOVE TO BE FREAKED OTU READING.😂

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  27. CAIT HAS FOUND OUT THE REAL REASON SMAUG BURNED EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND! HE WAS JUST REALLY CRANKY! XD

    You know that if these teens googled everything, the internet would always just tell them they have cancer… Googles “Why am I having headaches” Googles says “CANCER YOU’RE GOING TO DIE AHHHH!”

    I have so many bruises that I don’t know where come from XD I throw a flag around in band for fun (color guard if you know what that is XD) so I just usually assume they come from that

    I kinda agree with the fainting and puking thing. I think it’s realistic when characters puke after something traumatizing or something but it’s true that they usually recover too quickly. I HATE puking bc it makes me feel terrible and gross and just UGH

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  28. True story: I live out in a rural area in Midwestern USA and yet there have been multiple times I’ve gone on trips across the country (or to another country) and have seen people that I know… It’s very weird! It’s like “Hey, neighbor! I see you decided to travel to the same state park on the East Coast as we did on exactly the same day… huh!”, or “Hey, classmate that I haven’t seen in ages, how nice of you to visit the same strange roadside attraction a thousand miles away from home in South Dakota at exactly the same hour as me!”, or weirder yet, how about that time I went on a trip with friends to London, UK and while we were visiting the British Library we saw one of our favorite college professors there too! I don’t know what it is… #ItsASmallWorldAfterAll

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  29. I feel that realism about some topics in books are lacking. Super fast recovery time. Like how?! If I even vomit once, I am pretty much done for the day, all I have the energy to do is lie down and pray for sleep!

    I’m an ambivert, so I’m happy to be around people, but like after two days I NEED A BREAK!! Alone time is so precious and important. I need time to recharge and build up tolerance to be around humans!

    Mysterious bruises are real. Right now I have a scab on my finger, and I have no clue when or how I got it. Once I hurt my leg and did not notice for a solid 15 mins that I had a cut. I only realised this when someone pointed out to me that I was bleeding all over the house. Whoops!

    Reply

    • I’M THE SAME. When I get sick like, nope, I’m out. I am in bed and pls don’t talk to me for 9 years. ugugugh. I’d like to see more realistic details, even just small ones, in books because it makes it so much more REAL and relatable.

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  30. When fabric gets old, it’s easier to tear. If you’re wearing your favourite t-shirt that’s 10 years old, you might be able to rip it to make a bandage. If you’re going to try that with a brand-new one, you probably wouldn’t be able to do it. So, in a fantasy or post-apocalyptic scenario, it might be plausible because the characters have probably been wearing their clothes for a while… (Your patient will probably die from the horrible infection your dirty-clothes bandage will introduce, but hey… at least you tried.)

    Taking #3 further, I don’t think it’s very realistic for teenagers to save the world. When has that ever happened? I mean, I get that it’s YA and teens need to be able to relate to the characters and all that, but it’s still not very realistic.
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    • Yes so true! Different situations definitely would equal different variety on the tearing clothes things. And if it’s medieval and the clothes are super old/raggy then it’d work too. But when they just go about ripping things when they don’t seem to be super strong people…I have questions about the quality of their clothes and how their clothes didn’t rip when they were doing all their adventuring.😂😂

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  31. I LOVE THIS POST WITH ALL MY HEART. All of these bother me a lot, but 3 and 7 are THE WORST. Especially those 16 year olds who bump into their love interest 24/7 (only accidentally, of course) and their relationship lasts forever. Just… no??? What about break-ups? What about 16 year olds who don’t have a love interest? I’m 18 and I haven’t been romantically involved *at all*. And if it weren’t for society’s pressure, I probably wouldn’t care in the slightest bit. I’d just love to see a protagonist who’s busy saving the world and doesn’t need a mysterious love interest with more abs than brain. (Oops, I did not just write that.)

    By the way, I only fainted once (thank goodness), but it was actually quite surreal. I woke up and saw people looking at me and I was… completely fine? No nausea / headaches / anything. Bodies are so weird???

    But again: I LOVE THIS POST SO MUCH. Bless you, Cait.

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    • Yep, I’m 24 and I’ve had one (1!) relationship. It was mostly long distance and while he was super nice and I think he really cared about me, it didn’t work out. I have never in my life had a ‘hot guy’ fall for me; good grief, I’ve hardly even had guys flirt with me, lol.
      I used to be the one insanely crazy about not being in a relationship, but it’s been so much nicer once I stopped caring so much and just got on with my life. Which is why I write non-romantic fantasy (for the most part; there are some love stories and I’m not a total Scrooge; but they aren’t the main plot points) and people saving the world without a true love by their side, just a good strong friendship.

      Reply

      • I’m always glad to hear someone can relate! Worrying just makes it worse, especially when it feels like everybody around you is in a relationship and constantly asking “What about your love life?” (Well… dead as per usual, please do not investigate further, thank you very much 😂).
        And YES to non-romantic fantasy!! I just got so sick of all this unnecessary romance in YA that I stopped writing it. I couldn’t do it any more. A subplot is fine, but why would I write something that I don’t really want to read more of? Like you’ve said: A strong friendship is amazing, too! (If not better!)

        Reply

        • I was 23 when I turned on the CB radio in my car for the first time in a year (yes, an unknown voice in my head had told me to “Turn on the radio and see who’s on”) and I was fascinated by the first voice I heard. I drove across town to track her down. We’ve now been married 32 years. But yes, ages 14 to 23 were hell..

          My WIP is about a about a shy nerdy 19 year old guy (me at that age) still looking for his first love but too afraid to try.

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    • @Isabelle: I know right?! It’d be nice to see more teens who DON’T find their OTP straight away. Like sometimes you think everyone in your area is gross.😂 It happens. haha. (And I HEAR YOU with the “more abs than a brain”…and then the heroine loses her brain and like the world burns and it’s so frustrating.)

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  32. I love these! I usually have tons that irk me but I can only think of one right now… In contemporary books where there’s a really muscular, buff guy and he goes to the gym with the main girl often but then ONLY EVER runs on the treadmill. Muscular guys do not build muscle just running around.. That guy would be lifting heavy weights. Just running makes guys skinny – not muscley!

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    • Aww, thanks, Ashley!! I’m so pleased!! And omg the gym thing annoys me so much too. All these ripped young lads but when do they ever maintain their physique??! Especially in YA it can be rather frustrating…

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  33. I totally agree with most of these!
    Also I NEVER know where my bruises come from… sometimes I have a basic idea, but its like, HOW did I manage to bruise my elbows while sailing?! How is the even possible? My ELBOWS?! I’m confused…

    I disagree about bumping into people though… it can be unrealistic at times, but I live in a small/medium town (I’m not really sure…) and I’m always running into random people I know, or I’ve met, or whatever. Often about three seconds after I was thinking about them…

    Reply

    • I KNOW RIGHT?! I’ve bruised my elbows before and IDK how this happens. Also knee-bruises are so painful. And SHIN BRUISES. I have a massive shin bruise right now and I swear I’ve just been reading…how does this even happen.😂

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  34. The FAINTING. Wow, I used to faint as a child, mostly because I didn’t know my body yet and didn’t realise that seeing grey dots instead of what’s in front of you means you should probably lie down so you don’t hit your head and then ended up falling over and every time I woke up? I immediately threw up all over whoever was stupid enough to hold me. It’s like the world spins and the blood pumps through your ears and the NAUSEA is the worst I’ve ever experienced. That is my fainting experience. As an adult I lie down and put my feet up and avoid it…

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  35. I AM 1000% WITH YOU ON RIPPING CLOTHES. The amount of times I’ve read scenes both in books and in fics online where someone either tears their clothes to make a bandage or literally rips someone’s clothes off of their body I have to take a five minute break for my eyes to roll back into place. Why do these characters keep ripping clothes? Clothes aren’t exactly cheap and we need them!

    And although I haven’t seen characters lose their train of thought I have seen two characters begin two different sentences at the same time and it’s usually all cute and awkward and hits me right in the soul because I’m constantly starting sentences at the same time as someone else 😅

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    • Exactly!! And aren’t they going to get cold afterwards!? Seriously no one put me in a fantasy novel I would be like “No thanks, I need my clothes just bleed to death quietly please.” 😂😂

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  36. This is hilarious. Thanks for the laugh.
    And I dunno about the fainting thing but as for throwing up, I’m always making jokes straight afterwards because I don’t want anyone to feel too worried or something so I can totally believe our heroic main characters can carry on.
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    • Eeep, I’m so glad you liked it!!😂

      And I do totally get what you mean about the making-jokes-afterwards. That does make sense. Although energy levels still must be low, right?!

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  38. So many things you say make so much sense, Cait. I Google things all the time if I think there’s something wrong (including mental health issues). I do have mysterious bruises. And I often lose my train of thought. Sometimes I go into a room and totally forget why I came there. Why aren’t there more of these things in books? Going to the toilet and women’s periods aren’t mentioned much either sometimes. And sometimes book character seem to be able to go on for days (ie. walking) without eating and drinking properly. Totally true about the wifi issue, mine usually starts acting up if the weather turns bad (or sometimes, for no apparent reason whatsoever). I totally need my alone time, and lots of it. I’m very much an introvert. I need to spend most of the day with just me doing my own things. It’s true about vomiting! It always seems to happen fast in books and after everything is okay.. that’s not how it works! I have never fainted myself but my boyfriend has, it didn’t include vomiting but he did feel pretty bad after. Gladly it was only very briefly, but fainting for longer than a few minutes is definitely dangerous! I don’t get the clothes ripping thing either.. I could never do that! Great post :D.

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    • I do think periods should come up in books more! Like I get it when the girls in fantasy books who are like 5000% ACTION and starving and stuff wouldn’t have periods all the time, but there’s a lot of the time no logical reason not to mention them!??

      And omg don’t get me started on everyone walking forever with no food. I CAN’T EVEN.😂 It doesn’t even make sense! You can’t do high-energy things without giving yourself fuel!!

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  39. The fainting thing is so true! I always feel really nausous after I faint- I have to sit down for like a half hour and not move. I have, however, thrown up and then gone to work (literally did that yesterday, acid reflux is a bitch) so I can totally relate to puking and then just going on normally with your day!

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  40. I have indeed fainted, Please let me tell you this very wonderful story about my life.

    When I was fourteen I was in Navy Cadets (because I thought that was a good idea apparently) and we had to do a parade for about a million hours in the very hot Queensland sun. I promptly fainted, falling forward until my face hit the bum of the boy standing in line in front of me.
    Obviously I didn’t know that happened because I had fainted. But only about a million people saw it so I definitely heard about it afterwards. Also, my mum came running out onto the parade ground screaming my name in front of the millions of people watching.
    So all in all, it was a pretty fun day.

    I can’t really remember if I felt low energy and sick afterwards…. I think maybe my embarrassment outweighed it.

    In fiction, unrealistic stuff that really gets me is when people don’t tell other people really obviously important information. Like they never get the chance or whatever but I feel if it is very important (like everyone is about to be in danger!) then they should just make some time. That is not really only for YA fiction though, I think that is for EVERY FICTION EVER!
    So freaking annoying.

    Great post!
    🙂

    Reply

    • Woooow, that was a wild ride of a story. BUT I’M SORRY YOU FAINTED! That is still horrible. I’ve done ANZAC marches before with a school and like, mate, that isn’t fun in the QLD sun. (Hey! Rhymer! Award me I am a poet!!….Ahem.)

      And omg the not-sharing-of-important information ticks me off every time. *screams* I guess we need a complicated plot, but is it so hard to talk to people!?

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  42. I did happen to find my one true love at sixteen and have been happily married to him for many years. So it does happen. Not that often, but not impossible.

    You ceratinly have looked into the unrealistic things in YA books in much more detail than I. I hadn’t really thought about it that much but now that you’ve pointed it out I’ll be seeing the inconsistancies everywhere now! I agree there should be more allergies in books. I have hayfever and it is annoying. There certainly needs to be more eating in books. I am hungry all the time and very cranky when I don’t eat.. And yes, I agree about the vomiting and exhaustion. Bring on the meltdowns! Wonderful observations. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • Aww, that is lovely though! I’m so happy for you! I think it definitely can happen, but probably not the most usual occurrence?😂

      It would definitely be good to see more allergies, at least, because they’re something a LOT of people struggle with…and we like characters to struggle with us. 😉 😂

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  43. Ugh, yes…. fainting and yarking are not just ‘shake it off’ sort of things. And anxiety attacks are *draining*.

    Oooh, and I so agree about introverts. I have no interest in spending time with people. Unless we sit quietly and read.

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  45. Eh! So freaking true.
    I kind of always wanted to experience that bump into people thingy, in Bollywood serials, they hero and the heroin bump, there’s background music and it’s slo-mo romance. I bumped into a guy once. It was awkward. Then I ran into the other direction. There’s goes my expectations! And ripping clothes to make bandages, I tried that XD XD You can get what happened next!
    Great post! <3
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  46. LOL yeah, I know we read to be entertained, or to escape reality, or just for fun, but still. Some kind of realism should still be involved, I agree. The times I’ve fainted, I felt really out of it for quite a while afterwards. Like I had cotton in my ears, I was dizzy and wanted to hurl, and no way I would be back up to running or escaping zombies just afterwards.
    And don’t even talk to me about bruises! I have a really bad one from bumping my thigh on the table a few days ago, and sometimes, just walking makes it hurt :O
    Great list, Cait xoxo

    Reply

    • I know right?! I mean obviously too many details would RUIN a book. If everyone was saying “Um and ah” all the time like we do in IRL conversations. But it would be nice to see more of the “hey I’m human!” relatableness in books, I think?

      I just want to know why bruises in YA books never seem that bad. Like they look bad but UAGHGH. I legit wrote this post and yesterday woke up with this egg-shaped bruise on my shin. I think it’s like payback for asking where they all come from.😝😂😂

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  47. I wonder about the fainting/vomiting thing ALL OF THE TIME. I’m just sitting on the couch saying, “go on without be, death is near” and they’re all ready to kick butt and save the world again. NO ONE IS LIKE THAT. At least I hope not, because then I would feel like weak sauce. I just don’t buy the whole sick/faint/dying thing one moment and the next they’re trekking the woods with a little bit of stumbling. Nope. Not a thing, son. You’d be down and out and begging for the end to come.

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    • It’s possible that you and I are just weak little peanuts who’d die in a book BUT HEY, AT LEAST WE HAVE EACH OTHER TO DIE WITH.😂 If I vomit once, I’m like lying down for the rest of the day trying to recover.😝

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  48. Okay, IS IT JUST ME or have your bookstagram photos gotten even PRETTIER??? Like they were gorgeous before, but now… they’ve achieved a whole new level of aesthetic??? THIS IS PROBABLY JUST ME. 😍

    Oh em geeeeee I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE RIPPING CLOTHES THING! It’s just something normal that happens in books but actually it’s kind of impossible??? WOW. MY MIND IS BLOWN.

    And similar to the throwing your back thing — you know when you’re running and then all of a sudden you get a cramp??? AND IT COMES OUT OF NOWHERE??? Yeah I’d like to see that in YA too. 😂

    And YAS for the bruises thing! I always just get random bruises and cuts and scratches and MOSQUITO BITES. And I don’t know how/when/where I got them??? 😂 And also talking about mosquitoes, HOW COME NO ONE EVER GETS BITTEN BY MOSQUITOES. SERIOUSLY. I go outside for like one second and BAM 482948 mosquitoes have attacked me. (Or maybe that’s just Texas. 🙈)
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    • Awww, MAY. You’re too lovely. *blushes* I have gotten some new flowers recently? So that’s been fun. Afjdksald you totally just made my day THANK YOU.

      Oh YES to the cramps too. I get cramps when I go running and it’s so unfair…like I’ve been running for 15mins where DID THIS COME FROM. AGH. I need to see more battle warriors pausing with stitches.😂

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  49. SO MUCH YES to all of these happenings! Why don’t they ever google what’s happening to them, someone might be going through the same thing OR a secret organization could be waiting for people to search it?
    ALSO, 16 year olds finding the love of their life and I can’t even decide whether I want coffee or tea in the morning. Like ahhh no (but I still like to read it though hahaha)
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  50. THANK YOU for this post! I have been weary for years about the unreality of YA books, so much so that I wrote one and am on my second. I doubt it will get published because it doesn’t have brooms that fly or ugly creatures, but ah well, at least my daughter’s liked the story. LOVED your post!!

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  51. I love these posts! They always make me laugh, because they are so true. Why can’t we have more realism. The google one especially I google everything.

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  53. Needed alone time. Didn’t get it. Flipped out and torched a town. Got shot down.
    ^ This will probably belong on my tombstone #IntrovertDragonsUnite #InYourOwnCaves #Separately

    And I, for one, cannot focus on anything else that happens in a book until I see, on page, that the vomiting character has rinsed out their mouth. DO NOT DARE go straight to them kissing someone, that’s UNHOLY.

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  54. YES YES YES. I agree with so many of these. The general lack of mental/physical recovery time in books is shocking. I mean the amount of things happening for the shock factor is through the roof but the time actually given for characters to deal with it and get themselves together is non existent. That’s highly unrealistic. It can take me days to recover from injuries I don’t even know how I got??

    Plus the 16 year olds finding their destinies / true loves… ahhhh! I have approximately 5 months left of being 16 and I am no where near finding my destiny OR my true love. And even if I am near finding them I am completely blind to that factor and there is NO way I would just be stumbling onto my life’s purpose. I also feel like there should be more people not knowing what they are saying. YA characters seem FAR too in control.
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    • It is so unrealistic. *cries* I mean I GET IT in terms of keeping the plot moving, but just skip over a few days or something?!? People often can’t physically keep up the things they need to in these action books. They can for a while, because of adrenaline. But then, like sometimes if you’re running on adrenaline and like ALL THIS POWER you will absolutely crash and burn.

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  55. YES TO ALL OF THESE

    But wait Cait why did you try to tear your clothes?? Were you trying to see how unrealistic it is? I have questions. Seriously though if you’re going on a quest why just not,, bring bandages?? These characters are so unprepared smh I mean if your clothes are ripped you’re more vulnerable?? BRING BANDAGES

    Also googling!! That’s what I really loved about Teen Wolf: Stiles googling what was happening to Scott (why was Scott not googling it himself. Boy something strange was happening to you and you don’t turn to the Magical All Knowing Google??) Why don’t they do this more often in books?? I could have a strange pain in my pinky and I’d be googling that so if you’re eyes are suddenly glowing or you suddenly have fangs WHY DON’T YOU GOOGLE THAT

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  56. I love these posts so much.
    I’m type 1 diabetic, and I passed out once because of a really low blood sugar (btw, you people don’t know about low blood sugar until you’ve been 25 in the middle of a bookstore and had to decide between books and your life. It was a close call, but then my mom offered to buy my stuff so I could, you know, not die. very sweet of her). First off, I was in the shower, so scary + embarrassing. I remember getting really, really dizzy and feeling totally disconnected, like I was floating, and then skipped directly to sitting on the floor with my mom shoving glucose tablets in my mouth.
    Also, I never thought about the vomiting and then kissing before??? That’s so gross. But I HAVE complained muchly about the lack of internet searches before. Also where the characters don’t know things that are totally common knowledge, at least where the story is taking place??? Like if something has fangs and drinks blood and turns into a bat, it’s clearly something vampiric so why say “whoa, I have no clue what that vampire bat thingy drinking blood over in the corner is! I’ma google it.” Seriously.

    Reply

    • AHH THANK YOU.😂 They’re a bit of fun to snark at things bahaha.

      And omg your mum is a true wonder to help you, like, live PLUS get books. True parent of amazingness there. I fainted from low blood sugar because I had to not eat + get blood tests done = me fainting.😂 NOT an experience I ever want to repeat. So I believe you how awful it feels!!

      And duuude, ugh to the vomiting and kissing. And honestly just being sick + making out is gross. I read a book where he had a full on nose-dripping cold and was making out with the love interest and I’m like THIS IS SUPER GROSS.😭

      And what UNIVERSE do these people live in that they don’t think of vampires the first thing when they see someone avoiding sunlight and drinking blood?! I have questions.

      Reply

  58. Dude 3-5 and 8 I totally agree with. Why are the introverts not needing dire time alone? Especially the ones with mental health issues. And I’m sorry I know like 3 or 4 people who found true love at 16. (Mostly b/c I’m from a small small town in the south) And most of them fell out of the lovey love and had to start working on REAL love. People don’t just find their all time love at 16 every day of the week. It’s not real!!

    Reply

    • It’s true! Childhood sweethearts of course exist! But like it’s not as common as it is in books.😂 And like these introverts who just want/cope with people all the time…*squints* Like I GET it that we don’t want boring plots, but at least just mention it in passing that they went off alone for a while!??

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  59. hahaha love this! I didn’t really ever think of it, but it definitely would be incredibly difficult to rip off a part of your shirt to make a bandage even for someone who’s really in shape. LOL yes, I’m 20 and I still don’t have any idea what I’m going to do with me life. How are these 16 year olds able to function?? Although I agree with the bumping into people one, I alway see the most unexpected people (aka people I’d rather not see) at the most random of times.

    Reply

  60. I’ve only fainted once. I wasn’t nauseous, but I felt really confused. It happened during a class; I just fell out of my seat. They required me to be wheeled out in a wheelchair and drink some fruit juice afterwards. I was a little wobbly-legged when I did stand up, so the wheelchair was probably a good idea.

    Also, yes to the bruises. I’m the type that will crack both my shins on the bathtub then fall on my face trying to get in and have zero bruises, but then go to bed that night and find a massive mystery bruise on my thigh. What?

    Reply

    • Ugh that sounds really awful, Sabrina! 🙁 I fainted from low-blood sugar getting my blood drawn for tests, so that’s probably why I felt so sick afterwards?

      AND BRUISES ARE SO ANNOYING. I legit posted this and the next day I have this massive egg-sized bruise on my shin and I DIDN’T DO ANYTHINGGGGG.

      Reply

  61. Well, Cait I think you’ve just given me about 17 premises of books to write with this post. Oh not to mention, the Part 1 of this post series was the way I discovered you!!! Oh, how things come full circle sometimes. SO FRACKEN SATISFYING 😉
    Ahem, anyways.
    Every bruise I get is a mystery bruise because 9.72 times out of 10 I am living in my own world and when I bump into the door frame for the 7th time that day, I dont remember the last 6 times and then I wake up the next day and I’m like hm how did I get this weird bruise that is in the shape of A LINE down my entire arm?? Is someone telling me that I need a new tattoo? Honestly, my brain goes there because tattoos are addictive and once you have one it’s so hard to stop. I have two. I’ve managed to put off a third for about 2 years because #poor and TATTOOS ARE FRACKEN EXPENSIVE.
    I can’t with the medical inaccuracy in a lot of books. Like, what you have pointed out in terms of medical crap is stuff that anyone should catch!! Like COME ON. And then there’s me, your extremely skeptical and book-devouring nursing student who is like duuuuude we need to talk about this. Like, I will offer all of my services for free to you to correct your book medically because THIS DON’T MAKE NO PLUMS-LOVING SENSE. I can explain so much regarding bruises and fainting and everything. Honestly, that’s what 84% of my job becomes. When your in a hospital bed and your doctor spews all this medical jargon at you, you just nod and make weird faces because you’re talking to a doctor. 10 minutes later when I, your nurse, comes in, you go EXCUSE ME KRIS BUT MY DOCTOR JUST SAID ALL THIS BOLOGNA AND I MEAN WHAT EVEN issss a leukocytic anemia???????? I’M HERE FOR THAT, SIR.
    As someone who has both fainted and is required to know a lot about fainting, I can answer all of your fainting questions.
    BUT FIRST HERES A RANDOM/QUICK fact related to fainting and this is just a cooler way of saying fainting and I don’t know why everyone hasn’t employed this at this point:
    fainting = syncope. Syncope is pronounce SIN – KOH – PEE. It’s a fun word. Snycope. fantastic word 10/10.
    The most intense bout of SYNCOPE i’ve had was after I threw up for about 5 hours. I fainted from dehydration. It was a lot of weirdness. So basically, my brain was trying to be all “I AM WONDER WOMAN I WILL NOT SUCCUMB TO THESE VERY HUMAN AND BODILY DYSFUNCTION” so I kept flipping between being conscious and unconscious. the strange (and scary) part was that when I WAS conscious, I had gone temporarily blind and when my mom was trying to speak to me it sounded like someone had put cotton in my ears to attempt to block out the sound. I distinctly remember desperately trying to open my eyes wider and wider to let in some light but it was just black. And then in my mind i’m thinking well crap, are my parents gonna end up with two blind children now??
    IT WAS SOME REALLY WEIRD (and now interesting bc i’m fine) FAINTING/SYNCOPE/UNCONSCIOUSNESS PURGATORY.
    This whole situation ended in my mom calling an ambulance because I literally could NOT stay awake. AKA I needed a banana bag to sort me out (banana bag = IV fluid. Nothing special, just to increase the volume of your blood because you barfed it all out!!
    Most of the time, people faint because low blood sugar, low blood pressure, lack of oxygen to your brain (number one sign of o2 deprivation is confusion before anyone starts turning blue *scoffs at every ER show ever*) Yeah, you can totally faint from a panic attack, but people USUALLY do that because they’re hyperventilating and they don’t get enough carbon dioxide. I know that sounds extremely counterintuitive, but it’s true. That’s why you get someone to breathe into a paper back when they hyperventilating – that way they start only breathing in the co2. This relates to the acid/base balance in your blood.
    Okay, wow. Sorry, totally turned into a wall of text there. FORGIVE ME.

    one last thing, in my experience, you CAN rip clothing very easily when you have a major adrenaline rush because someone’s like dying or something, but usually only because the clothing we have nowadays is CRAP and gets holes from going through the dryer.
    Ok, I’m done now.
    kris @ lemon-notes recently posted…HERE LIES DANIEL TATE by Cristin Terrill | LONG-CONS + MIND BENDERSMy Profile

    Reply

    • AWWWWWW. THIS MAKES ME HAPPY, KRIS! Thank you!! Also you’re welcome for the explosion of plot bunnies. 😂😂

      I didn’t know you were a nurse! Your description of your job is just so awesome I’m laughing.😂 Yes thank goodness there are people to actually talk in English in hospitals ahem. 0_0 I may have to one day quietly come pick your brains because I know like next-to-nothing about injuries and I keep stabbing my characters all over the place. AHEM. ANYWAY. MOVING FORWARD. (I’M A NICE AUTHOR I SWEAR.)

      And yes, I totally didn’t mean to say you CAN’T faint from panic attacks, because it does happen. But I find in books it’s written completely unrealistically. Like they’ll not be hyperventilating or anything. They just start to be upset and then keel over?!? I mean. No. And I fainted from low blood sugar while getting my blood drawn for some tests. It was awful. Bleh.

      Reply

      • WELL I’m not a nurse yeeeeetttt. One more year!! I meant to mention that i’m a nursing *student*. Probably was lost in that giant sea of words up there even if I did haha 😛
        You are 100% welcome to pick my brain any day of the week! It’s what I’m here for, as I mentioned it is what a lot of my job becomes lol. (it’s ok to not be a nice author. sometimes you have to stab your characters. I get it!!)
        I absolutely agree on the panic attacks in books situation, though. It’s TYPICALLY so unrealistic! Like, oh. Sorry, did you not do any research regarding panic attacks while you were writing *insert book title here*??? COOL THANKS, DUDE.
        Getting blood drawn is never a fun time, I can totally attest to that. Especially if the one with the needle just kind of carelessly shoves it in there and is like, “WELP, THAT VEIN ISN’T WORKING” Like thanks, person. real cool. Not like I needed that vein, nah it’s fine. That’s one of the other times I fainted too. They took like, hm, I don’t know 7 vials?? like ok sure take it all it’s fine.

        Reply

  63. I’ve always been a bit suspicious (not quite sure if that’s the right word but oh well) of YA romance and the older I get the more suspicious I get…. Haha I won’t even be able to date till I’m 18 so like people finding true love at 16 has always befuddled me a little…. especially those who have literally dated anyone before…. Haha maybe I’m some cranky love cynic but idk…

    Reply

    • Haha I know how you feel!😂 I used to always think it was amazing when I was younger and now I’m like “Okay but they’ll NEVER last…” I’m such an old peevish soul.😂

      Reply

  64. These are some of my favorite posts ever 😂😂😂 They’re SO REAL. Along with the fainting and puking thing… people go for days without food??? And only once in a while, think “gee I’m hungry.” I have low blood sugar, so when I’m hungry I’m headachy and dizzy and HANGRY. Haven’t seen that one in a book yet. 😂😂

    Reply

    • Omg THANK YOU, ANNA. That makes me happy that you like them! They’re kind of fun to write, even if I’m being a salty grape here. 😂 And omg being hangry, like seriously…why doesn’t that come up more in books.😂

      Reply

  65. All the people that I know that have fainted say that when they fainted they sort of had a little seizure. In books the people always fall gracefully and dramatically to the ground and the love interest swoops to kneel at their side or carry them away or whatever. I want a book where the person faints and just lies on the ground, twitching and possibly foaming at the mouth. Lets have none of this perfect, romantic, Sleeping Beauty fainting. As for being perfectly fine afterwards, unless you are Wolverine, I THINK NOT. My cousin once fainted, woke up, stood up, and promptly fainted again,
    Also, hunger in books is often terribly unrealistic. The only time it really talks about it is when the characters are on a journey with limited rations and are starving. But doesn’t anyone ever just get the munchies? Why is no one ever just sitting there, munching on pretzel sticks while they discuss the fate of the universe? Can’t the protagonist ever say, “Can we walk and talk while we have this conversation? I need to go get some chocolate.”
    People need chocolate. How are these people surviving?
    Even when people are starving, they usually just eat a few string beans, tighten their belts, and move on. The only emotional effect of the hunger is that it makes them look very grim. I don’t know about you, but when I get hungry I become frighteningly cranky, and/or weepy. How are all these people who are living on saltines and string beans not emotional wrecks?

    Reply

    • Omg I know right? Fainting is NOT as wonderful as it is in movies. I tend to not think it’s SO badly done in books just because we don’t see it…but in movies, they swoon ridiculously. Also that sounds really awful for your cousin. 😭 I only fainted once and it was AWFUL.

      And absolutely yes with the hunger! I put that in the part 1 of this series because it annoys me so much. Like they do so much with high-energy action and then they eat like a muesli bar and are good to go!?? NO.

      Reply

  66. I would LOVE to see someone fail at ripping their clothes. I’ve tried before and it’s IMPOSSIBLE. (Luckily for my clothes, but still.)
    As for fainting, just arghh!! It’s not pleasant, it’s not romantic, and it’s not dramatic!! It’s stupid. The first two times I fainted I hit my head on the shower wall and was mildly perturbed, and the third time I was nauseated for eight hours before actually fainting and then once I did I smacked my head on the tile floor, tried to stand up, fainted again and hit my head aGAIN, and then had a full on panic attack and ended up paralyzed in my hands and legs for two days. It was unpleasant, and i’d like two see how the average 16 yo YA hero would handle THAT xD.
    Also, I totally feel you on the googling!! I mean, they watch tv and text and etc but do not use Google. Obviously because then the plot would be solved, and there would be nothing left to write about.
    Fantastic post!!
    I would also love to see teenagers actuallyStUDY and get the 4.7 gpa and 76 million extracurriculars needed to get into yale instead of just, like, gliding in like they do in contemporary. THAT”S NOT HOW IT IS.
    Lenna @ Sugar Dusted Pages recently posted…Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao // Flat characters, dull plot, and one disappointed me.My Profile

    Reply

    • IT IS SO HARD THOUGH. I’ve tried ripping up old clothes for rags and just…yeah, no. I think I need to get stronger. 😂

      It’s really awful to faint. I sooo hear your pain. I think books tend to romanticise these things because it’s a “cool and dramatic” chapter ending?! BUT IT’S NOOOOOOT LIKE THAT.

      Bahah, yes! I mean I guess it’s boring to read about them studying, but they could at least mention that they do?! I’m watching a TV show right now where the highschoolers are running around solving crime and I’m like “ok but is everyone failing school”.😂

      Reply

  67. Okay, this is hilarious. I could say “YES!” and give my opinions about every single one of these. The one that I will say “YES!” the loudest about is the Fainting one. Oh gosh. You know in Mockingjay how freaking often Katniss faints? Like, come on, girlfriend. Yes, I know that some of the fainting is medically induced, but it’s not good enough for me. We all know you aren’t his proper and weak. We’ve seen you kill people before, and we’ve gone through two books with you already and you have no fainting problem. She faints because of meds, because of pain, and so on. Just ugh. It felt like lazy writing to me?? Like, we kept fainting right along with Katniss and then hearing about all the juicy action in summary. It was annoying! :/ I still love the Hunger Games series fiercely, but I will still admit that annoyance right there.

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you liked it!!😂 I actually DON’T remember Katniss fainting a lot! I need to reread that series though because it’s one of my favourites. <3 But I do think fainting can be used as an overly cliche trope to get those cool "fade to black" chapter ends. It can be a problem.😂

      Reply

  68. I had a presyncopal event once and I for sure was not picking up and carrying on right after, HOWEVER. I would be 100% with you on the vomit front if I didn’t actually know real people who 100% puke and rally. I’m serious. They vomit, then rinse their mouths, wash their hands, and carry on as if NOTHING HAPPENED. (this is not me.. I actually full on CRY MY EYES OUT when I vomit. Which is thankfully rarely. But I cannot deal. Game over if I vomit. Game. Over. )

    #3 – SO MUCH THIS. As I get more and more curmudgeonly I have less and less tolerance for these books where friggin’ young whippersnappers are like “I will literally die for you in chapter 57” in love with someone. I super duper love my fiancee (who will thankfully NEVER READ THIS and question my love…) but I am reading these books and thinking “am I a love failure? because this is not me.” And it CERTAINLY wasn’t 16 year old me. I even know people who are married and have kids with a person they have been with since high school, and they were NOT the level of in love at 16 that books imply 16 year olds are capable of. And the VAST MAJORITY of people I knew when I was 16 are with people they never even met until well into their 20s. I was almost 30 when I met my fiancee. WAY TO MAKE ME FEEL VERY BEHIND ON LIFE, BOOKS.

    Fun fact: I’m an introvert, and switching to a job that is only night shifts has saved my sanity. 2 or 3 times a week, I get to be at home for sleeping while my fiancee is at work. AKA BED TO MYSELF TIME. BEST TIME OF MY WEEK. Anyhow. I never really noticed introverts in YA books don’t take me time… poor souls…

    #7…. um…. so this is life in St. John’s. Seriously. Our intern last year had her mind blown by the fact that every other client that came into the clinic knew me or knew someone who knew me. Some guy started talking to me during a race once, and then when we crossed the finish line it turned out he works with my fiancee, and then 3 years later I met up with some people in Nashville (very far from St John’s) and it turned out HE IS MARRIED TO ONE OF THE WOMEN I WAS MEETING AND WAS SITTING IN THE HOTEL ROOM WHEN I GOT THERE. We often joke that St John’s is 1 inch wide. By city standards, it is small.. but it is not small town small. (it is the capital of my province). But it is like impossible to do anything without running into someone you have some kind of connection with. I found out a couple weeks ago that my best friend went on a date with my trainer’s best friend and my trainer met my best friend not knowing she was my best friend. I have gone to weddings and been all “Why are YOU here?!”
    A guy from CBC radio called me today to speak to a veterinary issue, and he has drank whiskey in my kitchen (I don’t know if he realized that when he called me).
    So, yeah, I’ll forgive YA books this one 😉

    I have totally yelled at a contemporary book “GOOGLE IT!! WHY AREN’T YOU GOOGLING IT?!” I will forgive a fantasy. Or historical fiction. But contemporary? Don’t try to pretend google isn’t a thing. It is a huge thing. Don’t ignore it. Embrace it.

    An issue I have? People are not attractive when they cry. Ugly crying is WAY more natural than sweet pretty gentle crying. This is occurring to me because I just finished The Hush and they actually acknowledged how shitty someone looks when they’ve been crying. Give me puffy red eyes, please, and runny noses. Don’t pretend like just because you are the magical protagonist your tear ducts AREN’T connected to your sinuses. Seriously.

    Reply

    • Okay so you just RUINED My #7 there.😂😂 Maybe it’s just me who never sees people twice? Or maybe people avoid me. Maybe I look as if I might eat them. Seems reasonable.

      And YES I know right?! I’m yelling all the time for them to google it. I don’t think it’s realistic when they don’t? Like teenagers want answers instantly, and I get the whole “something is wrong I should just avoid it” reasoning, because I have done that. But especially when it comes to mental health, you tend to want validation and secretly so…hello google.

      OH I AGREE ABOUT THE CRYING! Crying is so ugly. And like usually there’s snot everywhere too!? If I do a part 3 I’ll definitely mention that.😂

      Reply

  70. I’m almost sure I read the first post, but I’m just gonna check and double comment 😀 😀

    I have never fainted in my life. But I’m sure it’s terrifying. While I will also agree that nausea is one of the worst things to be feeling. Ugh. It’s just so… bad. Tearing clothes though… some clothes year more easily (usually those ones you don’t want to tear xD xD), but I will agree that it’s pretty corny. I rolled my eyes once when one of my friends mentioned a guy tore up a shirt for a girl’s period in one book. Wow xD

    Also don’t get me started on the one where I don’t believe in teenage relationships at all, cause the ones I had or saw my friends have (so… pretty much none at all whatsoever?) were basically pathetic caricatures of relationships because nobody really knew what they were doing. That’s the number one thing that irks me in YA books. I know that when I was a teen, I myself felt extremely pressured to have a ‘proper’ relationship in my teens, and always hated myself for being ‘a loser’, and only upon hitting nearly 30 and being in my first rewarding relationship I can understand how ridiculous that idea was. And how harmful to my emotional state :/

    Yes to the back problems as well xD and perhaps nobody really believes inintroverts (like Christmas elves), so they always try to make them go out and seek people. I’ll take the randomly bumping into people thing though! That always seems to happen to me. The other day, well… actually, it was my birthday 😀 my friend from many years ago who now lives anywhere in the world interchangeably (China, Germany, Ireland…) called me to congratulate me and turned out to be three streets away from me, so he joined me on my birthday ice cream eating spree out in the town. This sort of stuff keeps happening to me a lot. Oh no… maybe I’M a special snowflake 😀

    Good one about the train of thought 😀 I can never say anything to anyone. I mean like how they can always defend themselves against bullies or maybe just bad guys. Me? “Well… you…. are a bad person!” XD literally. THAT’S been my comeback wayyyyy too many times. And then you spend 5 hours coming up with a perfect speech and say the same thing next time. LIFE.

    Totally true about googling too 😀

    Great post. Now I’m off to brush teeth and read books, it’s my last day of vacation!
    Evelina recently posted…Do I Rate 90% Of Books 4 Stars, Or What??My Profile

    Reply

    • Oh yes, for sure, some clothes tear much more easily than others! But when they’re like running around jungles fighting beasts and stuff and their clothes never tear there? I HAVE QUESTIONS.😂 I literally have a scene in a book I wrote where the girl hurt herself and is bleeding and the guy is like (internally) “omg if she needs me to rip off my shirt I’m just leaving now.” 😂😂 I’M SO ROMANTIC.

      I think maybe YA just goes for the whole “wishful thinking” for relationships. Which I get! But I also think a LOT of teens would feel comforted if they saw more book characters not finding their OTP at 16?

      I’m so bad at comebacks. 😂 Especially when I get worked up. Now I toootally love reading snappy comebacks, but I do just live for the day when some characters are arguing and forget their train of thought.😂

      Reply

  71. I somehow missed this post in Feedly, but then I saw someone reply to your tweet of it and was confused. 😂

    1. I have to admit, I have a few shirts that are so flimsy, even my weak self could probably rip them. 😂 But generally I prefer my clothes to be sturdier than that!

    2. People do seem to recover rather quickly from vomiting! I’d be brushing my teeth and scrubbing out my mouth repeatedly and probably crying. I’ve never fainted, but I’ve come very, very close to blacking out (to the point where I couldn’t see anything anymore) several times, and yeah, I’m definitely not running around 5 minutes later.

    3. It took me until 28, so 🤷‍♀️

    4. UNREALISTIC

    5. Maybe authors are afraid people won’t want to read books about introverts who are actually introverting? Except 90% of us are introverts and can relate. 😂

    6. I have to restart my phone 75% of the time when I want to use data outside the house, so agreed.

    7. Haha, that’s actually one of the things I miss now but also dreaded while living in my hometown. I ALWAYS ran into someone. I got good at pretending not to see people. 😂

    8. LOLOLOLOL

    9. *looks down* *is covered with unattractive bruises* I’m so clumsy that I’m never bruise-free.

    10. Teens think they know everything!

    This was fun, Cait. 😊

    Reply

    • Aww, thanks for still reading it, you kind soul. 💕

      And YES! Some clothing is super flimsy so it works. But like they wear this same clothing to fight monsters and run across the jungles and it doesn’t tear there? I have questions. 😂 Or I’m far too fussy.

      Ugh the aftertaste of vomiting takes FOREVER to go away too. It’s so gross.

      And I guess introverts actually introverting would make a super slow plot, buuuut, it could be just at least off-page! Or else it’s so unrelatable.😂

      Reply

  72. So enjoyable Cait, thank you! Good points too!

    About the fainting – I’ve had the (dis)pleasure of experiencing them a few times. I never combined it with vomitting though. I remember feeling sick to my stomach, just before fainting, but I never actually got sick before or after. Just really, reeeeaaaalllly tired. Like – please help me up and while you’re at it, please take me home. I don’t think I can move. My legs feel like a 1000 pounds. That type of tired.

    Google – yes, that’s what I thought too! I actually used it in my latest book. Seemed like the logical thing to do!

    Reply

    • Aww, thank you, Petra! I’m glad you enjoyed it!😂 And fainting is absolutely awful, gughugh. And yes! Being tired for sure. The body has to like “Reboot” almost, right? So I can barely imagine these characters popping up to go back into battle straight after fainting. 😳

      Reply

  73. I know another thing that to me is unrealistic is they are CONSTANTLY biting their tongue or lip and don’t notice until they taste blood and I just like how do you not notice till you bleeding you have no pain receptors. It seems to me that in the last 1001 books that I read that this happens at least once.
    And super agree on the ripping clothes part. *I tried and failed miserably.*

    Reply

    • DUDE YES!! I actually read an article somewhere that said this is a lot harder to do than one thinks…like without noticing. Biting your tongue/lip to bleeding in an accident or whatever is more likely. But yeeeeah. It’s really weird. And plus it never then hurts after!? If you set your lip bleeding, then it kind of swells and gets awful afterwards too.

      Reply

  74. I think the most annoying ever is when a character goes through the stage of “WHY AM I LIKE THIS’ and all common sense goes out the door. Like the book will contain obvious clues and some events that they experienced are supposed to help lead them to discover what they’ve become but instead, they spend God knows how many pages asking themselves why they are how they are? Frustrating to say the least.

    Reply

    • I know right?! Like I get the whole feelings of doubt and “am I just making it up” but I do think in this day and age it’s more likely that you’d be googling (I know I always am… 😭😂) People tend to want ANSWERS. Even if they’re just any answers.

      Reply

  75. 100% agree with all of these! Especially when people apparently have working phones and computers and don’t use them to a) contact each other and b) google things! Your comments give me life tbh. All of the sass 😉 💕💕

    Reply

  76. OHMYGOODNESS CAIT YOU NEVER FAIL TO MAKE ME LAUGH SO HARD BLESS YOU!!!

    Seriously that first one… I have this happen in my books because people get wounded ALOT and never seem to have bandages handy BUT NEVERTHELESS IT HAS OCCURRED TO ME that this is super hard in real life so I should get points or cake for that, methinks.

    Also, YES, your mouth feels so gross after throwing up and you need water and you’re all trembly and ick???

    Maaayyybee it is possible to black out from exhaustion??? But I don’t think passing out and fainting are quiiiitttee the same thing?? So obviously I need to do some research on that one.

    YEEEESSSSS THE ONE ABOUT THE INTROVERTS!!!

    Also yeesssss to the bumping into the hot dude LITERALLY EVERYWHERE YOU GO. I mean, he is PROBABLY a stalker???

    and ohmyword, I get the most random bruises and THIS TOTALLY NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN FICTION NOW!!!

    Awesomely hilarious post, Cait! CONTINUE BEING AWESOME OKAY.

    Reply

    • I’M SO GLAD, KATE. 😂😂

      And omg the amount of clothes ripping people do is quite amazing tbh. Just go on an adventure and take bandages. Seriously. And it’s so gross when people are like sick but still being super romantic…like no.😂 And 100% agree that the random hot dude is SO a stalker…*squints suspiciously* 😂

      Reply

  77. Gosh, yes. Now I’m so making a character who has too much trouble remembering ANYTHING. Oh wait. That would be me. You know, I think one of them is going to end up like that on accident. Just because my memory is so dang bad for some things. (And yet I remember too many games I played with friends as a kid …)

    Reply

  78. YES YES YES YES.

    For some reason my lovely computer decided to stop having your posts show up in my Blogger feed, so I just assumed that you were taking a really long break??? and now to find that it was just my computer being a devious EVIL DEVICE.

    Reply

  80. Still, even though you’re correct in these points they are not always relevant to the core of the story, and to the reader it might not be important (as, say, the novel’s genre is not realism)

    Reply

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2018 Reading Challenge

2018 Reading Challenge
Cait (Paper Fury) has read 12 books toward her goal of 200 books.
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C.G. Drews’s books on Goodreads

A Thousand Perfect Notes
A Thousand Perfect Notes

reviews: 344

ratings: 614 (avg rating 4.27)


The Boy Who Steals Houses
The Boy Who Steals Houses

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