Save the Pet, Kill the Peeves

Three pet peeves as a reader... THREE? ONLY THREE?

Fine, fine, fine. Just three pet peeves as a reader.  Since you all know my loathing of Head Hopping I'll let it pass...this time.

1.  Backstory Dump: There is an artful way to integrate backstory. I hate slogging through pages of it, particularly anywhere in the first arc. If it happens in the second or third arc, I'm baffled by why it was necessary, but I'm more forgiving because I made it this far into the story.

2.  Killing the Dog:  I don't care how many humans, humanoids, droids, or bipeds you bump off. I don't care how heinous the manner (as long as it suits the story). Just don't kill the dog. I don't care if he is possessed by the soul of a demon. You train the hairball, you don't kill it.

3. TDTL: To Dumb To Live characters, especially if they're in a starring role. Hey, even the comedic relief characters have a clue. There is a wide line between inept and witless. Everyone is utterly inept at something. But a character whose only purpose is to wail and flail...get me the demon dog.