Spelling, grammar and other 'technical' issues are real turn-offs. But as for the stories themselves, some of the things that make me want to put a book back on the shelf and never read it again are:
- Excruciatingly long passages of technical data (in novels). Tell me that the flux capacitor works; don't tell me
how it works in six pages of scientific words.
- Excessive physical descriptions. It's fine to tell me that she has blue eyes and blonde hair, but I don't need to know her dress size and what she's wearing, down to the colour of the flower-print on her undies.
- Ending a book with "And then he woke up and discovered it was all a dream."
- Conversation between characters that is exposition for exposition's sake. If it's something we need to know, put it in the novel in an appropriate way.
- A lack of continuity. Didn't Robinson Crusoe "strip off his clothes and swim to shore" only to get out of the water on the beach with "his clothes dripping wet and clinging to his body."
Excessive use of character names. I mean, if there's only two people in the scene, we should be able to judge who's speaking without a barrage of "Lucy said," and "said Tony."
