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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/30256
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'm in a writing group. I see repeating word-choice patterns among the fantasy writers. Example: frequent use of certain words (like 'utter,' everyone seems to use that word... ), or certain symptoms manifesting with magic (for example, illness, usually headache, always accompanies emerging psychic ability).

Maybe there are tons of irritating 'beginner habits'.

These aren't really tropes that I am talking about. I simply want to avoid rookie errors. I'm asking if there are blind spots that beginning writers have, especially in fantasy, and what those might include?

My question is broad because I don't mind a range of answers (I'm trying to get up to speed quickly, but blogs/etc give general advice like 'show-not-tell,' or 'edit edit edit," etc. ... Great advice but not really pertinent to the question).

Specifically, as a few focused thoughts.

1. Are there any words or types of words that have been overplayed? Or are considered juvenile-esque? I have heard many people say to avoid adverbs. Really?

2. This fad of 'talking like real life' seems to be used by some beginning writers, to me, as an excuse for sloppy writing. Am I off base? Is 'talking like real life' good, or a fad? I realize anything can be done poorly, but I see very little real life dialogue that stands on its own in the absence of competent framing. 

3. I'm annoyed by tons of made up words, which may be a problem in fantasy. Is this a common annoyance among other fantasy readers? A few made up words I can handle, though I wish they'd be grounded it recognizable etymology.

Original score: 12