History Main / BadWritingIndex

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[[redirect:WritingPitfallIndex]]

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->''"And you will stand there, wondering how we did it..."''\\
'''Linkara:''' Ooh! I know how! ''[Points up toward the ceiling]''\\
'''Text:''' ''Inhumanly Awful Writing''
-->-- '''Linkara''', ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', "ComicBook/AmazonsAttack Issues 5 and 6"

This is an index of tropes that are often indicative of plain bad writing.

When done unintentionally, these tropes are usually bad signs. When done intentionally, they're often signs of {{parody}}, comedy, or just the writer being ironic, [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible eccentric]], or stylized. Hopefully.

Just because a trope invokes a "bad" feeling such as dislike ({{Jerkass}}), disappointment ({{Anticlimax}}, DownerEnding), or dissatisfaction (NoEnding) doesn't make it bad writing, as [[IntendedAudienceReaction they are intended to produce those feelings]]. Tropes on this list produce bad feelings as unintentional byproducts thus detracting from the intended emotional outcome, hence being considered bad writing.

You may be thinking that you have discovered the legendary page of Bad Tropes, as if opening the Ark of the Covenant and taking notes about the literal crap you find inside as a guide to What Not To Do Ever, but please note that Administrivia/TropesAreTools, and many highly acclaimed works have used these tropes successfully. Also, be wary that Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is in full force here, as most tropers are not willing to look for a fight or an edit war.

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See also:
* BallIndex: Out-of-character traits as the plot demands.
* CommonMarySueTraits: A few of these aren't necessarily bad, and don't necessarily make for a MarySue (or a MartyStu), but the more of these there are, the harder it is for the audience to take the character(s) and story seriously, unless handled ''extremely'' delicately.
* CreatorsApathy: When the creators themselves admit they weren't even making an effort.
* DiscreditedTrope: A trope which is no longer taken seriously by audiences.
* ExecutiveMeddling: A common cause of bad writing.
* FranchiseOriginalSin: When the bad writing originated in prior installments which had circumstances that meant it wasn't seen as bad there or then.
* HardToAdaptWork: A big reason why bad writing can occur despite competence, experience, and passion for a work.
* IndExMachina: No explanation, no foreshadowing, no problem, apparently.
* PetPeeveTrope: A trope that is disliked by certain audiences.
* ThePlotDemandedThisIndex: Something happens to push the story because logic can't.
* PolishTheTurd: What the creators have to work with is so bad no amount of good writing can salvage it.
* ProtectionFromEditors: [[NotSoDifferent A common cause of bad writing.]]
* ScrappyIndex: Tropes in a particular work that have a {{hatedom}} such as TheScrappy, MarySue, and CharacterDerailment.
* SeasonalRot: What happens when some of these tropes are becoming much more frequent in a series.
* {{Sequelitis}}: What happens when some of these tropes are becoming much more frequent in sequels.

Contrast:
* GrandfatherClause: A discredited or dead trope that is accepted in an old work due to how integral it is to a character's legacy.
* IntendedAudienceReaction: An attempt to intentionally evoke a usually unwanted reaction from the audience.
* NecessaryWeasel: An unrealistic or outdated trope which the audience expects to be there.
* RuleOfIndex: Where audiences excuse things that make no sense due to feeling something.
* StylisticSuck: Making a work, art style, etc. bad on purpose.
* WhoWritesThisCrap: When a work's writing is criticized InUniverse.

Not to be mistaken for WritersSuck, which has more to do with {{Butt Monkey}}s than bad writing.

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%% The following items should not be listed:
%% Hand Wave can be used to paper over a detail that would take too long to explain properly. For example, most of the audience doesn't really care how the FTL drive works, so explaining it takes up time that could be used for actual plot.
%% Painful Rhyme is limited to In-Universe examples.
%% They Wasted A Perfectly Good Character since such character can get more focus in later works.
%% Viewers Are Morons only allows In-Universe examples.
[[index]]

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Crazy Characterization]]

* AesopAmnesia: The more times a character is taught a lesson without them actually learning it, the lower the viewer's opinion of them and of your story.
* AngstWhatAngst: Make your characters react realistically to setbacks or tragic events. Too little {{angst}} makes them appear [[TheSociopath callous]] or [[TheDitz ditzy]].
* CharacterDerailment: Characters can grow, but don't suddenly mutate them into something else.
* CharacterShilling: Having characters suddenly talk up another character for no real reason doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
* {{Chickification}}: Be careful when you decide to make an ActionGirl less action-oriented; if not done properly, it will annoy your audience. %%Please take further edits to this to Discussion, please, especially if you're going to add anything about it being a "feminist" reaction.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Don't make a character disappear with no explanation, hoping the viewers don't notice.
* CompressedVice: Don't have a character develop a bad habit or flaw out of nowhere solely for the sake of setting up AnAesop (doubly so if [[SeriesContinuityError it contradicts previous facts about the character]]), and especially don't show its consequences in a hamfisted, unrealistic manner.
* ConflictBall: Don't have a character cause conflict just because the plot says so.
* CreatorsPet: Treating a certain character with tons of love [[TheScrappy when they really don't deserve it]] is never a good idea.
* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Making the story excessively bleak and giving absolutely no hope will only tire out the audience until they lose interest in the story.
* {{Demonization}}: Some of your potential audience may actually see where this position is coming from, if not actually agree. [[DontShootTheMessage You'll turn them off by your exaggerated portrayal.]] It also makes it seem like the position you hold isn't nearly as solid as you think, since it can only stand up to strawmen.
* DemotedToSatelliteLoveInterest: Don’t let a well-developed character devolve into someone who only exists to be a good romantic partner.
* DerailingLoveInterests: Breaking up a promising relationship just to get the official couple together is not going to sit well with the viewers who care more about the characters than the concept.
* DesignatedHero: Having your hero KickTheDog and still expecting your audience to see them as a paragon of virtue because you say so doesn't usually work; rather, it makes your hero unlikable.
* DesignatedLoveInterest: If you say that two characters are in love, don't make them hate or be apathetic to each other, actually go out of your way to make them love each other. Otherwise, it just feels contrived.
* DesignatedVillain: Having your villain come across as harmless or even too benign and still expecting your audience to see them as a monster because you say so doesn't usually work; rather, it makes your villain petty and perhaps far too sympathetic.
* DieForOurShip: Attacking a rival of your [[OneTruePairing pairing of choice]] doesn't necessarily make that character a bad person and makes you look petty.
* DistressBall: Don't have a character get kidnapped for no good reason.
* DracoInLeatherPants: Have an acceptable reason for making a truly evil character suddenly be nice. "They're hot!" will not do.
* EightDeadlyWords: Characters who are poorly written and/or unlikable will cause the readers to not care about them, and, by extension, not care about the story.
* FadSuper: Don’t base characters off of current trends, or they will quickly become out of date.
* FailureHero: While having the hero lose from time to time adds some realism to the hero and drama to the story, if they lose every single fight or mission, not only will it destroy any and all tension, but the reader will feel bad for relating with the hero.
* FauxActionGirl: If you ''say'' that a girl is strong, then ''make'' her strong. If said ActionGirl comes off as too weak, [[TheScrappy the audience will begin to hate her.]] %%Please take further edits to this to Discussion, please, especially if you're going to add anything about it being a "feminist" reaction.
* FlawlessToken: Don't make the female or minority characters better than the others simply because they are minorities, and don't make the male characters incompetent simply because they are males.
* HeroBall: Heroes are expected to make bad decisions every now and then, but when they do this against all common sense it becomes annoying.
* IdiotBall: Don't have characters make [[OutOfCharacterMoment uncharacteristically stupid decisions]] just because the plot would grind to a halt otherwise.
* InformedAbility: A character is said to have a skill, but doesn't use when there is an opportunity.
* InformedWrongness: If a character is actually in the wrong, prove it.
* InvincibleHero: A hero who can't lose is boring.
* InvincibleVillain: [[YouCantThwartStageOne Villains are expected to win some]], but making it so they seemingly can't lose wears out their appeal.
* JerkSue: Having a character be a complete {{Jerkass}} who [[KarmaHoudini gets away with it]] just because the author designates them as such and says you should support them does not make for a strong character, and is more likely going to turn out be a case of CreatorsPet, and often TheScrappy. Also, it tends to look like a half-assed effort when the author just throws in some secondary throw-away detail in an attempt to make you feel sorry for the character and expect you to not get upset when they behave like a jerk for no other reason than they feel like it at the time.
* KiddieKid: Often happens when writers try too hard to avoid having their child characters behave like miniature adults, but unless the child is supposed to be immature for their age, this option isn't much, if at all, better.
* MarySue: A flawless, invincible character who never loses at anything makes for a boring story. MarySueTropes and CommonMarySueTraits contain lots of information on different types of Sue.
* MoralDissonance: Don't have the hero behave contrary to their usual morality and be completely oblivious to it.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Don't give a character a new ability out of thin air depending on the situation.
* OutOfCharacter: Moments when the character does something that he wouldn't normally do without any justification.
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: A character's moral standing should be based on their actions as a whole, ''not'' solely on their actions toward the main character. A sure sign of a MarySue or a DesignatedHero.
* RaceTropes: Tread carefully with these. Having a minority character act like a walking stereotype screams lazy writing and will upset people.
* RealWomenDontWearDresses: Bashing a female character for liking/doing traditionally-feminine things can piss off the audience.
* RomanticizedAbuse: Make sure that your romance is actually a reasonably healthy relationship. If abuse, either physical or emotional, is presented as sexy or sweet, the characters could become UnintentionallyUnsympathetic, and viewers may get the wrong idea of what an acceptable real-life relationship requires.
* RonTheDeathEater: Have an acceptable reason for making a truly good character suddenly be mean. "I hate them!" will not do.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Define your characters by something ''other'' than being the lover or crush for TheProtagonist, or the archetypal "perfect" boyfriend/girlfriend.
* StrangledByTheRedString: People going directly from being strangers to being genuinely in love is not very realistic or satisfying to watch. If you're going to make two characters fall in love with each other, try to take it slow.
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: Don't have characters suddenly gain or lose power without any explanation.
* StupidSacrifice: Unless they're a MartyrWithoutACause, characters sacrificing their lives loses the intended significance if they overlook better options.
* SuddenlySexuality: While diversity is good, retconning an already existing character as gay if you can't be bothered to create a new character can be difficult to pull off if there are any prior indications in the story of the character being attracted to the opposite sex.
* VillainDecay: Don't have your antagonist lose their power and competence without a good reason.
* VillainSue: A flawless, invincible ''villain'' who never loses at anything makes for a boring story just as much as an ordinary MarySue.
* {{Wangst}}: Make your characters react realistically to setbacks or tragic events. Too much {{angst}} makes them unrealistic and annoying.
* WhatAnIdiot: If audiences can see an intelligent decision that they expect the characters to make, don't have them make dumb ones instead.
* {{Wimpification}}: Stripping the action, common sense, and strength from characters to add {{Wangst}} is a good way to piss off the audience. %%Please take further edits to this to Discussion, please, especially if you're going to add anything about it being a "feminist" or "LGBT" reaction.

See also ContrivedStupidityTropes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mishandled Morals]]
All of the below only count if they aren't being PlayedForLaughs or {{spoof|Aesop}}ed:

* AesopAmnesia: If characters take a long time learning a lesson, don't have them immediately forget it again.
* {{Anvilicious}}: Unless it's [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped an important or underrated moral]], morals should be shoved subtly, not thrown at your face.
* BrokenAesop: The lesson you teach should match what the story shows.
* CaptainObviousAesop: Don't try teaching your audience something that they already know.
* CluelessAesop: Don't try to put a moral in a story where it doesn't fit.
* LostAesop: If you're going to present some "truth", make sure you do it.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: If you can't even attack [[TheWarOnStraw strawmen]] without being defeated, you may need a new profession.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Poor Plotting]]
Bad Plotting can make for a bad story:

* AbortedArc: Plot points should go somewhere eventually.
* AbsentAnimalCompanion: Pets tend to show up in one episode of an episodic series, and disappear forever by the next.
* ArcFatigue: The longer a storyline goes while making no progress, the less the audience will care about it.
* AssPull: Don't introduce major changes and/or important elements at critical moments in the plot without some foreshadowing or justification.
* CanonDefilement: People who are reading your story probably enjoy the work it derives from and/or is a part of for what it ''is''. Not for what you would like it to be. Seeing beloved characters mangled into whatever form you desire is probably going to cut down on your audience.
* CaptainObviousReveal: If you are going to write a plot twist, don't foreshadow it so much that your readers will see it coming without working at it.
* CliffhangerCopout: This is what happens when a {{Cliffhanger}}'s resolution comes in the form of tweaking the continuity between back-to-back installments (usually creating {{Plot Hole}}s), a refusal/failure to follow through with delivering a big [[TheReveal Reveal]] after setting an audience up for one, or outright [[AbortedArc aborting a story arc]].
* TheChrisCarterEffect: It's a good idea to actually finish things. Sooner or later, the audience will get bored with you screwing around and not getting to the point.
* CoitusEnsues: Don't write a sex scene if the depiction of the intercourse doesn't add anything to the story.
* ContinuitySnarl: Plotlines can snag if you aren't careful.
* DeusAngstMachina: Too much misfortune makes too little WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief.
* DeusExMachina: Do not save your characters with an AssPull.
* DiabolusExMachina: A victory for the bad guys pulled out of thin air might be amusing for [[BlackComedy shock value]], but it doesn't make for great storytelling.
* EndingFatigue: The viewer should probably not be yelling "END ALREADY!"
* EsotericHappyEnding: If you want to write an uplifting ending, make sure that the audience can agree with you that you wrote one.
* ForgottenPhlebotinum: Previous installments included something that would resolve the problem of the week. The something is not brought up.
* FridgeLogic: Though much more forgivable than a PlotHole, this can be bad if it doesn't have enough FridgeHorror or FridgeBrilliance to go along with it. If you have a complicated universe, don't gloss over the minor details.
* GratuitousRape: Rape is an incredibly grave subject matter. Don't shoehorn in a rape scene just for shock value, or have so much it loses impact.
* IdiotPlot: Unless the characters are supposed to be idiots, the plot should not be forced to move forward solely by people making stupid decisions.
* IJustKnew: Characters need an in-universe reason for knowing (or not knowing) something in advance.
* JustEatGilligan: If there's an obvious solution to the problem(s) that drives the story, don't have characters ignore or arbitrarily dismiss it.
* KudzuPlot: It's fine to have a dozen different story threads at once, but you have to be able to tie them together. If they go off into infinity without ever being tied, who's going to care about any of them? The pieces of your JigsawPuzzlePlot have to ''fit''.
* LostInMediasRes: If there's not enough exposition when starting out InMediasRes, the viewers will feel completely lost and lose interest in the story.
* OnlyTheAuthorCanSaveThemNow: Do not put your characters in a situation where only a DeusExMachina can save them.
* PlotHole: Don't think the audience won't see when you forget to cover something.
* RetroactiveIdiotBall: Don't undercut major plot points in older works by introducing a [[TakeAThirdOption Third Option]] that the characters should have known about.
* RomanticPlotTumor: Unless the plot is romance, don't let it take over.
* SeriesContinuityError: When you set something in stone, you can't chisel it out without leaving marks.
* ShippingBedDeath: When not handled properly, a pairing becoming canon can kill the audience's interest in the story and/or characters.
* ShockingSwerve: Don't have a TwistEnding just to have a TwistEnding.
* SlowPacedBeginning: Just as the viewer shouldn't demand the work to end already as with EndingFatigue, they shouldn't be forced to sit through hours of exposition or padding to get to the actual plot.
* TheStationsOfTheCanon: When important events in a DivergenceFic are treated more as checkmarks than plot points.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: If the premise is interesting, DO something interesting with it.
* TrappedByMountainLions: If someone's in a story, they should be part of the plot, too.
* UnfortunateImplications: Be careful with the way you portray certain characters and the situations you put them through; viewers could get the wrong idea.
* VoodooShark: When patching over a PlotHole creates a different, possibly more troublesome, problem.
* WhatCliffhanger: A {{cliffhanger}} which merely promises that ''some'' shocking plot twist will be revealed later, instead of just revealing it right now, is usually not that exciting.
* WritersCannotDoMath: If simple arithmetic in a story doesn't add up, fans will notice and be left scratching their heads.
* YoYoPlotPoint: It's okay if a few plot points repeat themselves throughout the series, but if it's the same story every other episode, your audience is bound to get bored.
** RelationshipRevolvingDoor: A relationship that's treated like a YoYoPlotPoint will drive people crazy faster than most polt points of it's ilk, especially if you garner an audience that has seen ''{{Series/Friends}}'' and it's imitators.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Senseless Styles]]
In amateur writing (or stuff that just simply [[ProtectionFromEditors didn't get the proper proofreading]]), bad writing is sometimes inherent in the form and presentation of the work itself:

* AndThatsTerrible: Telling the reader how evil the villain is, instead of showing it (or even doing both). [[HypocriticalHumor That's a bad thing]].
* AuthorFilibuster: The audience is (theoretically) interested in the plot. Stopping it so that you can talk about something that's important to you will only make them less interested in what you're writing.
* BeigeProse: Short, terse passages. Too much is unemotional and flat.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: When you translate the works transformed appropriately.[[labelnote:Translation]]When translating a work, translate it properly.[[/labelnote]]
* BurlyDetectiveSyndrome: A form of PurpleProse. Using fancy substitutes for character names and pronouns in the fear that the dialogue doesn't speak for itself will cause people to focus less on your work and more on the words used.
* CharacterFilibuster: Putting an AuthorFilibuster in someone else's mouth doesn't help.
* ConceptsAreCheap: Using concepts and buzz words to pad out a thin script just shows off how thin said script really is.
* CriticalResearchFailure: Unless it is meant to be [[ArtisticLicense intentional]] or InUniverse, make sure that anything treated as real-world fact isn't so obviously incorrect that most of your target audience will realize you have very little knowledge about the subject you're dealing with.
* DesignatedEvil: Audiences will object to presenting an action as "evil" if you fail to present a better alternative course.
* EmphasizeEverything: If '''everything''' is '''emphasized''', then '''nothing''' is, and you've done '''nothing''' of '''value''' except '''annoy your audience'''.
* FeaturelessPlaneOfDisembodiedDialogue: Conversation doesn't happen in a vacuum, so label what is said by who said it.
* FetishRetardant: If you write something intended to turn on your audience, make sure it doesn't suffer from {{Squick}}, UnfortunateImplications or {{Narm}}.
* {{Glurge}}: If you're trying to write a heartwarming story, make sure people won't find [[UnfortunateImplications questionable things]] underneath your message before you do.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Don't put foreign words if you don't understand the meaning or grammar. It can make you seem illiterate to actual speakers of the language.
** GratuitousEnglish: Randomly popping in meaningless English words that you ''don't know the meaning of'' is a bad idea. If you want to write in English, ''know the meaning of your English'' and make sure it's grammatically correct.
** GratuitousJapanese: It's generally ''not'' a good idea to use random bits of Japanese unless you're a fluent speaker, lest you come across as pandering to OccidentalOtaku. Either write in ''idiomatic'' Japanese and learn how to properly pronounce it if you need to, or just write in your native language.
* [[UsefulNotes/{{Tenses}} How Do I Used Tense?]]: Unintentional shifts in tense are highly [[HypocriticalHumor distracted]] and confusing.
* IKEAErotica: Sex should only be as boring as it is to the participants.
* InformedAttribute: Saying something is so is not the same as [[ShowDontTell making it so.]]
* LikeIsLikeAComma: Like, constantly using the word "like" in, like, every other sentence gets incredibly, like, annoying to read through.
* MeaninglessMeaningfulWords: Don't add eloquent-sounding words unless you know whether they actually go there or not, and don't think they will make you sound profound if they actually make you seem confusing.
* NoPunctuationPeriod: Run-on sentences make a story much harder to read especially when there should be pauses yet there is no possible way of defining when they would appear and can usually be avoided.
* RougeAnglesOfSatin: Jest beak oars hits spilled car wrecked lay docent main hits than write ward. [[labelnote:Translation]]Just because it's spelled correctly doesn't mean it's the right word.[[/labelnote]]
* SaidBookism: A form of PurpleProse. Using fancy substitutes for the word "said" in the fear that the dialogue doesn't speak for itself will cause people to focus less on your work and more on the words used.
* ShallowParody: Do not spoof what you're spoofing unless you know well about what you're spoofing.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Telling the reader what a character is feeling, instead of showing it, is lazy. Doubly so if you make an incongruous description, and moreso if you do this in the speech tag.
* TotallyRadical: Don't put slang without understanding the meaning just to look "cool". Overuse of slang can make your work an UnintentionalPeriodPiece.
* TranslationTrainWreck: Bed telephones not particle via misunderstand through reverses all reeling meats inside dolphin non fluffy. [[labelnote:Translation:]]Bad translations that are impossible to understand and remove any real meaning from the dialogue are not favorable.[[/labelnote]]
* TyopOnTheCover: If you can't even [[HypocriticalHumor profread yuor titel]], don't expect the audience to stick around to find the rest of the work any better.
* UnintentionallySympathetic: Failure to create antipathy for a character to the audience will cause them to like [[HateSink characters you want them to hate.]]
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Failure to create sympathy for a character to the audience will cause them to hate characters you want them to like.
* WallOfText: The formatting (or lack thereof) combined with a lot of redundant words makes the text seem impenetrable, and will make the reader lose the track after a few lines.
* TheWarOnStraw: Misrepresenting a side you stand against, whether due to a lack of knowledge or simply out of an attempt to make it easier to argue against them, is a quick way to piss off people you just misrepresented, and possibly others should the efforts be too hamfisted. Not a direct cause of bad writing, but a frequent component of it nevertheless.
* WantonCrueltyToTheCommonComma: Other bad grammar and usage.
* WereStillRelevantDammit: When trying to keep LongRunners up to date, throwing in recent pop culture references and fads won't help at all. Instead, it just comes off as stupid, instantly dated, and possibly even the sign of a DorkAge.
* WriterCopOut: Have the strength to follow through, or don't take the shot at all.
* WriterOnBoard: This is a story, not a treatise.
* YouKeepUsingThatWord: As Creator/MarkTwain said: "Use the right word, not its second cousin."

See also StylisticSuck.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:TV Tropes Troubles]]
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* Administrivia/ThreadMode: Don't clog up a trope entry just because you don't understand why it's there.
* TropeDecay: Continuous shoehorns and other misuses of a trope will remove it of its meaning and value.
* Administrivia/TypeLabelsAreNotExamples: Any relevant context needed to explain the example should be given in the example itself. Don't simply label it "type X" and force the reader to look up what it means just so they can understand what the example means.
* Administrivia/TropeNamerSyndrome: Make sure your proposed trope name makes sense on its own, instead of just being a reference.
* TVTropesMoreLikeTVQuotes: Having one quote per article is enough. Any more quotes you want to add go in the Quotes tab of that article.
* Administrivia/WalkthroughMode: We are not Website/GameFAQs.
* Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples: If one has a trope example, one should write it down, in adequate detail, where it is relevant, not rely on a URL link to some other page to explain what it is.
* WikiVandal: We are not your scribbling wall, and vandalism is destructive to the value of every page.
* Administrivia/WordCruft: When writing an example, just stick to writing the example and try to avoid saying useless things that don't need to be said.
* Administrivia/ZeroContextExample: If you're going to leave an example, please explain what it is. [[FanMyopia Not everyone will understand what you've written about]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gruesome Game Design]]
While not writing exactly, game design does require creativity to do, and since games tend to have dozens and even hundreds of people working on them, mistakes can happen more often than other forms of media.

* AllegedlyFreeGame: If you advertise your game to be free, then don't force players to spend real life money to progress through your "free" game lest the players will consider your game to be a greedy attempt for more money.
* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: Helpful {{N|onPlayerCharacter}}PCs should be actually helpful. If your ExpositionFairy is interrupting the game to [[CaptainObvious tell you something you already know]] or if your allies [[ArtificialStupidity are dumber than bricks]], the game gets frustrating quickly.
* ArtificialStupidity: Make sure your AI actually works.
* BonusFeatureFailure: Make sure any rewards you include in your game are actually worth using.
* DisappointingLastLevel: Be sure players still have interest in finishing your game by the time they reach the final level.
* FakeBalance: Make sure to have proper balance in your game, otherwise players will [[TierInducedScrappy hate something/someone for non-story reasons]].
* FakeDifficulty: While there are intentional examples, there are often too many unintentional examples that detract from the playing experience, so don't try to make your game artificially difficult unless you're making a game that is UnwinnableByDesign or a [[UnwinnableJokeGame Joke Game]] or something like that.
* FakeLongevity: A short game isn’t necessarily bad, and a long game isn’t necessarily good.
* ForcedLevelGrinding: Players shouldn’t have to stop playing a game just to level up.
* GameBreakingBug: While not completely avoidable, don't let a glitch cripple the playability of your game.
* GuideDangIt: While having obscure secrets and bonuses that reward players who like to TryEverything is fine, completing your game's main content shouldn't be near-impossible for players to figure out without a guide.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: Players shouldn’t have to spend more time staring at a loading screen than actually playing your game.
* ManualMisprint: Make sure your game manual is accurate, otherwise there is no point in making one.
* MoonLogicPuzzle: Puzzles should be able to be solved in a logical way.
* ObviousBeta: Clean your game up and make it look presentable before releasing it.
* PixelHunt: If the player must search for something, don't make it too hard to find.
* PowerUpLetdown: Make sure that the improvements that your character receives are actually useful and not detrimental to the players.
* TutorialFailure: [[VideoGameTutorial In-game guides]] that provide incomplete, flawed, or outright erroneous instructions are going to leave many players frustrated.
* UnwinnableByMistake: Thoroughly test your game before releasing it to ensure that it is reasonably difficult but not impossible to beat.
* UselessUsefulNonCombatAbilities: Don’t include game features that don’t work.

See also ErrorIndex.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miserable Music/Lousy Lyrics]]
* LastNoteHilarity: Unless you are a comedy/parody act, you don't want the audience to ''laugh'' at your music.
* MisogynySong and MisandrySong: The UnfortunateImplications of playing either straight are a very big and controversial issue, and unless you wish to be involved in a controversy, avoiding creating these songs is probably a very good idea.
* RhymingWithItself: Repeating a word and trying to pass it off as a rhyme just sounds lazy.
* SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein: Depending on your genre, this might actually be workable. But in anything requiring clear vocals, this is ''automatically bad,'' and even in more permissive genres overly relying on it is often a bad idea.
* VocalRangeExceeded: Don't write things your singer ''can't sing,'' and if you're the singer as well as the writer, be realistic about your range and capabilities.[[note]]A common mistake here is writing for the highest ranges such as pure soprano and alto. Especially among male singers, the capability to reach these ranges is astonishingly rare (male singers will usually fall somewhere between tenor and baritone on average), and even most female singers fall short of being capable of ''pure'' soprano or alto voice, and a singer who is incapable of such and tries anyway will likely sound falsetto and possibly damage their vocal cords. If in doubt, write for the lower ranges and modify higher.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unclassified]]
* ArmedWithCanon: If you have a beef with another creator, remember that a story’s characters are not your pawns and its universe is not a battlefield.
* DanBrowned: If you haven't done the research, don't claim you have.
* DeliberateFlawRetcon: When critics and audiences point out a significant flaw in your work, people are unlikely to believe you if you [[IMeantToDoThat claim it was intentional]].
* ISuckAtSummaries: If you can't be bothered to summarise your story properly, ''especially'' to publishers, then why should people be bothered to read it?
* {{Marysuetopia}}: MarySue in society form is still MarySue.
* {{Narm}}: Make your dramatic/climactic scenes convincing, not cheesy. Don't go over-the-top. Make it realistic. Think about how a person in RealLife would behave in the situation.
* NightmareRetardant (when caused by the writing): If something is supposed to be scary, either [[NothingIsScarier don't show it]] or actually make it scary.
* OscarBait: Your work should be more than just a checklist of tropes that are in currently vogue at the Academy Awards or any other prestigious organization that awards prizes.
* ParodyRetcon: If you're setting out to make a parody or a satire, announce that from the outset. People are unlikely to believe you if you only claim that your work was intended as such after the fact.
[[/folder]]

[[/index]]
----

* WalkthroughMode: We are not Website/GameFAQs.

* CaptainObviousReveal: If you are going to write a plot twist, don't foreshadow it so much that your readers will know without working at it.

* RuleOfIndex: Where audiences excuses things that make no sense due to feeling something.

* AesopAmnesia: The more times a character is taught a lesson without learning it, the lower the viewer's opinion of him/her and your story.

* TheWarOnStraw: Misrepresenting a side you stand against, weather due to a lack of knowledge or you're trying to make it easier to argue against them, is a quick way to piss off people you just misrepresented, and possibly others should the efforts be too hamfisted. Not a direct cause of bad writing, but a frequent component of it nevertheless.

You may be thinking that you have discovered the legendary page of Bad Tropes, as if opening the Ark of the Covenant and taking notes about the literal crap you find inside as a guide to What Not To Do Ever, but please note that Administrivia/TropesAreTools, and many highly acclaimed works have used these tropes successfully. '''''Also, be wary that Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is in full force here, as most tropers are not willing to look for a fight or an edit war.'''''

You may be thinking that you have discovered the legendary page of Bad Tropes, as if opening the Ark of the Covenant and taking notes about the literal crap you find inside as a guide to What Not To Do Ever, but please note that Administrivia/TropesAreTools, and many highly acclaimed works have used these tropes successfully. Also, be wary that Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is in full force here, as most tropers are not willing to look for a fight or an edit war.

* GenericDoomsdayVillain: A villain who is super-mega-powerful, but has no personality, clear goals or motive.

* CanonDefilement: People who are reading your story probably enjoy the work it derives from and/or is a part of for what it ''is''. Not for what you would like it to be. Seeing beloved characters mangled into whatever form you desire is probably going to cut down on your audience.

* SeasonalRot: What happens when some of these tropes are becoming much more frequent in a work.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: When the bad writing originated in prior installments which had circumstances that meant it wasn't seen as bad there or then.

* GenericDoomsdayVillain: The [[BigBad main antagonist]] should have some motivation behind his evil deeds.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: Don’t let something present in older works lose what made it good or acceptable in new installments.

* SnarkBait: What a work becomes when too many tropes from this list appear in it.

You may be thinking that you have discovered the legendary page of Bad Tropes, as if opening the Ark of the Covenant and taking notes about the literal crap you find inside as a guide to What Not To Do Ever, but please note that Administrivia/TropesAreTools, and many highly acclaimed works have used these tropes successfully.

* DearNegativeReader: When creators [[CantTakeCriticism can’t accept]] that their work contains too many tropes from this list and instead lashes out at everyone.