In Conjunction with the previously issued List of Words decreed Unlawful in the Titles of Works of Fantasy, the following Words are Hereby Decreed Unlawful in the Text of any Work of Fantasy Fiction:
Thus
Thusly
Beseech
Morrow
Fair (as an adjective)
M’Lord
M’lady
Sire
Anon
Sooth
Troth
Alas
Mettle
Sward
Dirk
Wench
Goodly
Hale
Well met
Hamlet
Overexposure symptoms include numbness, fatigue, loss of mental acuity, shortness of temper, and a fondness for the works of Terry Brooks. Verbal kelation therapy via heavy doses of nonfantasy literary fiction are indicated. Withdrawal may be severe if exposure has been prolonged.
Enjoying your campaign against micro-triteness. What about at a more macro level? I’ve seen it asserted that modern audiences demand tropes — and anything too unexpected gets you rejected (not only by the broader audience, but by publishing house screeners as well).
Hi, Chip, and thanks! It may very well be true, but it’s not something I remotely consider, to be honest. I write what I write, and publishers and readers are free not to buy it (an option publishers have exercised on nearly half the novels I’ve written).