Pet Peeves That Pull Readers Out of a Story

We’ve all been there: you’re fully immersed in a novel, the world feels alive, the characters are vivid, and then—bam—you hit something that snaps you right out of the story. It’s like tripping on a crack in the sidewalk. As writers, the last thing we want is to lose a reader’s attention. While every reader has different tastes, there are a few common pitfalls that consistently break immersion. Let’s look at three of the biggest ones.

1. Dialogue That Doesn’t Sound Human

Dialogue is one of the quickest ways to make or break a story’s flow. When characters talk like walking thesauruses or sound identical to each other, readers notice. Overly stiff, info-dumping conversations (“As you know, John, our father left us when we were five...”) ring false and pull readers out immediately.

Fix it: Read your dialogue out loud. If it sounds like something no one would actually say, rewrite it. Give each character their own rhythm, word choice, and quirks. Realistic dialogue doesn’t just convey information—it breathes life into your characters.

2. Convenient Coincidences

Nothing frustrates readers more than a plot that feels manipulated. When problems vanish because of a sudden miracle, or a hero succeeds thanks to an overly convenient twist, it undercuts the story’s tension. Readers want to believe that events flow logically from choices, not luck.

Fix it: Let your characters earn their victories. Conflict should be resolved by their decisions, strengths, and sometimes their flaws—not by a deus ex machina. Well-placed setbacks can make the eventual payoff even more satisfying.

3. Over-Explaining Everything

Readers are smart. They don’t need to be spoon-fed every detail about how a character feels or how a machine works. Long blocks of exposition or constant reminders (“She was angry. Very angry. Angrier than she had ever been...”) bog down pacing and underestimate your audience.

Fix it: Trust your readers. Use body language, subtext, and context clues to imply emotions or background details. The magic of storytelling often lies in what’s left unsaid.

Wrapping It Up

A great story keeps readers so absorbed that they forget they’re even reading. But clunky dialogue, forced coincidences, and heavy-handed explanations can shatter that illusion. The good news? Every one of these pitfalls is fixable. By paying attention to how your story sounds, flows, and respects the reader’s intelligence, you can keep your audience hooked from the first page to the last.