Now listen, I love movies. I love books, too. I will watch a little bit of everything—horror, action, romance, comedy, mystery, Hallmark sweetness, and whatever genre happens to be hollering from the couch that night. But some tropes get under my skin a bit.

First up… horror movies and their passionate little pit stops. Somebody is being chased by a knife-wielding maniac, a haunted doll, a ghost with unresolved business, or all three, and somehow two people decide this is the perfect time to get romantic. Ma’am. Sir. There is a killer in the hallway. This is not the moment for mood lighting.

The Friday the 13th movies are famous for it, and even Halloween has its share of “why are y’all flirting right now?” moments. Every good ghost chase seems to come with a love triangle, a secret crush, or somebody whispering sweet nothings while doom is knocking politely at the window.

Romantic comedies have their own foolishness. Too many women are written like they just fell off the turnip truck… shocked, forgiving, and surprised by clues the rest of us saw coming forty-five minutes ago. Please. Women are better detectives than that. We can find a missing earring, a hidden snack stash, and a lie in a man’s text message before breakfast.

Then there are action movies, where bullets are apparently grown on trees, and nobody ever has to reload. Cars fly, flip, land, explode, and keep going like they were blessed by a superhero mechanic. I love the Bad Boys movies, and I will still watch all the  Lethal Weapon movies with a bowl of popcorn, but let’s not pretend those stunts wouldn’t have everybody limping, wrapped, iced, and rethinking their insurance.

And Hallmark… Bless its heart. Everything works out. The bakery is saved, the small town sparkles, the widower smiles again, the city woman finds herself, and somebody kisses under twinkle lights while cocoa steams nearby. Life is not nearly that tidy—but Lord, don’t we wish it was?

As for books… The over-wordiness, the descriptive passages that go on too long or lose track, make me lose my focus. Also, character stereotypes that make me cringe, such as Instant lovers, the good and evil siblings, or friends. Also, predictable plots that surface too soon. I like to be surprised and feel the story as I go, get to know the characters, not be introduced to them all at once and then feel lost.

Truth is, as much as these tropes annoy me, I keep showing up for them. They are part of the bones of the story—the little skeleton frame holding the whole thing together. We expect them. We fuss about them. Then we read the next book, press play on the next movie, and settle in like we don’t know exactly what’s coming…