Things I will not include in my upcoming novel:
Bad Latin.
Anyone named after a mythological figure.
Long descriptions of characters that include the words boxum, strapping, steely eyes, or quivering muscles.
Phasers.
Dilithium, Transparisteel, or other impossible substances.
Goblins, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, or any other race already appearing in LotR, Narnia, and 5 million other stories.
Any spell name already published by TSR.
Any spell name already used in Harry Potter.
Any spell name that can be believably shouted by an anime/manga character.
Cowboy hats.
Red-shirted security guards whose sole purpose is to block enemy fire for the hero.
s scenes (sorry).
Time-space Continuum flux.
Any flora / fauna that isn’t approved of by my life science expert, Tiffany.
Giant insect-like aliens that eat people.
any weapon described as “legendary.”
Chainmail Bikinis.
Weapons made from ridiculous or imaginary materials (like glass or Mithril).
Gundam.
Werewolves, Vampires, or other overused horror elements (at least not labelled as such…).
Political commentary.
Puns on current events.
The Council of Elrond.
Any “item of unspeakable power”