S. J. DAY • Urban Fantasy Novelist • Official Website

Conflicted

Sylvia Day — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:34:41 +0000

I recently finished reading a romance that I enjoyed. The characters were likable, exercised common sense, and were respectful of each other all the way through. They were reunited lovers–one of my favorite storylines–and there were some fundamental personality changes that needed to take place in order to reach a resolution. I finished the story with a smile. However, it didn’t make my “keeper shelf” where the books I’m certain to re-read go. In a while, I’ll probably forget I read the story.

Why? That’s the question I asked myself when I closed the book. What was missing that made the story forgettable?

Looking back, I realized it was lack of conflict for the heroine. The couple broke up because of issues the hero had and those issues had to be resolved to achieve their happily ever after. But the heroine hadn’t had, nor been part of, the problem and while the hero had to make some big internal changes, she didn’t. She was the same woman he fell in love with and she didn’t have to alter in any way to make them work as a couple.

There was conflict elsewhere in the story–external and the hero’s internal–but it missed the ahhh sensation due to the heroine not having a personal conflict of her own to deal with.

As I was contemplating this further, I was reminded of the scene in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening where Betty Buckley (playing a nutjob, which was creepier for me because of her past roles as the mom on Eight is Enough and the sweet gym teacher in Carrie) asks Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel, “Who’s chasing whom?” explaining that in every romantic relationship one person is always chasing the other.

In the books I love most, not only are the protagonists chasing each other, they’re chasing their personal dreams, and they’re conflicted about how to make them happen and still get their (wo)man. My favorite books are those where the internal conflicts of each character morph and grow as the story progresses, where the changes they need to make take place before the end of the book and initiate the need for even more changes. This doesn’t mean the book has to be angsty and/or dark. Even romantic comedies can have characters dealing with layered, personal internal conflicts in addition to their romantic and external ones.

Stories can still be enjoyable with only one of the main protagonists dealing with a major (or multiple major conflicts). The non-conflicted character can still be admirable and real. They can have faults and foibles, goals and full lives. But without some friction, there’s not as much for me to root for and become invested in as a reader. I really, really dislike conflict in my daily life, but I really, really crave it in my reading material.

So how about you? Are you a conflict junky, too? What are some of your favorite conflicted heroes/heroines? Were their partners equally driven to change and grow? And just for fun, because it’s Monday and we all have a new week in which to rock our respective worlds, I’ll give away a tote bag and winner’s choice of my backlist (anthologies are iffy, but if I have it, I’ll send it.) to one of the commentors. Winner will be announced this weekend.

Happy Monday!

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Conflict over conflict

Out with the Old

Sylvia Day — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:43 +0000

Although it’s still winter, I’ve been doing spring cleaning since the start of the year. This “out with the old, in with the new” phase has affected every part of my life, and I am really invigorated by it. It’s wonderful how closing the door on something can open new possibilities.

On a personal level, my house is going through a transformation. I began with the downstairs. I’ve taken it room by room, so it doesn’t seem overwhelming. I have thrown out so many things and tackled “hot spots” where various unrelated items seem to accumulate (most of which should rightly go into the trash, but don’t make it that far). Anything that could even remotely be called clutter has left the building. I’ve replaced curtains, added furniture, tossed or moved furniture, fixed things that have needed to be fixed for far too long, etc. I’m not talking about expensive changes. More like the kind of low-cost changes made for “staging” purposes. The family room and living room are done, and the transformation within our family has been amazing. We all love hanging out in these “new” spaces more than ever. We kind of fell into a rut where we stopped seeing the details and no longer contemplated change. Does the sofa have to be there? Wouldn’t it be fun to have it over here?

I’m doing something similar in my professional life. I saw a lot of triumphs and successes in 2009, but it was also the toughest year I’ve had in my career. It’s only recently that I have come to appreciate the value of my experiences, as miserable as some of them were. I am a bit wiser, more circumspect, and more grateful for what I do have. I’m not sure I paid the dues I should have in the beginning; I am stronger for having paid some of them now.

So I’m doing some spring cleaning on the way I view and approach things. Just like with my house, even though the architecture hasn’t changed, my appreciation level has increased. I’m feeling good about a lot of things in my life right now, even though it’s been better, and that’s because of my investment in looking at things with fresh eyes. I wish I’d done all this clearing out sooner!

Oh, and I sent my latest proposal to my agent last week and I got a really excited phone call from her about it! That made my week.

On a somewhat lighter note, I thought you might enjoy this:

We went shopping for a new dryer on Saturday. We stopped by a few different places — Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. — before we went to Sears. I couldn’t believe the number of salespeople they had on the floor. The appliance center had at least a half-dozen people assigned to it. As “our” salesman was showing off the various features of the dryer we ended up taking home, I noticed something in his back pocket and had to snap a picture.

HQ Presents and Dryers

Yes, our 6+ feet, 250 lbs. salesman had a Harlequin Presents in his back pocket. I thought that was fabulous!

(Is anyone else watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand on Starz? Yum.)

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Book Chat and Contest

S. J. Day — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:49:31 +0000

Today on Bitten By Books:

Daily Book Chat and Contest
Marked Series by S. J. Day

http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=19305

One lucky winner will win a bag of author swag, open to readers worldwide!

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Manic Monday

Sylvia Day — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:02:31 +0000

Sorry to be behind with my Monday post! I left for Houston early Friday morning and came home late last night on a delayed flight. By the time I got one of my kids to school (late) this morning and settled down to draft my post, it was 10 AM here in California (and later in the day for those of you on the East Coast.)

As Sharon Sala and I were heading over to the hotel from the airport, we laughed at how we’d both once thought that being a writer meant we’d be able to write all day in our pjs. Who knew we’d be expected to be seen and heard so often?

“Writers should be read but not seen.” – Edna Ferber

“Writers should be read, but neither seen nor heard.” – Daphne de Maurier

Hmm… I thought that was the way this writing gig worked back when I didn’t know the writing gig at all. It was reassuring to hear another writer say that she, too, thought authors were mostly invisible entities. Embossed names on a cover and a picture on the back flap, but not much more than that.

But even though the amount of traveling I do far exceeds my long-ago fantasies of what it would be like to write for a living, I’m not complaining because I find face-to-face time with readers, writer friends, and industry professionals to be so valuable. I learn so much about what my readers enjoy, what I did that pissed them off, what they’d love to see next (characters, storylines, settings, time periods). I brainstorm with friends and talk strategy with the pros. I’d miss out on so much if I didn’t travel as much as I do (I’m away from home several weeks a year). I have yet to return from an event where I didn’t think, “It was worth the trip.” (and that’s really good, since I have to publish this post then finalize travel arrangements for two trips in March and another in April…)

Still, it’s good to be home! I’m getting ready to open a new document and start my next historical romance. I’ve been thinking about it for a couple weeks now, and it’s time to get some words on the page. I’m excited! It’s an idea that I think is just so delicious, that I’m hoping I pull it off. *g* Plus… I have a couple books to read for quotes and a lovely, lovely stack of RITA books. I’m soooo excited about digging into those. So, despite being tired from the trip, I’m ready to jump into the week.

How about you? What’s on your agenda this week? Anything you’re excited to tackle?

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To Boldly Go

Sylvia Day — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:00:46 +0000

For the last month, I’ve been working on a new paranormal romance series proposal. Two months ago, I was pretty certain it would take until spring, maybe summer before I could even begin to start thinking of a new series. The world-building involved is time consuming and arduous. It is a labor of love and an investment. I have to create something solid, then I have to love it enough to make it real and chance not selling it.

It’s the loving part that makes the work involved worthwhile. It is also what creates the risk. Will an editor love it? Will readers? Will I be able to complete the world? And biggest of all: Will I be able to do it justice?

The latter question has become very important to me over the last two years of my career. I started out by writing what I loved to read. From there, I began putting my own twists into storylines that I enjoyed and writing what I wanted to read but couldn’t find. All the while, I seriously challenged my characters, really ran them through the wringer. But I came to realize that I wasn’t seriously challenging myself. I was writing what I was good at and what I was comfortable with. There’s a lot to be said for going that route. It was a damn sight less stressful for me, for sure. It was also limiting. I reached the conclusion that I needed to start tackling ideas that were too big for me.

Will I be able to do it justice? If I wasn’t doubtful about the answer to that question, I put the idea aside. I knew I had to do something bigger, greater, more if I wanted to be a better writer and stronger entertainer (and keep my career growing). When I tackled my first over-my-head project, I sat down with the editor who bought it and said, “I’m going to need all the support I can get with this. I’m pretty sure it’s bigger than me.” (And God bless editors who love challenges like that. They’re worth their weight in gold.)

And now, it seems, I’m really addicted to that fear of inadequacy. There’s something oddly delicious about tackling a story idea that’s so big/involved/unfamiliar it scares the crap out of you. Something crazily exhilarating about sitting down at the keyboard and thinking, “I know what has to happen, but can I pull it off?” I’ve had moments where I am absolutely positive I’m in over my head. Fortunately, those usually come in the wee hours of the morning when I’m exhausted and when I wake up, I have forgotten how panicked I was the night before.

So I’ve spent almost a month working on this new proposal, with plenty of “What the hell am I hoping to get myself into?” moments. It’s exciting and daunting and frightening. I love the concept and the world. I know in the right hands, it could be something awesome. I’m not sure I have those hands, which is why I started the story. I just hope I can do it justice.

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Shooting Yourself in the Foot…

Sylvia Day — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:00:46 +0000

For the next two weeks, Murder She Writes will be bringing you our favorite blogs from the past. Then on Monday, January 4th, 2010, we’ll begin a new year with new blogs!

Today’s favorite blog from the past was written by Jordan Summers. There’s also a giveaway of an ARC of the second book in her Dead World trilogy, SCARLET. Enjoy!

SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT…AND OTHER INJURIES I SUFFER FROM

Jordan Summers

I swear I start out with the best of intentions, but somewhere along the line things go horribly awry. I cannot for the life of me seem to focus on one genre. Yes, I know doing so would enable me to build a steady readership, expand my fan base, and keep my agent from yanking her hair out, but I can’t do it.

Believe me, I’ve tried.

I start out with a nice simple vampire idea, and then poof, a gargoyle ends up in my story. Actually, not only does the gargoyle invade my story, it takes over like it owns the place. I truly envy writers who’ve found their niche and focus all their attention on it. What does that feel like? Bliss, I bet.

Me, I’m like a shotgun blast going off in a crowd, intent on hitting everything and everybody within firing range.

No, I’m not ADD, so I can’t even use that as an excuse. (No offense to those who suffer from ADD.) I’ve come to the conclusion that my mind prefers the scenic rural route over the bustling highway. The ride’s sure been pretty, but the behavior has hindered my career.

Although I continue to build name recognition through my releases and my blog, readers don’t know where to ‘put’ me nor does my name tend to jump into their minds when they think about authors who write ‘X’. When pressed, they say I write funny action-adventure stories. I suppose that’s not a bad description, even though it’s not entirely accurate. Unfortunately, funny/action-adventure won’t exactly forward my career if the stories are also time-travel, urban fantasy, contemporary, and historical. And we won’t even talk about the dark humorless tales that I’ve just published. Where do they fit?

Win the ARC!

By now, I’m sure several of you are saying to yourselves, why don’t you just pick something and stick with it? Certainly sounds easy, doesn’t it? I swear I have tried. (Let the wails of frustration begin.) I thought focusing on paranormal novels would help. I love my new ideas, but even they don’t fall neatly into a specific category of paranormal. I’ve heard them described as horror romances (there’s a lot of death and blood), sci-fi thrillers, and dark urban fantasies. I’m like a genre-crossing magpie. Ooh, that looks shiny, new and interesting. Let’s add it to our story idea and see what happens.

Now I realize that as time passes the lines/genres begin to blur. Thank goodness. This makes me extremely happy. Or should I say it will, once they get to my category. *g*

Any other magpies out there?

CONTEST: Post a comment for your chance to win a copy of SCARLET!

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Baby, it’s cold outside

Sylvia Day — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:07 +0000

It’s the last day of November. Can you believe it? Sometimes I look back on the year and think it flew by. Other times, I think of certain events and it feels like they happened ages ago.

Still, it’s definitely feeling like winter to me. It’s 52 degrees outside. The heater is on and I’m bundled up in bed with my netbook. The Christmas tree is up, the lights are lit on the house, and the stockings are hung from the fireplace mantel. I haven’t bought a single present yet, but I’m looking forward to the wrapping when the time comes.

As the year ends, so does (do?) some of my favorite television shows. Sons of Anarchy only has one episode left before it goes on hiatus after a truly phenomenal sophomore season. Katie Sagal continues to blow me away in her role as Gemma Teller Morrow. Charlie Hunnam is bad boy-licious; he makes a girl want to do bad things. Ron Perlman is brilliant, as he is in everything he does. The storyline for this season broke all the characters (and therefore the club) into tiny pieces, then somehow managed to pull them all back together even stronger than they were before. It was a no holds barred ride that for many shows would have been final-season worthy. For SOA, it’s only the beginning. I can’t wait to see what happens next, and I hate that I have to wait until next year to find out.

Another of my beloved shows, Dexter, is two episodes away from the close of the season. I really enjoyed this year’s storyline. John Lithgow rocked the house as the Trinity Killer. Quinn’s animosity toward Dexter heated up. I wonder if he’ll catch on to Dexter’s Dark Passenger like Stokes did. I’ve adored Dexter Morgan from the first, but this year, he really won me. He grew as a character by leaps and bounds. He’s always had moments of dark humor, but they seemed much more evident this year. He came to some deep revelations about himself, which was fascinating to watch. I’m going to miss Dex. September is so far away…

At least The Tudors will be returning in the spring. It’s just too bad there has to be a gap in between.

How about you? Which shows are you sad to see go on hiatus? Which shows are you looking forward to picking back up again?

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The Mad Rush