Sucky and Suckier
*cues Jeopardy music* la la la laaaa la la la. La la la la LA lalalalala…
Now that we're all on the same page about how big this opportunity was, we can get down to business. I should start by saying the title of this blog in no way represents my feelings about the conference. In this case, sucky and suckier are actually positive words. Well, for us writers they are. For our characters, not so much.
Some would think since we write Romance that our stories are all happy and dreamy and everyone is always smiling. Oh how little they know. Romance fiction, like romance in life, is filled with heartache and struggle and my favorite ingredient, angst. You don't create those things by giving your characters everything they want. You create them by making them make choices. Choices between sucky and suckier.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What exactly is sucky and suckier?" Let me give some examples. Say I find myself hungry late at night. Kiddo is in bed so going out is not really an option. I check the cupboards and all I have is a diet chocolate chip cookie that I know tastes like feet, or a stick of gum. I'm really hungry so I have to choose between sucky (the cookie) or suckier (the gum). Either way I go, it's not going to be good.
If the Wizard had simply sent Dorothy home without forcing her to make a tough decision, the story would have ended there and been anti-climactic. And I doubt we'd be sitting through that movie every year.
Vivian had to choose between accepting his offer and giving up her dignity (sucky) or walking away and never seeing him again (suckier). I don't think I'm spoiling it for anyone when I say she chose suckier and it really worked out for her.
The point is, if we want to keep the reader interested, give them a book they can't put down, we have to make our characters choose between sucky and suckier. In my WIP, my heroine has to choose between losing her job (sucky) or losing the man she loves (suckier). I won't tell you which she picks as I'd like to sell this book someday, but I'm hoping the suspense (and the angst!) will keep the reader turning those pages. Okay, I might want them to cry a bit too, but we won't mention that.
Two people meeting, smiling at each other, going on a date, then riding off into the sunset might be nice, but it's not worth reading. Where's the struggle? Where's the strife? Where's the sucky and suckier?!
Do you hate making your characters choose between sucky and suckier? Or do you not make them choose at all? If you're a writer, what kind of decisions to your characters have to make? If you're a reader, would you rather the characters just get what they want or do you enjoy riding the emotional roller coaster with them?
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37 comments:
Oh, I'm all about the suckier. I seem to have some big suspense thing at the end of everything where lives are threatened and hearts are torn. No characters get off w/o a scratch. Right now my hero (sigh, I love him so) is facing down the barrel of a gun from his crazed ex-wife while my heroine is trapped in a dark cave. Oops, gave away the almost ending. Cue the melodramatic music, LOL.Who's gonna rescue who? Does the crazed ex-wife get dead? (Haven't decided---I'm thinking messy. Guilt all around. Probably not. See, I'm plotting right here. Thanks, Terri!)
Oh, you've got the psycho ex-wife in there, Maggs?! That's always great fun. And requires the hero to be cunning and not just brawny since a true gentleman could never strike a woman. I say a cat-fight is in the making! LOL!
Happy I could help you plot on this cold Monday morning, Maggie. You should get to THE END in no time.
Sucky and suckier. I don't think I ever thought of black moments like that. That's awesome.
I think my black moment felt like it was great when I wrote it a few months ago and now I'm thinking maybe not as strong as I thought. Basic idea down, but maybe I need to kick it up a notch. :)
We'll see. :)
Great Blog Ter!
Marn - I know this is not a new topic to anyone, but I thought the sucky and suckier bit gave it a new twist. And this is what I had so much trouble with when I first started writing. My very first try, which feels like forever ago, I had the H/H totally in love around page 80 with no conflicts to stand in their way. LOL! Not good!
You're black moment is heart wrenching. Kicking it up a notch is never a bad thing, but don't let those doubts creep in. Your stuff is good and you need to remember that.
Debra Dixon is a rock star. I loved her workshop, even though I'm really sucky (and suckier) about applying it to my own works.
I probably like the suckier. Emotional rollercoasters are fun to ride on, at least for a little while. I'm horrible about doing it to my characters, which I think is where Debra says, "Maybe writing is not for you." *LOL* (She's tough.)
I love angst too....ahhh! And sucky and suckier - what a great way to describe it. It totally works for my heroine (she has the same conflict as yours Terri - lose her job or lose the guy). It might work for the hero too - he can either sacrifice the girl to get revenge for his father's death (sucky) or save the girl and never get revenge or know the truth about what happened (suckier). I'd been thinking about it in terms of sacrifice - what he's giving up vs. what he's keeping - but I think I like sucky vs. suckier better. Must simpler to keep it all straight!
That "at least for a little while" is the key I think. Because you can overdue the sucky stuff. At some point, it's too much. Once you shovel out the sucky and suckier, you have to be able to bring them back from it and make the HEA believable. It's one thing to make them earn it, it's another to make the reader want to kill you by the time they get it. LOL!
uh, that was much simpler.....it's been a long week. Oh god,it's only Monday morning isn't it? *sigh*
Hal - Trust me, hon, it's been a LONG week already. *sigh* I'm already longing for medication and I don't even take any.
It is a matter of sacrificing. Which is hard because we ultimately want our characters to win it all. To get everything they want. But maybe that's another trick. To not give them what they want, but still give them the HEA. We have to make the reader feel like they got what they should have. My guess is that's why that ending JR Ward created didn't sit all that well with some readers. They may have had a HEA of sorts, but it wasn't enough for the readers.
I love the terms. For some reason sucky and suckier caused a light bulb to go off. Although I have to admit when I first saw the title and you admitted it wasn't what we thought it meant, and on the trail of Jenny's post Friday, my brain automatically flew in places it probably shouldn't have gone.
Ok, so I was writing last night, and I came to a point where I saw too many easy outs or not enough choices for the heroine to make. It didn't set well with me, since I'm all about roller coaster rides, when it's not over done, like Hellion said. Anyway, I closed down the computer, and my heroine kept telling me that she wouldn't have asked the hero to risk his life without a damn good reason (they are already in love when the story begins he had left her a year or so before and for good reason, at least in his mind). She needed that sucky or suckier moment to ask him to make a huge sacrifice, which by the way has him ending up in a torture chamber. I haven't yet decided if I can take away the one thing she asked him to sacrifice for, not sure I can do that, but I just might. I knew going into this story it'd be a dark one.
Renee
Renee - No one can blame you for the mind going in that direction. And I wouldn't put it past us to have a blog on that subject in the near future. LOL!
Your story does sound dark. Do you find that your stories just turn out that way? Or do you think it's the time period? Is this another medieval? And a torture chamber? That IS sucky!
Great blog Ter!
I love writing about the other girl. I love conflict of all kinds and adding another girl into the mix always amps up all kinds of crazy sucky to suckier situations.
Cin's dilemma becomes save her father and sister or save herself. Very hard choice to make when your father and sister are the reason you're in the predictiment that you're currently facing.
I haven't quite figured out what Sadie's ultimate sucky and suckier predictiment is yet. Probably why I'm stalled out on that project.
Three more days and I get to see Twilight! *squee*
Sorry, I had to say it. I'm in official countdown mode.
Terri, I tend to be a darker writer. But I think the time period has a lot to do with it. I'm writing on the outskirts of the medieval time frame. But, King James wasn't a very kind man to his subjects. The particular clan I'm writing about suffered execution, which was probably by far the best option. There are stories of their women and children being marked with a brand, some by tattoo, others with a hot poker. They were then sold into slavery, not to mention all the torture and rape that was suffered among the people.
Renee
When I start thinking about GMC, I start thinking the sucky/suckier terms are descriptors for my story. I don't know if this whole issue is trickier when the conflict is mostly internal, or if it just seems that way because my stories are all about internal conflict.
Im sitting here wondering if I should do a complete re-write and add a serial killer or at least a vengeful ex-lover to the mix. Thinking about my plot--or lack there of--gives me a headache.
I need caffeine!
Janga! Don't you downplay your book! I love your book!! Do you think Marsha Moyer had a serial killer? NO. Any vengeful ex-lovers? NO. Your book is wonderful! Go get your caffiene!
Hey Sin, I don't know anything about Sadie or the story, but I love the name. What is she telling you? What direction does she want you to take her? I mean if she's stranded at a crossroads on a dark desert highway ;) with her brand new fully loaded Dodge with a flat tire, does she take action, leave it and hike to town (no bars on the cellphone) or does she stay and wait for someone to pass by, or does she get out and change the damn tire only to find she doesn't have a flashlight and dealer forgot to give her the special lug key that unlocks the hub?
I know either way it all sucks, I mean there just might be coyotes and rattle snakes, not to mention a serial killer on the loose which just happens to prey on lone stranded females on that particular stretch of highway.
Can you all tell I'm procrastinating?:)
Renee
Sin - You're life or death stuff is going to keep the pages turning AND keep your readers coming back for more. Now, if we could only get to THE END...*sigh*
Renee - It's hard to pretty that stuff up, isn't it? Do you think that's why medievals fell away for a while (though you can still find them if you look) and the lighter Regencies became so popular? People wanted a little more light? I mean, if you write a medieval and it's all sweetness and fun, it's a bit unrealistic even for fiction.
Janga - Don't leave me hanging out here as the only one doing the internal conflict stuff. What Celi really has to do is open herself up to being hurt again - which scares the stuffing out of her - or give into her fear and leave him before he can leave her. It's all internal fears, issues of abandonment, and self-esteem really. The choices between her job or her guy are the impetus to get to the internal stuff.
Don't you dare go back and re-write that story. I'll take away your keyboard!
Now, Renee, it doesn't count as procrastinating if you're talking craft. LOL! And now I'm thinking you'd write dark no matter what time period you choose. LOL!
Janga, have to add my two cents worth. Sometimes we can over do it. If Hellion says leave it then I'd leave it.
Sin, whoohoooo the kids and I are anxiously awaiting. I think I'll buy our tickets online so that we have them. I hate crowds, but for this I'll risk it.
Terri, I really do think that is why Regencies are so popular. It's so Cinderella if you know what I mean. There's some conflict, not always a lot but there is always a prince.
The challenge is to find them a happily ever after that is suitable to them. In one of my stories, my hero can't marry the heroine(English heiress) because of English law, and although I know that is the way it has to be, I haven't quite figured out a way around that. But I think because she is so tightly bound by social strictures that she will no longer care and she will have her cake and eat it too.
Renee
LMAO Terri, you are probably right. I've had a lot of inspiration surrounding my life. I don't think anyone could write my extended family and it be considered realistic. The term, truth is stranger than fiction, definitely rings true. The only good I think some of them have done is become inspiration for my villains, even if I have to tame my villains down a bit. ;)
Renee
Renee - Kudos to you for going with the tougher time period. But as I hear ALL THE TIME, you can write anything you want as long as you do it well enough.
I doubt it's a good thing to have family that serve as inspiration for the villains, but at least then the writing can serve as cheap therapy. :)
Ter- That's the hope dear. If I can write it the way it's meant to be written, it will turn out much better than I could hope for.
Renee- there is no such thing as procrastination aboard the Revenge. Therefore, you can't feel guilty.
I can tell you if Sadie was deserted/stranded on an open highway, she might consider burning the car and taking off through the desert to avoid all human contact. You can't trust anyone- that's her motto.
Not to mention she'd have a semi-automatic under her seat. Probably one in the glovebox too.
Email me at magnificentsin @ aol.com and I'll tell you all about Sadie's story. I don't want to air my business out on the blog. No offense wenches.
Renee- PS. I can't wait for Thursday either. I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. I know I'm going to hear a bunch of teenagers squeeing but I don't care. I must see this movie!
Bought our tickets online because I detest lines. It will be bad enough I have to stand in a line to get in the theater and hopefully it won't be standing outside because it's suppose to be 20 degrees Thursday night! Eek!
Really Sin, we see enough of your bloomers hanging from the mast. We don't need any more of your dirty laundry around here. LOL!
My friend bought her tickets last week. I imagine the lines are going to be bad. I need to check the weather here to see if I can give her a hard time about standing in the cold.
LOL. My panties are pretty, thankyouverymuch.
What panties?
Awesome blog, Terri! I think you and I suffer from the same problem. I just don't want to do anything to make my H/H seem undesirable or unhappy - doesn't make for a real interesting story does it!? I do have a lot of nasty, angsty stuff to throw their way I'm just wimpy and don't want to be too mean. LOL
And Janga, just a personal taste comment here - I LOVE internal conflict storylines. Writing about internal struggles and making the conflict resonate with the reader is extremely challenging (that's kind of what I'm dealing with), but such a satisfying read in the end!
Huzzah! Nice one, Captain.
Irish - That was my first thought in doing this. He liked her, she liked him, they kissed and lived HEA. LOL! So not going to work. But it does get easier to torture them the longer you write. Or it has for me anyway.
Sin, for some reason I knew Sadie would be a bad-ass. Email is on the way.
Irish, I think writing just internal conflict is so much harder. That's probably why I write too much external. But, then again, I'm not happy unless I kill someone in a story, or at least pull out their fingernails. As Terri said, cheap therapy. ;)
Renee
*Puff...puff* Sorry, I'm late...
Sucking...OK, I can do this... let me catch my breath... Uh...
I read this last night and spent some time trying to figure out how my H/H fit in. I don't have a lot of conflict with each other reg. the S&S. It's more about 'if I go after the bad guy on my own, that will keep him safe, but he'll be pissed I'm in danger' A certain level of sucking. 'but he'll be safe' ... 'but she'll be safe' ... 'but he'll make me pay' ... 'but what if I need him?' All decisions have consequences...I guess that is the suck/suckier/suckiest debate, right?
On and on... The hardiest suck situations deal with family (I love writing as therapy!) And with my pirate saga, there is the choosing between the past and future. Everything is risky, but somethings are riskier than others?
Sorry, I'm a bit scrambled today. Eyes still all open from the eye doctor's magical drops... It ain't always rum that makes the keyboard a challenge!
2nd - You're right, every decision should have consequences. But some should have bigger ones than others. Like if I go after the bad guy on my own I could get killed. If I don't go after him, he'll be killed. You see, right there it looks more like a lose/lose situation. That's what we need. Big time lose/lose situations.
Sorry to hear about the eye problem. *passes some rum* See if this helps. And goodness, don't run on our account. Goodness knows we'd never break a trot for any reason.
Dude, I can't believe you called me out on the panties. I did remember them today. Yeesh. *mumbling* You forget once and they never let you forget.
Everything is still so...bright! She's one powerful apothecary (sp?)
Yer right, the lose/lose...I get that better than the sucky/suckier. There's also the win for losing scenario...
Sin fergot 'er panties? I jes thought she'd flung 'em at the movie scene for...what is it called? Oh, yeah, Twilight. Anyone hear a porpoise!?
Sin - Just because you remembered them doesn't mean you're still wearing them. Just sayin'...
2nd - Can't win for losing is one way to go. But that's another one of those things you have to be careful with. At a certain point, a reader can get tired of nothing ever going right.
Hell, as a writer, I get tired of nothing ever going right!
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