Slacker With A Capital "S"
She was looking kind of dumb, with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an "L" on her forehead...Be forewarned, people, it's not only for Shrek.
*sigh*
It's 9:17 pm. I knew I needed to blog earlier. I chose not to. I won't apologize. I've done that before. It gets old. I will, however, blame a certain dark-haired diva who has seen fit to torture me by giving me books she knows I will read beginning to end, thereby ignoring everything else in my life - including my computer which I can't live without on a normal day.
I plead insanity. This is what happens when you read a book you've been looking forward to for more months than you can count only to be so thoroughly disappointed you have to read everything else under the sun until you find something that makes you smile again. (No, diva, I won't go into how sucky that ending was again. I know you're sick of hearing me rant about it.) The solution to this problem though has created more havoc - the diva giving me a stack of books - contemporary romances, no less - that I seem to be hellbent on plowing through like there's no tomorrow. No suspense. No blood and guts. No people dying or guns going off or people running for their lives. Not even a hint of paranormal chaos to get my thinking about my recent proposal. No. These are straight forward romances with alpha males and kooky women. I already know how they're going to play out. The couple will meet. One will do something pretty awful to the other. They'll be thrust together. They'll fight. They'll make up. They'll have sex. Someone will cry (I prefer when it's him and not her). One will walk away. Then they'll make up and live happily ever after. And yet I keep reading.
That to me is a sign of a good book. Or series. Or writing. And I've almost forgotten about how horrible that first book was I couldn't wait to read.
I know we talk about suspense a lot here, but do you like to read straight contemporaries? And what do you do when you read a particularly horrific book - esp. when it's something you've been looking forward to? How do you get that awful taste out of your mouth?
Labels: Elisabeth's Posts
posted by Elisabeth Naughton at 9:15 PM
2Comments:
I feel your pain, Elisabeth. I had this happen the other day, and it made me feel like I never wanted to read another book again, ever. So I waited a few days and picked up a genre I almost never read - historical romance. I inhaled a series in that, and now I'm reading a memoir. After this, I should be good to go again. =oD
Hmmm, straight contemporaries...well, that depends.
I can't handle the really wrenching ones where there is a lot of tragedy. I know our goal as writers is to make the reader feel what the characters feel, but when we're talking deep emotional pain, I'd rather have a little buffer, thanks.
What I do like if I'm going to read straight contemp is sparks -- I love a hero and heroine who dig at each other (for good reasons of course, not petty stuff). A h/h that are well matched intellectually and that have something to really conflict over. I like sassy and smartmouthed characters who give flare to the story.
Also, their goals have to be significant -- whipmy, non-universal goals like, say...getting a business up and running...vs. goals like proving oneself (to others or to themself) or banishing past stereotypes or overcoming deep fears...makes a big difference as to whether a straight romance will hold up for me.
As for disappointments, I stay in a bad mood for a couple days until I shake it off. And I alwasy feel better when I turn to my own writing -- because there I have control over those lousy endings.
Post a Comment
<< Home