Jennifer Crusie's Blog, page 91

The Working Protagonist (and Antagonist, Too)

Phred wrote “Nope. This is the one with a PR person and a neurology professor,” and it made me think of how we remember romances (and Friends): Protagonist and the Love Interest. Which makes sense, although we don’t think of mysteries as Detective and Victim, we think of them as Detective and Murderer, which makes sense: the relationship is the key, the push and pull of both sides as they get to know each other, zero in on each other. Love and death.

Where was I?

So then, because my mind has the focus span of a fruit fly and I am extremely self-centered, I started thinking about the careers of protagonists in my books.

PR person and resort handyman.
Teacher and cop.
Teacher and lawyer.
I forget and detective.
Editor and ER doc.
I forget and professor. (Jewelry designer? Storyteller?)
Journalist and agent.

I forget and accountant.
Teacher and mechanic.
Videographer and mayor.
Muralist and conman.
Secretary and detective.

Video store clerk and mechanic.
Professor and resurrected god.
Director and military guy (Army?)
Food writer and hitman
I forget and professor/agent
Restorer and retired military

Teacher and lawyer.

And then WIP:
Teacher and cop (Zo)
Waitress and cop (Cat)
Ghost writer and cop (Liz)
Poison expert and lawyer (Zelda)
Jewelry store clerk and thief (Courtney)
Jewelry store clerk and thief (Darcy)
Lepidopterist and magician (Alice)
Gallery manager and agent (Nadine)
Waitress and artist (Lily)
Museum educator and agent (Anna)
Cop and Satan’s fixer (Nita)

Okay, it’s a little disconcerting that the most common profession for my heroine is “I forget,” but probably more disconcerting that there so many crooks–well, thieves and conmen–in my heroes list, not to mention the magician and the guy who’s pretending to be a detective for a year. I may have issues.

But it does remind me that careers/jobs are important, and not just because they say so much about the character. They also provide a community (good and bad) and an explanation of economic power and a recurring setting. I think my favorite will always be Mare from The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, ruling over that Value Video!! with a iron fist and the sure knowledge that she’s Queen of her Universe. She was so much fun to write when she was on the job, especially when the frog from corporate showed up. That’s the best character/job matchup I’ve ever done, I think. Although I’m good with teachers, too; I taught for decades so it’s something I know. Everything else I have to make up. Well, not waitressing. I was a car hop/waitress at the Happy Humpty in Wapakoneta Ohio between high school and college (picture a giant egg sitting on the sign).

Where was I?

Right, careers for heroines. Super important. Heroes equally so. So let’s talk about this. What’s your favorite protagonist/career match-up?

This is a Good Book Thursday, September 16, 2021

I read new books this week, but nothing I’d recommend. Too many romances that are too much alike. I realize in part that’s a big ask since you know what’s going to happen in almost every romance, the way you get to that HEA matters, so nope, not recommending anything this week.

So help me out here: what did you read that was good this week?

Working Wednesday, September 15, 2021

This week I took apart Lavender’s Blue to figure out where I went wrong. I think, once again, it was failing to identify the main story line. The idea was that it would be part of a mystery series that taken together would be a massive romance, but that doesn’t work. Mystery with romance subplot or romance with mystery subplot, although it’s really women’s fiction, I think, so . . .

That’s what I’m working on.

What did you work on this week?

Happiness is Remembering It’s Sunday Before It’s Monday

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

How were you happy this week?

This is a Good Book Thursday, September 9, 2021

This week I read Buzzfeed lists and air fryer recipes and developed a lust for coconut shrimp. Also a lot of hockey romances for some reason; it must have been Guys-On-Skates week. I also started a book and wasn’t sure I liked it, so I quit halfway through and turned to the end and realized I’d read it before and hadn’t liked it. My mind, it’s like a steel sieve. And I read about what it means when your cat bites you but doesn’t bite down, how to make canvas shoes white again, and Modigliani’s miserable life, briefy (NYT). Yeah, it was that kind of week. That last one did make me want to watch the Doctor Who episode about Van Gogh again, but I just can’t face the kind of wracking sobs that ep always reduces me to; good sobs, it’s a fabulous story with a fabulous ending, but no ugly crying this week.

What did you read?

Working Wednesday, September 8, 2021

This week I did a lot of planning. I love planning. You don’t even have to get out of bed to plan, especially if you always have grid paper and pens on your bed, along with your laptop and iPad and a Diet Coke and some pretzels and a cat and two dogs and an Echo so you can tell Alexa to play that damn song you can’t get out of your head and . . .

Today, I’m cleaning my bedroom.

What did you do this week?

Happiness is September

I love September. I’ve been in school for so much of my life–elementary (I skipped kindergarten, big mistake), junior high, high school, under grad, grad, post-post-grad, not to mention teaching in most of those–so to me September is the New Year, shiny new pens and crisp clean paper and and cool air (well, it used to be cool) and a faster pace to everything. I love summer, and spring is even better, but best of all is autumn. And I insist that September is autumn, even if it is 80 freaking degrees out there.

Happy New Year, Argh!

What made you happy this week?

This is a Good Book Thursday, September 2, 2021

This week I read The Undateable, which was fun. A librarian becomes an unattractive meme, and a slacker writer has to convince her to become part of his web-zine’s content by dating thirty guys in thirty days in order to save his admittedly no-brainer job. Characters who are fun to spend time with carried this one.

What I’m really excited about? The sequel to Novik’s Deadly Education is out on the 22nd. I have to find out why the heroine’s lovely mother warned her to stay away from Orion Lake (that’s the hero, not a large body of water).

What did you read this week?

Working Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Okay, people, it’s the start of a new (school) year, so we need to get working on that school supply thing. You’re not in school any more? I don’t see your point. THERE ARE SCHOOL SUPPLIES OUT THERE ON SALE. Get to work.

Other than the need to acquire new pens, paper, binder, paper clips, binder clips, folders, pencils, organizers, paint, chalk, brushes, canvas, rulers, protractors, calculators, backpacks, tablets . . .

Where was I? Oh, right, what else did you do this week?

Happiness is Great Commenters

This blog has been around for awhile and it’s evolved over the years it’s been sitting here. In the beginning Mollie told me not to enable comments because I’d end up chatting with people instead of writing. As usual, Mollie was right. As of today, this blog has over 142,000 comments. Good news is, only 18,500 of those are mine. The original intent of the blog was to create new content for the website which was linked to it. Now the intent is to shelter the community, talk about whatever catches our attention (SQUIRREL!), give each other pep talks, show off what we’ve done and talk about what we’ve read and celebrate why we’re happy. It’s not what it was in 2005, but then neither am I.

The POINT is, this blog is nothing without the comments. Which is why I’m very happy you’re all here.

What made you happy this week?