Daisy Harris's Blog, page 43

Self-Defense for Romance Novel Heroines

There's a certain type of scene in romance novels that gets my goat every time. Here's the scenario…

Spunky, strong-willed, athletic heroine wanders into a dark alley/bedroom/forest. There she finds a man who is drunk, horny, and kind've an asshole. Said man either seduces or teases her, eventually becoming more grabby and aggressive than she's comfortable with.

She swats from the elbow at his chest with open palms, realizing that *sigh* she's actually just a weak woman and never before realized how powerless she is in the big, cruel world of men and their desires.

Something occurs– police come by, a window breaks, hero comes to the rescue, the attacker "comes back to himself"- and saves the day from the sorta-kinda-rape that she a-little-bit-kinda tried to fight off.

This situation always makes me vomit a little in my mouth, because it assumes several very false things.

1. That if a man is drunk, horny and a little bit of an asshole, he'll automatically try to rape any lone woman he comes across. (I like to think most men are not rapists in waiting, even the guys who are kinda jerks.)

2. That no woman on the planet can fight off any guy. I read a shifter story once where the shifter heroine struggled to fight off her grabby human boyfriend, then in the next scene accidentally broke a jar with her bare hands trying to open it. Like, because she's soooo strong. But not strong enough to fight off a man.

3. That women can be strong, athletic, and smart, but when faced with a horny asshole man, she will immediately become weak, uncoordinated, and stupid.

Here's the thing…when you hit someone (and by "you," I mean us girls) IT HURTS. I've thrown a total of one punch and two hard slaps in by life, and I'm here to tell ya– I really and truly hurt those guys. And I'm not a big person, I'm actually pretty tiny.

Now sure, if a guy is truly bent on raping me, I may not be able to stop him. If I'm alone in a dark alley with no one to hear me scream the guy wouldn't have to be any bigger than me to beat me down. A man's muscle mass would likely win out. Besides, I might be terrified, unable to speak, much less move. All these things are possible.

But a grabby guy? In a location where I could fairly easily run away? And the guy wasn't a truly violent person willing to beat me to a pulp? I could get in a decent hit. And in many cases, that hit would be enough.

Here's my dark alley story:

A girlfriend of mine once dragged we with her to make out with some guys we didn't know. (Hers was cuter– I remember that much.) They led us to some deserted church way off the main drag. We made out, I started doing the arm across the waist to stop the roaming hand. You ladies know what I'm talking about, right?

Anyway…things progressed. I argued it was time to leave and tried to drag my friend away. The guys begged, wrapped hands around our waists to lead us back. We pulled away, they turned us around. Pulling turned to pushing.

On one of the rebounds, I swung a backhand that collided with the guys head. …and he fell down.

I was 16, weighed about 105 lbs. I'd never taken a self-defense class in my life, nor thrown a punch. I was in a foreign country where I didn't speak the language, on a dark street, not sure how to even get back to our hotel. And I dropped a guy! And yeah, the boys chased us…but not very hard. Because they weren't really rapists. They were not actually going to beat me to a pulp, they were just drunk kids trying to get laid with tourists.

Was I lucky? Yeah, maybe. But I learned something very important that day: when I hit someone, IT HURTS. And when you hurt a guy, they tend to give up. It's not like in the movies where women uselessly bat skinny arms and shake their heads helplessly from side to side.

I'm not Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I don't have supernatural powers. I'd just grown up lifting heavy things enough to know that if something was worth doing, it was worth putting my weight behind. Maybe I was too young to be truly frightened, I dunno. But I do know this– women aren't weak. If they choose not to fight out of fear or intimidation, well, that's one thing.

But a strong, fiesty girl who tries to fight, but suddenly becomes weak and ineffectual? I don't buy it. It's not an issue of women's lib, it's a matter of story craft. If a woman can't get in a decent hit, or head butt, or throw her weight into getting away– there's a reason. A motivation, a fear, a terror. Maybe she's been taught to behave passively around men, or never to hurt a man.

If a girl can't throw a punch, there should be a reason.

Because, believe it or not, a lot of us can.

Six Sentence Sunday

Here's a silly six sentence snippet from my male-male subplot from Shark Bait! (Alliteration!) Hope you enjoy.

****

At David's approach, the merman spun. His golden-blond hair billowed in a wide arc then hovered around his chiseled face.

Those eyes stared hard into his, and David felt a heated embarrassment rise under the collar of his dress shirt. He'd wanted to observe the creature, not be observed in return, and an urge to drop his gaze overwhelmed him. David snorted. His self-confidence must be rock bottom if he could be cowed by a lab animal.

Would You Buy This Book?

Would ya? Would ya? (And you don't count, Danica Avet– you already know what it's about.)

Mercury Rising (name still beta)

Over-extended charmer, Mercury the Messenger struggles accommodate all the factions of the Deities International Conference and Kibbitz, However, his skills at diplomacy stretch to the limit when a chance tryst turns out to be his assistant, and his arranged fiancée arrives at the scene.

Dillon Rodriquez, Mercury's executive aide and a soon-to-be MBA student, refuses to be the closeted god's side-dish. But when an accident at the conference strands the god in the human world, Dillon agrees to act as his guide.

Traveling from San Diego down the Baha Coast to Cabo, Mercury experiences a side of life he never imagined, and he learns that if he wants to earn the love of the one man that matters, he has to stop trying to please everyone else.

Ten Way to Give Up Self-Stalking for Lent

I'll admit– I'm not exactly a devout Catholic. Heck, I may even be a lapsed one. And even in my more religious days (yes, yes– I was once fairly religious) I didn't quite understand lent. Don't get me wrong– there are a lot of things I think people should give up…for the good of the planet, for the good of each other, for their own good!

But to give something up just to torture myself? Well, to be honest– that sounds kinda narcissistic. Like, with all the problems and pain in the world, I don't think G-d cares whether or not I miss gummy worms or fried tofu.

I'm all for giving up stuff for forty days, though! That's the perfect amount of time to affect real change in one's life. At the very least, forty days is a good long time to see how things might be different, how I might be different. Really, it's a genius concept!

So, even though I haven't been to church in years, I'm going to give something up this lent: self-stalking. Sure, my sacrifice won't help the planet or humanity, but it will help my piece of mind. One could say that instead of torturing myself for lent, I'm making a conscious decision not to torture myself.

So here it is: my lent-ly pledge of choices to better serve my emotional and psychological wellbeing.

I, Daisy Harris, will not:

1. Google myself. (I mean literally, not euphemistically. I'll continue to Google myself euphemistically as needed.)

2. Read any reviews of my books on GoodReads, Amazon, or elsewhere.

3. Go to sites specifically for the purpose of checking whether reviews are present.

4. Backtrack from YouTube to see how people clicked on my videos. Those viewers watched for their own reasons, and those reasons are none of my business.

5. Check my sales data.

When tempted to do said things, I will instead:

1. Buy groceries and create meal plans involving the foods I bought.

2. Cook! (Honestly, some of those cans have been in the cupboard for years.)

3. Clean. (Stalk dust, not self.)

4. Exercise! (Exorcise the demon of self-stalking!)

5. Ride my bike somewhere instead of drive! (Because I may as well do something good for the planet while I'm at it. If G-d were paying attention, I'd bet he'd like that.)

6. (Bonus) WRITE! Blog posts, manuscripts, short stories, free reads! It doesn't matter, so long as I'm channeling energy outwards instead of obsessing inwards. Wait…is inwards even a word?

Wish me luck, guys. Forty days or bust! Are you giving anything up for lent? What does it mean to you?

Sprung!

Springtime is Seattle is weird– mostly it's gray and drizzly, and only discernible from winter by the 5–15 degree temperature change. Sun breaks occur at odd intervals from February through June. For those of you not living in the Northwest, a sun break is a moment on an otherwise drizzly day when the sunshine breaks through the clouds for an hour.

A sun break is the opposite of a freak hail storm– which also occur at random intervals throughout the spring. In fact, on occasion a sun break will blend right into a hailstorm– so you'll leave the house in shorts and get snowed on.

Basically, from February through June, it's wise to pack both a T-shirt and a Gortex parka.

But today the sun shined! Pretty much all day. And it was AWESOME! Those first sunny days in the Northwest are like sticking your finger in an electrical socket. I was SO JACKED UP! I wrote trading card copy, made bacon and eggs, took the kids to the grocery store, bought seeds, came home and started spring cleaning…

…went out and picked up some new bedding, and helped my 8 year old re-organize her room. Oh, and did I mention I moved the kids' beds to vacuum behind and underneath? I even lifted the mattresses off the slats to vacuum the corners of the bed frames. Then my daughter and I Windex-ed the frames.

I kid you not. I was a sick, sick, OCD puppy.

The beloved sun is setting now, and I'm exhausted. Tomorrow drizzle will reappear– literally raining on my springtime parade. I'll cling to caffeine and strength of character to get things done. But maybe these sunny days are all the sweeter when you're never quite sure when they'll happen. The hibernation in between serves to increase my chi. It twists the coil tighter. And next time I get a day like the this I'll tackle the garden, or the bathroom drawers. I'll sproing into action, with all the more potential energy!

Is it Spring where you live? Even sporadically? What do you do on those first sunny days?

How to Keep Going When You're Pretty Sure You Suck

If you're a regular reader and fan, you may have noticed I'm not exactly a bastion of confidence. I know all writers struggle with doubt monsters and fear fairies, but I tend to think I'm more pathetic than average. At regular intervals (of approximately 28 days– go figure) I curl into a fetal position and quiver, thinking I'l never be able to create another halfway decent story. I'm not sure how many books I'll have to write before this stops. Ten? twenty? A hundred? Maybe that niggling doubt never completely goes away.

If so, I'm totally fucked.

The problem with moments of self-doubt is they make it really hard to get words written. And the words that do get written are…lackluster. As in, they lack any lust.

It's like this: Everyone has a friend who's super cool but has no self confidence. You go to a party with that person and he or she hunches, won't make eye contact, twitches and bites his/her nails. It's painful to watch this person.

Well, that's how my writing gets when I'm feeling mopey. My words become nervous, twitchy, self-conscious. Lame.

So how to regain the brass, sizzling, fun-loving-life-of-the-party words people might actually want to read? Well, alcohol comes to mind. But that's not a workable long term solution. So here are some things I do when fear and self-loathing threaten to drag me under.

1. Get my eyebrows waxed. It's one thing to be a sucky writer, it's another thing entirely to be a sucky writer with a unibrow.

2. Exercise. Beef up muscle tone so when you beat yourself up it actually hurts.

3. Write something short. Brainstorming new story ideas clears the cobwebs out of the mind and makes room for thoughts to flow.

4. Take a break. I'm the queen of militant writing. I set daily word count goals and meet them pretty much all the time. But sometimes, a person really needs to to take a day off. The WIP will still be there when we get back.

5. Watch TV in the middle of the day. There's nothing so decadent as watching daytime television. Heaven!

6. Re-read old good reviews or contest wins. There's no shame in resting on your laurels! Drag that sack of laurels out and roll around in them. Not every day needs to be about accomplishing something. Some days should be about enjoying the things you've already accomplished.

7. Clean your house! You're not getting any writing done anyway– so you may as well mope in a better-looking home. Plus, you'll feel a lot better when the living room is vacuumed and the sink empty.

8. Send your draft to "that friend." You know who I'm talking about– that CP who always tells you everything you write is genius. That person exists to give you props when you need 'em. Appreciate that friend, love them, and send them your WIP to praise.

9. Try to fail. If you worry there's no way your WIP can be good, then write it trying to make it suck. Say every crazy ass thing that comes to mind. Make your characters belligerent, shallow, assholes. Have your characters do things no sane person ever would and react in ways that make no sense. Pour all your nutty, self-loathing ideas into your story. Later you may find a few gems.

10. Drink.

What do you do to tame the doubtasaurus? Tell me your tricks!

How to Keep Going When You're Pretty Sure You Suck

If you're a regular reader and fan, you may have noticed I'm not exactly a bastion of confidence. I know all writers struggle with doubt monsters and fear fairies, but I tend to think I'm more pathetic than average. At regular intervals (of approximately 28 days– go figure) I curl into a fetal position and quiver, thinking I'l never be able to create another halfway decent story. I'm not sure how many books I'll have to write before this stops. Ten? twenty? A hundred? Maybe that niggling doubt never completely goes away.

If so, I'm totally fucked.

The problem with moments of self-doubt is they make it really hard to get words written. And the words that do get written are…lackluster. As in, they lack any lust.

It's like this: Everyone has a friend who's super cool but has no self confidence. You go to a party with that person and he or she hunches, won't make eye contact, twitches and bites his/her nails. It's painful to watch this person.

Well, that's how my writing gets when I'm feeling mopey. My words become nervous, twitchy, self-conscious. Lame.

So how to regain the brass, sizzling, fun-loving-life-of-the-party words people might actually want to read? Well, alcohol comes to mind. But that's not a workable long term solution. So here are some things I do when fear and self-loathing threaten to drag me under.

1. Get my eyebrows waxed. It's one thing to be a sucky writer, it's anything thing entirely to be a sucky writer with a unibrow.

2. Exercise. Beef up muscle tone so when you beat yourself up it actually hurts.

3. Write something short. Brainstorming new story ideas clears the cobwebs out of the mind and makes room for thoughts to flow.

4. Take a break. I'm the queen of militant writing. I set daily word count goals and meet them pretty much all the time. But sometimes, a person really needs to to take a day off. The WIP will still be there when we get back.

5. Watch TV in the middle of the day. There's nothing so decadent as watching daytime television. Heaven!

6. Re-read old good reviews or contest wins. There's no shame in resting on your laurels! Drag that sack of laurels out and roll around in them. Not every day needs to be about accomplishing something. Some days should be about enjoying the things you've already accomplished.

7. Clean your house! You're not getting any writing done anyway– so you may as well mope in a better-looking home. Plus, you'll feel a lot better when the living room is vacuumed and the sink empty.

8. Send your draft to "that friend." You know who I'm talking about– that CP who always tells you everything you write is genius. That person exists to give you props when you need 'em. Appreciate that friend, love them, and send them your WIP to praise.

9. Try to fail. If you worry there's no way your WIP can be good, then write it trying to make it suck. Say every crazy ass thing that comes to mind. Make your characters belligerent, shallow, assholes. Have your characters do things no sane person ever would and react in ways that make no sense. Pour all your nutty, self-loathing ideas into your story. Later you may find a few gems.

10. Drink.

What do you do to tame the doubtasaurus? Tell me your tricks!

Jesse Abundis: Artist to Artist

In keeping with my risk-taking, fight-the-power theme of this week, I've invited Twitter dude and outspoken Indie author, Jesse Abundis, to come by for a rant. I'm not sure if I'll ever go indie myself– mainly because I'm extremely unorganized. However, I fully support artists who take that route. In the rapidly-changing publishing landscape, who knows who or what will be the next big thing?

And anyway– I really like a person who speaks his mind. I'd rather read a passionate opinion than a rehashed platitude any day!

So without further ado, welcome!

*****

I'm not an artist that holds back, I will tell you what I think, I won't lie, people have seen that on twitter and other sites that I post for too. I'm very brutally honest to a point I think some people find me repulsive. I think the major three topics that I clash with other authors and editors in are these:

1st Who Should We Listen To?



A lot of writers today (now this might make you mad) lack the backbone to create whatever they want. I've gotten tweets and read a bunch of tweets that ask the same question "What should my story be about? I want something that's in the now." There's so many ways I could response to that question, but, then the article would have to be pull down.

Stop looking for force fed answers. Why would you want someone tell you what to do, what to create? The real joy of writing is just creating whatever the hell you want, spend less time of wondering what will be a success, because a lot of times, over thinking of the success & market leads to lack of creativity and you're just selling yourself too short. Don't do that. You're better than that.

A lot of people have jumped on me this for saying such blasphemy, I was told even once by someone on twitter, who we'll call GL that said " You carry a big chip in your pocket, let's pray that's not the one that sinks you." It might have been sexual remark, but who knows.

It's become a tug of war with this theory, and it's just very laughable, if we've entered the age of "let's be told what to write. " Holy (expletive) we have just become the laziest group of writers this generation has seen. Do you remember classic artist of the days of old asking someone " So, what should I paint or write?" No, they just rebelled against the whole "this is how it should look" way of thinking. I like to encourage writers to rebel, throw caution to the wind and just take a freaking bat to the system, see the shards fall to the group and let's see what you rebuild.

If you rebel to see something better come out of it, you can't go wrong. Rebel just to be a pain in the ass; well you'll just be on your own. Remember that.

2nd Indie Untied



"Indie, eww." That's the general look you get when you mention the word Indie. Now a lot of you might ask, what falls into the category Indie? "Self-Published Writers, and Indie published authors who aren't in the main stream eye." Now if you've sat down for a #writechat on Sunday's on twitter, there' s no doubt you've seen the fight between Indie and Published. People saying "Indie, Indie what? What's that, it'll never come close to make a dent to the big publishers."

You should know I've very pro Indie. I could care less how big Publishers own the market, or the money they have to promote, because today's market is evolving, it's a little thing you might know as the Internet we have to thank for that.

We're seeing book stores become a thing of the past, you might have heard the news Borders is filling for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and closing a third of their 654 stores around the U.S. It's a sad thing to see, but it's the sign of the times. Not a lot of people can spend $19 on a Hardcover book, when they just can just download an e-book and pay $2.99 for it. Which means Indie might turn from Eww to Sweet! To readers and Authors. because, Indie authors & Self– Published can offer cheaper books, free chapters or free books to the hungry reader. Frankly, everyone wins there.

Now if you're thinking I'm saying "GO INDIE, OR DIE." No, you have the right to pimp out your book anyway you want, if you want try a publisher go for it, there's some great small Indie publishers out there that are seeking young fresh artist, but if you want to try the big hitters that's ok too.

But, when it comes to brutal honesty, Indie is more eager to publish new and mind opening art when it comes to big daddy publishers, they want the new trend, kinda how POP is the whole bee's knees today. That's my only major problem with it and will always be, and if that's the chip that sinks me so be it.

Indie shouldn't be looked down upon or even demoralized. Because today's market is morphing into something new. It's open to all of us and becoming very Indie friendly, I think the major fight is with old vs new authors, and the silent battle is "why should this average joe, whose never taken a writing class, read a how to guide, or had to go what I went through come and knock me off my pillar?" THAT'S ALL, REALLY! Come on, if anything, artist should welcome the new breed with open arms. ( expect Justin Beiber) It's what makes the art stay young and on it's toes.

So, if you're a young artist, scared to take the indie route, don't be. You have the world at your fingers tips, stop worrying, create and opened the minds of millions.

3rd It's not art, it's a job. WTF!?



I will fight to my dying breath this one ugly word be throwing around, that writing is not an art! So, music and porn can be, but writing isn't it? WTF what is wrong with you, I would have no problem slapping the taste out of your mouth, honestly.

Have people gone to any lengths to take away the word "Art" out of everything? In my entire life, you would never hear me add or utter the word " Job " to my life and passion. You can defend it, but you'll be knocked down for it, and the classic punch line is "I'd rather be a money maker, than a poor artist" or " I have bills to pay." That's fine, we all do. But come on, don't use that for the lack of creativity. I'll call BS on that every time.

When artist create, we just create, we're not thinking of what's going to be a moneymaker. I've self-Published and been published by some small sites for free. (I can hear the " he's crazy" chant.) And I am seeking publication for the first time, but never am I thinking "IT"S A JOB" It's my passion, it's my life, it's my soul, and you can't put a price on that.

So just stop with the whole, writing is not an art, that's just a clever excuse for people to say "I'm going to rip off ideas from people and earn a quick check." For those writers who have the passion and are one with their art, God bless you. Don't ever think less of your work or think of it as "9 to 5 Job" Because you might get a visit from me and my bitch slapping glove.

I really can go on and on, but I can already hear Daisy rethinking this whole guest blog. LOL j/k. I didn't come to change minds, I just came to share my thoughts, take them as you want, they're yours to bash, hate, like and love. I want to thank Daisy for allowing me to put my two cents and you the reader for taking the time to read this post. One love.

*****

Author since the age of sixteen, Published & Self Published always indie to the core writer, creator of the online comic Jesse & The Runt, future film maker, and journalist for the Geekachicas.com. If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that passionate for my art. One love.

The Blog

The Books

Huck Finn, Buffy Summers, and Why American Mothers will Never be Chinese

For a while there, I couldn't buy a latte without some local mom bringing up that effin "Tiger Mother" article. It was everywhere. "What an interesting viewpoint!" people exclaimed.

To which I replied, "Excuse me, I'd like to place my order and you're in my way."

The husband and I even began a Tiger-Mom drinking game, because the only way I could handle hearing that tripe again was to be good and wasted.

So, I'm going to drop some science here, step out on a limb, and state for the record: Americans are not Chinese.

Shocking, I know! Completely counter-intuitive! You mean to say American's raise their children the way they do because they have distinctly American values? That US habits of child-rearing actually mirror our deepest beliefs about ourselves, growing up, and what matters in life?

Yes. Yes, that is what I'm saying.

Americans parent American-ly on purpose, and we're not going to change no matter what happens with test scores, the economy, or the rest of the world. I'd really like it if educators, commentators, and politicians would give it a rest. We're not going to become Chinese, at least not any time soon.

Certain beliefs are central to what it means to be an American. These are:

1. Rugged individualism (As opposed to doing what you're told.)

2. A personal value system that dictates right from wrong. (As opposed to a collective system based on shame and what is expected by society.)

3. Learning by direct interaction with the world. (As opposed to studying the world in books and other intermediate forms.)

These values can be found in every American hero and heroine. Huck Finn resisted the efforts of Widow Douglas to "sivilize" him, and later ran away from an abusive father. Only by traveling down the Mississippi and making his own way, did he learn what Americans think of as "real" knowledge. Luke Skywalker disobeyed Uncle Owen to take the droids to Obi Wan Kenobi. And yes, he paid the price, but ultimately he found his "calling."

The great Buffy Summers fought her mom, her school, her teachers, and still saved the world. Several times. While watching a first season episode recently I came across this exchange.

The Master: But you must die. It is written!

Buffy: Don't you know? I failed the written.

That scene crystallized heroism in America. It summed up our values and beliefs in one simple sentence. "I failed the written." Buffy neither knows nor cares about what she is supposed to do, she obeys her own heart and mind, and f*ck any tradition that stands in her way.

Back in High School, a Japanese friend of mine once freaked out at me for putting rice in a soup bowl. Doing so blew his mind, it was so rebellious and wrong. Compare his reaction to an extremely common American plot device, the hero who doesn't know which fork to use. Seriously, in America it's considered posh, or unnecessarily effete, to know the difference between a dinner fork and a salad fork AT AN AMERICAN RESTAURANT!

So why, I ask you? Why, why why would I raise my kids to be, above all else, obedient? Why would I think it's an important life skill to be able to solve 2000 algebra problems per night or play the violin? Our only violin-playing cultural icon is Johnny from "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." And like most American stories, that song heaps praise on the hero who takes risks.

Heck, even Mulan was a rebel!

The American view of true learning can be summed up in two words: Road Trip. Despite all our middle class piddling on about test scores and achievement, soccer practices and college prep, practically every kid in the US reaches a certain age and takes off driving (or bussing, or hitchhiking) from one end of the country to the other. Why? Because our children know what we've forgotten– that first hand knowledge and ballsy adventure is what will mold them into an American adult.

When their car breaks down and they're trapped in a snowstorm with nothing but a pack of gum and their wits? They won't be learning the Chinese lesson of "I should have stayed home and did what my mother told me", they'll dig themselves out and dust themselves off, and figure sh*t out on their own.

In other words, they'll do exactly what their American parents want.

Revision Advice: Know What Your Book is About!

I'm fairly certain the line between a published author and an unpublished one has something to do with revisions. We've all heard stories of writers who can whip out a perfect manuscript in one shot, but I think that's a literary urban legend. I'm with Ernest Hemingway who said, "The first draft of anything is shit."

Ernie's observation begs the question, "How can I mold this steaming pile of words into something that resembles a story?"

Everyone's got their own process for turning lead to gold, but my biggest, number one goal in revisions is to figure out what my story is about. What is my point?

Because without a point, there's really no reason to write a story, and even less to read one.

In Mere Temptation my point was that true love means growing up and closing the door on some of your options. In Mere Passion, my point was that a person is more than the sum of his beliefs. Shark Bait? Being loved for yourself is more important than getting "that guy."

And yesterday I sat down with my WIP, The Gods Must Be Horny, and realized my point is "only by pissing some people off can you earn the love of the people you really care about."

Once I knew what my book was about, I got tons of information on why certain things weren't working. For example, I have a subplot in which a character's father figure acted like a dick and then learned the value of diplomacy. This subplot DID NOT WORK! Why? Because my book is about how you can't please everyone all the time.

I can't have a subplot that goes directly against the point of my book.

Harry Potter was all about good triumphing over evil, despite tremendous odds. How well would the series have worked if there were scenes littered throughout where Rowling said, "Well, good and evil are really relative terms. Everyone is just doing the best he or she can"? NO! In Harry Potter there was "good" and "evil." They fought each other. Yes, there were nuances, and characters who contained a little of both. But by and large evil=bad, good=good.

So if my story is about the times one has to abandon compromise in order to grow as a person, the last thing I want to do is throw in a scene that encourages compromise.

What about you? What is your current WIP about? Do all your scenes and plots point the same direction? Or are there some stragglers pointing the other way?