A few years back, a friend loaned me a copy of Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, telling me that the book was different than the movie. The book was good, and written in a voice that was new and amazing to me. So when I saw Diary on the discount shelf at B&N, I had to give it a try. I was astounded. Who was this man who wrote such unique stories in a distinct voice with some very cynical views on the world? Since then, I’ve read several of his books, and I’ve discovered (much to my disappointment) that he has a formula like every other author out there. It’s much more subtle, and I would still recommend Survivor to anyone looking for a fantastic story (just skip the part about the lobster, trust me). But the formula still exists.

We had a discussion about this, my co-author and I. She said it wasn’t a formula, it was a voice, and there was a difference. I agree, there is a difference, but after Lullaby she’s changed her mind and we’ve agreed: formula.

Going back 15 or 20 years. I read a series of books by LJ Smith. Not Vampire Diaries – those wouldn’t be released until later. A trilogy called (I think) The Game. Very basic premise – a young girl’s grandfather is trying to break the barrier between worlds, and manages to summon some very cruel (Norse) gods. They want the child as an offering in order to go back home, he gives himself up instead. One of the younger gods isn’t happy with this and he spends the majority of the girl’s teenage years trying to take her back.

I read those books over and over, all the way into my late twenties. I don’t know if I’d still enjoy them now, but they fascinated me back then. Two things about the books left a huge impression on me, and anyone who’s read a couple of my novels will recognize this. The god who plays the antagonist in the story – a young and sexy Loki. He’s all evil, very seductive, and just a little immature, despite being thousands of years old. The other character is a tertiatry character named Zach. He sits in the background most of the time with his silver ponytail, being aloof and just a little sarcastic, and the main character has just the slightest crush on him, which Loki uses to his advantage at times.

And therein lies the origins of my formulas and my inspiration. American Gods, Good Omens, and Small Gods (Neil Gaimen & Terry Pratchett) also have a heavy influence in about 50% of what I write, but they’re not so much a basis for the recurring character archtypes I’m so fond of. (Wow, with all these book titles, I’m tempted to go get an Amazon associates account just for this blog post :-P)

Some days I think this is a bad thing. That a large number of my male lead characters share a handful of similar personality traits. Then I rationalize it away by telling myself if the story lines are different – therefore forcing them to react in unique ways. That’s what I keep telling myself.

Now my perspective has been jaded. I’ve decided every writer must have an underlying thread of commonality in most of their work. I could be very wrong though. Agree? Disagree? What’s your formula?