1 Angst! That seems to be the key to books and movies these days (though I despise it). Make a character fall in love with his cousin, and then find it morally reprehensible. Or make a girl find some secret trick to capture a guy, and then feel bad about using it, or make someone make tons of money with some scam, and then feel bad about having all that money. Feeling bad, even when things are good, is the key to writing. Dunno why, and as I implied earlier I'm not a fan of the concept. Can't even watch Battlestar Galactica or read anything by Steven R. Donaldson because of it (and I'm a scifi/fantasy junkie!), but for some reason, angst sells. Trust me, I'm an expert on these things. I'm published! On blog ger.com at least...

2 did you know that you can't make a comment that included blogger dot com in it?

3 My spam filter's on a hair-trigger.

4 Have your main character fall in love with a grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of tomato and bacon. Oh yeah, then EVERYONE would relate and you would have a million-seller. Guaranteed. Or at least get 10% off your next grilled cheese sandwich at a Waffle House. Of course, this is only pertinent if you have a Waffle House within driving distance. Otherwise, proceed in other directions and hold the pickle.