As an author of teen fiction, there are many things I
absolutely love about my job: meeting new people,
spending all day creating fictional boys for my readers to
crush on, and developing whole new mythologies inside my
head. But I have to say that one of the absolute best parts of
my job is that watching shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Gossip Girl, Veronica Mars, and Friday Night Lights is actually
considered work. After a long day of writing and mommyhood
there’s nothing better than cuddling up with my hubby
and a bowl of popcorn and firing up the TiVo.


Some may call this vegging.
I call it research.


You see, as I’m watching, I’m also taking mental notes on
the choices the writers and directors have made concerning
plot, dialogue, pacing, and the progression of the characters
I’ve grown to love (or love to hate) and how they relate to
each other.


The latest edition to my TiVo lineup of shows to dissect is
The Vampire Diaries. And boy, does this show never disappoint
me—not as a fan who watches it for pleasure, nor as a writer
who analyzes the show for research. While there are so many
things to love about The Vampire Diaries (Damon . . . no,
Stefan  …