Happily Ever After

When I was little I was fascinated with fairy tales.  Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White-- the stories made me dream of love and romance as well as a life where its appropriate to sing your feelings in public.  Even now, in the writing I do, I strive for happy endings and "Once upon a time" stories where its possible to have happiness through telling the truth and being a hard worker.  This is not reality, though.  In the real world people work hard and have tough times.  They strive for success and receive failure, people give all they can and get nothing.  Granted that's how life actually works, but it seems counter intuitive.  Let's be honest, here, Write On writers... do any of us enjoy writing sad chapters or devastating climaxes?  Because I do not, and have a tough time getting through those sections to get to the light at the end of the tunnel.

My biggest struggle in writing is to tell a realistic story that people can understand and embrace.  I love a good love story with its highs and lows, where the hero saves the princess after being told time and again that she is in another castle, but I need to focus on writing things that make real world sense.  Like Jo in "Little Women," I want to write what I know (or at least what I pretend to know.)  Who wants to read a story about day to day boredom or sadness?  At the same time, you can't just say "Uhh... time passed" and get on to the next plot point.  The goal is to have smooth transitions and a balanced plot that carries you from chapter to chapter, increasing the excitement and suspense.

When I was in grad school I loved writing papers and was awesome at getting a great intro to set up my outline.  I'd use quotations from Nietszche or Emerson or Einstein, gearing the reader up for what is to come.  That's my goal now as I start working more fervently on challenges and getting my own personal work done.  I want to gear myself up for the story even though it may not be a 'happily ever after' tale.  I want to create a balanced story that shows readers something realistic but idealized, something at times heartbreaking but ultimately victorious.

How do I do this?  I have absolutely no idea.  It's a struggle.  Writing is an escape for me.  When I am in a bad mood I watch "Pollyanna" to get out of the bad mood, and when I write I create happy stories which help me cope with everyday life.  If anyone has advice on how to more smoothly balance my stories with the good and evil please let me know.  Until then I will continue to write of happiness and hope that in the future I can add in some drama to increase the power of my writing.

Liz