A Love Story
I am a hopeless romantic. I’m a cynical, pessimistic curmudgeon in my everyday life—except when it comes to love.
Maybe because I found the love of my life. Maybe because I knew, even before our first date, that I’d marry Scott—and I have the note I wrote to myself that proves my prediction. (Seriously!! I handed it to Scott the moment after he proposed!) Maybe because I waited (im)patiently for Scott to recognize what I already knew on that first date—that we’d be together forever. Maybe because we had the perfect wedding and the perfect honeymoon.
But we haven’t had the perfect happily-ever-after. Not because we’re breaking up. No, the only reason there’s no “happily-ever-after” is because we live in reality. We argue, we bicker, we annoy each other. Our lives aren’t perfect because life isn’t perfect.
That’s why our stories matter. Because life isn’t perfect, and we want to know how our characters cope. We root for them, or despise them—but we learn from them. Whether you’re writing romance or mystery or fantasy or sci-fi, it’s the conflicts in life that make us who we are. Even the princess, rescuing her prince, has to weather obstacles before their true-love’s kiss.
That’s why our stories matter. To make us feel like we’re not alone.
Huh. Maybe I’m not so much a curmudgeon, after all. 🙂