Storybook endings, fairy tales coming true
Deep down inside we want to believe they still do…
Carrie Underwood, Ever, Ever After
Whenever I attend a writing conference, especially one of the size (2000 attendees) and caliber of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) annual conference, I treasure and am enchanted by the personal stories I hear.
Stories of challenge, endurance, persistence and, finally, payoff.
During a keynote at the RWA conference, multi-published romantic suspense author, Karen Rose talked about the importance of happy endings and the power of that happy ending to not just help readers but to help the writer as well. Escaping into the world of the story you are writing, she shared, can be the best anecdote for when things in life get hard.
One writer escaped into the fantasy and fairytale stories in her mind when, as a child with a disability, kids made her feel different and alone. Other writers shared how reading romance stories helped distract them from the worries over seriously ill spouses or children.
Standing in line for book signings or sitting in the lobby drinking my morning chai latte, I heard stories of late night or early morning writing in order to fit a creative dream into a hectic day of jobs and children. I heard about lawyers who gave up successful careers and steady incomes to write. I heard about writers struggling to reinvent themselves as they and the publishing industry changed.
I heard stories from grandmothers who had a great time writing hot love scenes, and a story from a young 30-something woman who wrote sassy books about heroines who struggled through relationship after relationship to find her happily-ever-after.
At the RITA and Golden Heart Awards on the last night of the RWA conference, the RITA (equivalent to an Oscar) is given to the best of the best in romance novel categories such as Contemporary, Historical, Inspirational and Paranormal.
One RITA winner talked about having written 15 complete manuscripts before finally finding a publisher for the manuscript that won the award. But she couldn’t stop writing, she loved her stories too much. Another winner, after a period of her life where she didn’t fit in, expressed her concern for whether or not there would be a place for the mix of paranormal, fantasy and time travel of her book. The award reassured her that not only did her book belong but she did too.
Why are these stories important? Because they add to and enrich our collective creative mythology, illuminating who we are, why we do what we do, how we do what we do, and how we meet the challenge to keep doing it.
These stories light the way, clear the path, show the steps and hold out the possibility and promise of success for others and for ourselves.
These stories are necessary nourishment for the creative soul.
Which is why it’s important for you to share your story AND to hear the stories of others in your creative field.
How else will we fight off fear, overwhelm and heartbreak?
In her keynote about the importance of happily-ever-afters, Rose says, “For readers who seek refuge from a real life that is too scary, too overwhelming or too painful, our books provide respite, renewal, regeneration.”
Your story can do the same for others.
So, when you attend conferences or workshops, when you blog or give interviews, or even when you get together for a cup of coffee or tea with a creative friend or colleague…
Ask to hear their stories. Then share yours.
And be enchanted with the promise and possibility of a happily-ever-after.