by: Joelle Charbonneau
This weekend I attended the wedding of a former student of
mine. (Does that make me feel old –
yes! But that’s a different post for
another time.) The bride looked
stunning! She had an old Hollywood glam style that took everyone’s breath away. The ceremony was lovely. There was lots of laughter. More sighs.
A few wistful tears. A perfect
way to start their Happily Ever After.
Which got me thinking about writing. I know – big surprise, right? Happily Ever After is a big theme in so many
books. I mean romance is all about two
people finding Happily Ever After. In
many mystery series, the characters from book to book are often looking for the
illusive thing that will give them a Happily Ever After – whether a
relationship, career satisfaction or redemption.
It’s interesting that so much fiction is about either
getting to Happily Ever After or coming out of it. Which I supposed makes sense. When everyone is happy there is no conflict. Conflict starts when people are struggling to
find that illusive happiness. It also
begins when characters start looking for the next big thing after what was
supposed to fulfill them does not meet their expectations.
While Happily Ever After isn’t typically associated with
crime fiction, I would suggest that deep inside the best crime fiction
characters is a desire for that fairy tale ending. How many characters are looking for the big
score that will finally balance the scales and give them the chance to be
happy? How many are jealous of that
thing everyone else seems to have that they can’t seem to find? Readers identify with that need to find
happiness no matter what genre that quest appears in. Let’s face it—the best stories are filled
with conflict. Tracking down the one
thing that will make your life complete is never an easy road to navigate. But watching the couple exchange their vows
this weekend makes me realize why so many stories are filled with the search
for Happily Ever After.
1 comment:
Good post, Joelle! I think you're right--the desire for "happily ever after" fuels most of the crime in fiction. It's people who think that someone's death will in some way give them "happily ever after" that make mysteries and thrillers possible.
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