Once again, the Universal has presented me with a message that applies not only to Real Life but also to writing. At least to me. A compelling story always contains conflict. There are two kinds: exteranl and internal. External occurs when other people and/or events (or other things) affect the character(s). Internal are those “demons” an individual deals with during their journey (character arc) from the start of the story to the end. In romance, this gets tricky because it is really easy to get lazy. Example: The Great Misunderstanding!™️(That could be immediately solved if the characters just talked to each other.) This one drives a lot of romance readers–me included–nuts. I’ve DNF’d a few books because I was tempted to through the book (or my Kindle) at the wall. As a writer, don’t get lazy. Do NOT succomb to the temptation. That’s not to say the characters can’t have a misunderstanding. That’s good and can lead to growth in a character’s arc. The problem comes when they hide their feelings and resentment for the entire book and this is the entire sum of the conflict.

Anyway, here’s what the Universe passed along:

Adversity, challenges, and bumps in the road, Silver, are often the first signs that a great healing has begun.

Thinking of you,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Especially when one seeks to understand them, Silver.

Think about the great stories and characters. Frodo comes to mind. Harry Potter. Eve Dallas (see I’m not always about the magical…). For a character to grow, they need to face adveristy, be challenged, and stumble over those bumps in the road. THAT’S their story. How they react, how they move forward, that’s the story. In a good story, a character starts out flawed at the beginning and due to all the stuff–bad and good–that happens, they come out healed at the end.

And, to be honest, all these things go into writing a good story. Authors, ammi right? *nodnodnods* We face adversity–finding time to write. Wrestling with characters and plots. Making up words that make sense. It’s a challenge to find a new story to tell or to tell an old story in a new way. And the bumps in the road to publication often leaves bruises. I won’t speak for other writers–though I suspect they mostly feel the same–when I finally type THE END and even knowing that I’m only half-way through the writing process, there’s a great sense of accomplishment. And relief. All the trials and tribulations suddenly become worth it. We get our HEA just like our characters. And I use HEA in a broader sense than the romance ending of “And they lived happily ever after.” Think about it. Every main character gets an HEA. The detective solves the mystery. The soldier wins the battle. The seeker finds the meaning of life.

So cheers to all of us–writers, readers, and characters. We’ll face what comes our way and come out better for it on the other side. Right? Right!