October sits on the edge of autumn, a teasing reminder that winter is on the way. The weather is always up and down here in Ontario, prepping us for the inevitable. Cold. Snow. Ice. For Canadians, Thanksgiving mid-month is the last hurrah so to speak. After that holiday, everything winds down. Leaves change color and fall from trees; plants and flowers dry up. We slowly close up our cottage, making several trips back and forth to the city with loads of laundry, books, special utensils or tools and uneaten food that my frugal side can't toss out. There's always something bittersweet about this annual ending to summer. I look forward to a more disciplined routine: no pre-dinner drinks and snacks; a return to exercise class - but I also hate to see those long, lazy summer days go. Still, saying goodbye to October isn't quite so bad. For North American kids there's no more perfect ending to autumn than the very last day of this month.
But Hallowe'en isn't my topic today because it's still a week away and a big part of the fun of special days is the anticipation, right? The hype. The lead-up. Which brings me round to endings and how we writers envision them. Here are some synonyms for 'ending' that I found in my trusty Thesaurus app: closure; outcome; completion and consummation.
The endings that we romance authors write contain elements of all those synonyms but also imply so much more, don't they? It's not enough to wrap everything up for our hero and heroine, we want to promise them a happily ever after. The big HEA. As a teenager, I believed in the HEA and reading romance novels fed that promise. I thought that everyone would eventually find happiness ever after with someone until I got to college and my English Literature major as well as a soured relationship informed me otherwise. Estrangement, alienation and especially, tragedy, could be endings too.
Fortunately that outlook was merely a phase that I passed through on my way to adulthood and the discovery of real love, as opposed to infatuation.
While I was pondering the idea of endings, I skimmed through the conclusions of a few of my past romance novels. It was fascinating reading those endings after all this time. I found one outright proposal (from an early novel); a suggestion of consummation (!); a subtle proposal (from her to him) and a wrap-up of a secondary plot with the unspoken promise of a future together. I realized from this brief look-back that as the years have passed and I have aged (gracefully, of course), my concept of HEA has shifted slightly. The issues between heroine and hero aren't necessarily resolved (just as they may not be in real life) but the communication channels are open. Perhaps that's the crux of the HEA. No one really expects to have a happily ever after life or love and our characters are just like us. But they (and we) want to have the hope of, and the belief in, happiness together.
I must have been unconsciously thinking that as I finished my most recent book, For Love of a Dog. Kai and Luca haven't figured everything out yet. They don't know where they're going to live or what jobs/careers they will have after they leave the soybean farm. All they really know is that they love each other and want to be together - wherever and however. And for me, personally, that's a perfect ending. What's your perfect ending?
Janice Carter
For Love of a Dog
amazon barnesandnoble goodreads iTunes Indigo
But Hallowe'en isn't my topic today because it's still a week away and a big part of the fun of special days is the anticipation, right? The hype. The lead-up. Which brings me round to endings and how we writers envision them. Here are some synonyms for 'ending' that I found in my trusty Thesaurus app: closure; outcome; completion and consummation.
The endings that we romance authors write contain elements of all those synonyms but also imply so much more, don't they? It's not enough to wrap everything up for our hero and heroine, we want to promise them a happily ever after. The big HEA. As a teenager, I believed in the HEA and reading romance novels fed that promise. I thought that everyone would eventually find happiness ever after with someone until I got to college and my English Literature major as well as a soured relationship informed me otherwise. Estrangement, alienation and especially, tragedy, could be endings too.
Fortunately that outlook was merely a phase that I passed through on my way to adulthood and the discovery of real love, as opposed to infatuation.
While I was pondering the idea of endings, I skimmed through the conclusions of a few of my past romance novels. It was fascinating reading those endings after all this time. I found one outright proposal (from an early novel); a suggestion of consummation (!); a subtle proposal (from her to him) and a wrap-up of a secondary plot with the unspoken promise of a future together. I realized from this brief look-back that as the years have passed and I have aged (gracefully, of course), my concept of HEA has shifted slightly. The issues between heroine and hero aren't necessarily resolved (just as they may not be in real life) but the communication channels are open. Perhaps that's the crux of the HEA. No one really expects to have a happily ever after life or love and our characters are just like us. But they (and we) want to have the hope of, and the belief in, happiness together.
I must have been unconsciously thinking that as I finished my most recent book, For Love of a Dog. Kai and Luca haven't figured everything out yet. They don't know where they're going to live or what jobs/careers they will have after they leave the soybean farm. All they really know is that they love each other and want to be together - wherever and however. And for me, personally, that's a perfect ending. What's your perfect ending?
For Love of a Dog
amazon barnesandnoble goodreads iTunes Indigo
I think the promise and potential of a HEA. The hope. Our ideas do change over time which is a good thing, I think. Hopefully it shows growth as a writer.
ReplyDeleteYou’re right, T.R. It’s definitely an aging thing -mentally and emotionally as well as...heck, physical. :)
DeleteA great post. I agree with you absolutely. If all of your problems and conflicts are solved when you're 30, where do you go from there? Although I do feel a little sad about you leaving the cottage--we like being there with you!
ReplyDeleteI’m sad about leaving too!! Very sweet of you, Liz, and I like having som of my Heartwarming friends there in spirit. :)
DeleteThanks for the thoughtful post. There's no question what constitutes an HEA changes as we go through life. In so many of our books, the H & H are blending their families, too, which takes them into new and challenging territory. It's rainy and dark here today and it seems we've gone from summery fallish weather straight into blustery November. It's how fast the days and weeks pass that continues to surprise me!
ReplyDeleteYou’re so right, Virginia, that the weather can change in an instant these days, which means we must enjoy the special ones when theycome along. I think the evolvement of the romance novel over the years has been wonderful,and I wish the general public could see that, too, as so many misconceptions persist.
DeleteJanice, last night I had my first second fire in the fireplace and as I lit the logs, waiting for them to catch, I thought, "this is it. Summer is over and even autumn is trying to wind down too quickly for me." I love our HEA's but the truth is, after the romance is "Women's Fiction." Great post!
ReplyDeleteI wish we had a fireplace, Catherine! We do have a wood stove at the cottage but it’s not the same. I’m picturing you cosied up to a blazing fire, sitting in a comfy chair. :)
DeleteGreat post. Made me wonder how many of my previous book endings actually ended with the wedding, or post wedding, or just the promise. I may spend some time checking them out. I have had people tell me they read the ending of a book in the bookstore before they decide to buy the book. I could never do that. No matter how a story ends, I like the surprise. What's sad is that in real life there are many love stories that don't end well.
ReplyDeleteIt was weird to re-read the endings of those old books of mine, Roz. I couldn’t even remember the names of the main characters! LOL And I agree with you, reading the ending before deciding to buy....wow! Like arriving at a destination without enjoying the journey. And yes, so many love stories don’t end well, which is why we need romances.
DeleteInteresting post and I agree. Hopeful endings can have just as much impact as HEA ones. Thanks for pointing this out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cynthia! I agree totally.
DeleteTo me Happily Ever After doesn't mean there will never be unhappiness again. It means someone to share burdens and celebrate victories, people who care about each other's happiness as much as their own. A good life.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a very well rounded definition of HEA, Beth, and a good one to remember when we are planning our endings. Thank you!
DeleteGreat post, Janice! During challenging times in my life, I seem to crave the HEA in a romance. But like Catherine mentioned, after the romance there's "Women's Fiction" which I love, too.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely read this info if you want to know more about formal letters. It's really important to know
ReplyDelete