Theme Park: What is Love?

The other day my youngest son came into my bedroom while I was getting ready to face yet another work day to give me a hug. I held him tightly, he held me tightly and I couldn't help but say "I love you." In his sweet voice he said, "I love you, too, Mommy," and then he left to get his backpack for school, leaving me in that deliciously cozy state of knowing I'm loved and needed by another human being.

Photo by Stuart Miles at freedigitalphoto.net

What I wondered, though, (because I have to over-analyze everything) is how does he know what love is? When he says "I love you" does his words mean the same as mine? Does he experience the same feelings of tenderness and vulnerability that make his heart hurt at the thought of being separated from me? Is love an innate emotion? One that we are born with and, depending on our lot in life, is nurtured with parental love, or withers in the desert of neglect?

And there are so many different kinds - love between adults, love between parents and children, love between siblings, love between friends, love for nature, love for pets, romantic love, puppy love, the list can go on and on. 

I've had some comments on Finding Meara from people dismayed that there are relationships included in the story line. Because the romance aspect is a sub-plot, I don't mention it in the blurb (it's hard enough to explain the plot) and so the readers were surprised to find some romance in the adventure promised. I've contemplated adding something like "Warning: Contains Romance" at the bottom of the blurb.

Photo by Boians Cho Joo Young at freedigitalphotos.net

To me, love is one of the biggest mysteries and miracles in the world. It is precious and is one way we can touch the face of God or experience the grandeur of the universe. I can't help but include some aspect of love in every story I write. Our relationships help define us as human beings and I can't really imagine writing about people (characters) without including their relationships with others. 

What do you think? Is love a basic part of the human condition? Do you find relationships in stories that are not romances to be distracting or a pleasant addition?  What do you think love is? Inquiring minds want to know!

Funny Friday Photos: Cats and Dog

Happy Friday!

I am glad this week is over. It has been long and exhausting. The day job has chewed me up and spit me out! I actually fell asleep while finding the pictures for this installment of funny photos, and now I can't quit yawning.

Me, right now.

Last week's winner for funniest photo is:

And here's this week's edition of funny photos!

I love those little flop-eared cats!

The owner above needs this book.

This is the cutest dog video I've seen in a long time. It comes from Facebook, so I may have shared it with you already, but it's worth watching more than once, for sure! My children have me play it over and over and I do so happily because it just makes me laugh. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Finally, it's not really a pun, but it's clever...

Have a wonderful weekend! My favorite is the tall cat/pile cat.

Which is your favorite?

For The Writers: How Deep Are You?

The other day a coworker said to me, "You know, you don't talk much, but what you do say is profound and really means a lot to people."

I was absolutely shocked that anyone would think I'm profound. Or that I don't talk much, actually.

It would be wonderful if I felt profound. I wouldn't have trouble coming up with blog posts, because I'd just take it for granted what I had to say would be interesting and worthy of someone's time. When I sat down to write a scene or a chapter I wouldn't worry that what I was writing was too shallow or stupid. I'd automatically know that it had the depths of knowledge and experience and would impact readers with its mighty theme.

Isn't that what we want as writers? 

To impact our readers? To tell a story that has meaning? 

There seems to be a perception that genre fiction is not "thinking" fiction - literary fiction is where the thinkers go. But I don't think only literary fiction writers want to be profound. Don't we all want to share a bit of our understanding of the world with others, and hopefully make a connection with them or help them see the world in a slightly (or maybe not so slightly) different way?

Personally, I don't think there has to be an either/or in genre fiction. We can write meaningful (profound, even) stories wrapped up in suspense, fantasy or science fiction. After all, some of the most profound short stories on the human condition I've read have come from science fiction writers. It's this belief that causes me to stop and pause and rethink every plot point and turn of phrase.

I've been enjoying Art Holcomb's Rule Book and Improving Your Fiction guest posts over at Storyfix. He explains how by deepening the character arcs of our characters, we deepen the meaning of the story. He has some very usable writing tools to help writers bring their stories to a deeper level.

I haven't been able to really utilize the charts and questions he poses. Hopefully, after completing the homework that goes along with the posts, I'll feel profound enough to quit second-guessing every thing I type and feel confident to just tell the story.

How do you deepen your stories? Do you have a favorite resource/book that explains how to create a profound story?