colors

WARNING Self-involved Ranting WARNING

Happily Ever After

I am joyfully returned from my holiday to Mexico. I will speak of this in the next Status post, which shouldn’t be far off. But, for now, a thought.

Am I the only one who dislikes ‘happily ever after’? Not necessarily the ‘happy’ part – lord knows we torture our characters enough for them to occasionally deserve it – but the finality of it. The end. And that’s it. Like ending a world, as well as the bit of that world’s story you’ve been sharing. I don’t like the neatly tied endings, endings cut with scissors, the ‘there’s nothing more to see here, people’ endings.

Sorry, I should probably clarify what I mean, maybe explain myself a tiny bit better.

I finished the Stephenie Meyer ‘Twilight’ series of books earlier and, despite a bit of wavering on the final volume in places, ended up enjoying it. But the last line, the one before ‘the end’ (which I dislike anyway – the end of what? Life won’t end with a ‘the end’, why should these snippets of it?), made me think about story endings. I don’t like ‘happily ever after’ because it is, fundamentally, like denying the characters further rights to live or make choices. At some point characters – and I know this isn’t just me, it’s commented on by writers way too much – gain a life of their own, you’ve lovingly created an entire world around them, nurtured, tormented, hurt and shown them love- so why qualify the rest of their lives in one piss-poor sentence?

I might be just crazy from jet lag, but for some reason thinking about this while I was cleaning the kitchen and suchlike really bugged me. I’m not saying those horrible trail-off endings are the way to go – perish the thought! – but I like endings to have some sense of continuance, some sense that the world will keep on rolling despite what has happened in the story itself. Unless it’s a story about a successful apocalypse, in which case it’s excused. Though a story about an apocalypse that finished with ‘the end’ would probably make me grind my teeth anyway…

Have I clarified? Doubtless you’re wondering why you’re still reading because I’m making about as much sense as Seiko shaving his head and becoming a Buddhist monk (yes Ob, I agree – the orange must be burned before it reaches his skin). Still, I said what I wanted to say. My endings will always conform to my ideals from now on, though undoubtedly there have been projects in the past that didn’t… I haven’t really finished many so I should be able to remember, but alas.

And they lived happily ever after. The end.

Oh My-

Holy @?|~@{)*&$$&)(*()^@~>:!>!! Only a month and a half until NaNo D: And I promised myself that I’d try and do double the recommended dosage this year D:

*panics*

*breathes deeply*

*panics*

*claws at own throat*

*has violent fit in the middle of the office*

I can’t believe I was so crazy! I should have known I’d be working by then! I can maybe do two or three hours per night during the working week and at a rate of doing 2000 words in that amount of time for twenty days, with twenty hours on each of the five weekends of that month…

Let’s see, I would need to do about 3400 words per night if spread out equally… 2000 words for five days is 10,000 words… then going at the rate of 2000 words for two hours, at the weekend I could do 20,000 words… five weekends makes 100,000 words and with the 20,000 words per working week that makes 80,000 words… altogether 180,000 words… So it’s not impossible… just horrifically difficult…

I’m going to go mad this November trying to do 100,000 words… especially since I know that if I manage it I’ll up the stakes next year… 150,000 words in a month…? If with only ten hours on weekend days and two hours on every other day I can manage 180,000… Oh god, stop me now D:

/rant

[More detail about my current circumstances with life and writing soon to come]

Jimmy Carr

Sat 26 July at 8pm…

Jimmy Carr’s Repeat Offender Tour!

James and I aren’t sitting in the front row fortunately (or not? Am I a masochist? Nooooo) but it’ll be awesome anyway :D

We’re on the balcony a few rows back, but we’re seeing the biggest face in comedy, it should be fine :p

Holiday 2008 – Nerja, Spain

*gasp* I am returned!