I didn’t want love in this #happyValentinesDay
I didn’t want to put love in Behind the Star, the novel I’m writing. I wanted to write a tale about true friendship and solid relationships based on mutual knowledge of each other’s true self, not a love story.
However, somehow love sneaked into the story all the same. I struggle to keep it out. I wanted this story to be different, not the usual YA where the hero and the heroine fall desperately in love and need to overcome obstacles on their path. After all, the importance of true friendship is a big enough theme for a YA, isn’t it?
And yet, even while I was writing the outline, Nelson and Susanna were begging me to go beyond mere friendship. They found out, before I did, there was more to their story, and even when I wasn’t sure about the ending, I understood I had to listen to their argument.
What is love?
“There are as many forms of love as there are moments in time.”
Edmund Bertram (Mansfield Park, 1999 movie)
Surely there isn’t a univocal answer valid for everyone. What I feel and do when in love may not be the same other people feel and do. What I perceive as love may not be enough or may be too much for someone else.
However, taking into account my character’s deep desire to go beyond friendship, I reconsidered my story’s theme: true friendship based on mutual knowledge and acceptance of each other’s true self.
Isn’t this love? One form of love, at least?
I believe so, and I’m convinced that it’s one of the most fulfilling forms of love. Of course, we need passion and romanticism, but what are passion and romanticism without complicity and understanding?
Susanna Mason
Susanna Mason, Sue for her friends, doesn’t know many things about love. Or better she knows nothing but she will learn in the course of a special few weeks of a very special summer. If you want to learn more about my WIP Behind the Star you can read my previous post.
In the meantime, in honour of Valentine’s Day, I leave you with a difficult and personal question. What’s love for you? Which of the many forms of love do you cherish the most?