“And they lived happily ever after . . .”
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved stories with happy endings, whether in books, movies, television programs, or real life. So, when I began writing a few years ago, there was only one genre for me. Romance. After all, my entire life had been a training ground for it.
I quickly discovered, however, there was much more to writing romance than Boy meets Girl. Boy and Girl fall in love. Boy and Girl live happily ever after. And that “more” is what I’ve come to love most about writing.
I love crafting stories of redemption. I love watching the characters address areas of loss in their lives and strive to overcome the consequences of their past choices and mistakes. As the author, it’s exciting to encourage and cheer for them as they struggle and grow. (Especially since I know the redemptive outcomes that lay ahead.)
Although, there are times when, in the middle of writing the story, the characters make choices I hadn’t anticipated at the outset. Those are the moments a quiet voice leads us down a path I hadn’t originally seen and could never have found on my own. Sometimes, even though we’re taking a different route, we end up at the same place. Other times our final destination is a much better one that I could have ever foreseen. And in the end, the old is exchanged for the new. The past is redeemed.
So what do I like most about writing? The opportunity to show the redemption of life. To reflect in words the truth of the greatest story of all time. The quest of a loving Father chasing after the hearts of His children, giving His all in love to redeem them and have a relationship with them. A romance. A sacred, redemptive romance.
Carol James
Author of The Waiting
Coming Soon from Pelican Book Group
