Real Love

I don’t know what the process is for other writers. I don’t know if they plan every word, every situation, but I don’t. In the beginning, I didn’t even outline. Christopher said I should make one, just so I know what I want to accomplish in each chapter. That was probably the best writing advice I’ve had to date. That and to put your work away for a week before you proof it. Anywho, when I am writing, especially dialogue, it is literally a movie in my head. I don’t know what the characters are going to say to each other, it just comes out…pours out sometimes. Here is what came today that I read back and was like, yeah, that’s good shit. LoL Set up – Sarah has just found out that Andres is not who has been saying he is and he didn’t have the guts to tell her the truth so he just let her walk out of his life. His best friend and business partner Abby has walked in on him having a mental breakdown and here is her advice:

“So, I’m leaving,” I told her. “I am leaving this place and this life. There isn’t anything holding me here. Not anymore.”
“Wow, that is some deep shit,” she mused, making me laugh in spite of my misery. “I knew something was going on with you, you’ve been…different.”
“Yes, I’ve been delusional. That’s over now.”
“Could you be any denser?” she asked me. “You’ve been in denial. This pain you feel, this hurt, it’s called love. People say real love isn’t supposed to hurt. That’s bull shit. Real love will rip you apart, eat you for lunch, and spit out the pieces it didn’t like. Real love will tear you apart from the inside out and leave you for dead. And then by some miracle, it will put you back together and make everything right. But you’re not giving it the chance to do that. What you’re doing is giving up. I haven’t ever thought of you as a coward. Not once. Yet here you are, running away like a coward. Running away from what? From the beat of your heart?” She shifted her weight to her knees and scooted closer to me on the floor. I felt her hand on my chest and I looked up to meet her gaze. “You’ve been living this life that you thought was complete but it wasn’t. You fight these battles but you never really win them because battles are won or lost in the heart. Are you so ready to forfeit this battle, Andres? Damnit! At least don’t give up without a fight.”
“What am I supposed to do, Abby? It’s done. It’s over. I lost.”
“It’s not over until someone’s dead,” she said.
“Well…” I started to point out that I was technically already dead but she took her hand from my chest and slapped me on top of the head.
“You know what I mean…”

The part about real love, I don’t even know where that came from but I’ll be damned if it’s not the truth.

~Sarah’s Fate, 9/1/10