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This week: And They Lived Happily Ever After... Edited by: Kit of House Lannister  
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A happily ever after... is that the way the story truly ends? Is it even possible?
This week's Drama Newsletter ponders the realities of a happy ending.
Kit of House Lannister |
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Almost everyone likes a happy ending. I know that I do. But what does it mean, when a story ends with the equivalent to “and they lived happily ever after”?
In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, some insight is provided into the marriage of the main characters. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy appear to have the kind of marriage in which their best qualities bring out the best in the other. This has a positive effect on those around them – especially their sisters. The exception seems to be Lydia, whose marriage with the no-good Wickham does not provide a happily ever after for either of them – it is an example of the consequences of their badly thought out actions.
J.K. Rowling, too, offers a glimpse of what happens to her beloved Harry Potter characters after all the main events have taken place. Loving marriages, with children – even for Draco Malfoy, by the looks of it. A new generation goes to Hogwarts. It is but a small glimpse, but it lets the reader know that all is well in her magical world.
Generally, though, all we can do is assume that everything is roses and sunshine at the point that we close the book. At least, no major events take place. Nothing too upsetting. Where the bad needed to be defeated, this has happened, and it won't make a return.
This is fair enough. It can't be expected of a writer to keep on writing about the same characters for the rest of their lives. A story has to end somewhere. As a reader (or viewer), however, I do sometimes wonder what happened next.
In The Wire, I wonder what happened to McNulty. Being a police officer was an important, yet destructive, part of his life. It can be said that his job was his life. So, what next for him? Would he truly be happy to settle down with someone, and become a security guard, or sit in an office from 9 to 5? Would he be one of those people who still stops by the old job every now and then, with the new cops too embarrassed to speak out when he goes on about how it was done in his day? Perhaps he does find a new passion – one that offers a healthy balance with domestic life. Perhaps the loss of his job will be the making of him, as it was for one of his colleagues. Still, I have no doubt that a part of him, however small it might become, will always be real police.
What about the (in)famous TV series Friends? Will Ross and Rachel make it happen this time around? Will Joey ever settle down with someone? Will the marriages last? For characters who had a tendency to get themselves into tricky situations, is it realistic to expect a smooth ride from here on out?
The reality is that life does not tend to be smooth. Each year in our lives brings with it some ups and downs. Some years are better than others. Some years don't rock the boat too much. Other years can bring disaster after disaster, and we're happy when that year becomes the past.
Even the best marriages can feel like a struggle at times. Relationships take work. If two people are truly compatible, the amount of work it takes to create and maintain harmony will feel insignificant, but no matter how compatible people are, they cannot fully control outside influences. Economic ups and downs create and destroy jobs and careers. Political turmoil can affect nations around the globe. We will always have to deal with the realities that surround us – we don't live in a bubble – and we will always be subject to outside pressures.
A happily ever after, then, is unlikely to be a happily all the way through. The best anyone can hope for is a happily overall. I wish you all a very happy 2016.
Kit of House Lannister |
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The Drama Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
Whata SpoonStealer  - Beautiful in its honesty. Tell the uncle to put cat condos around the perimeter, especially a tall one at a window. Get some birdseed in a feeder and-- voila! No more kitty de-construction. I have 13, and it works like a charm  Fake mice, too, they love those. I'd toss the figurine with the bricks-- people can certainly lack in the gift department! All memories just the same. Thank you! ~Whata
13 cats! Aww, how lovely! Bet they keep you busy, though. I have two, and they can be trouble on paws!
Some good suggestions, thanks! .
~~~
ladeecaid - I remember going to midnight mass. I don't subscribe to that any longer, but it is an enjoyable memory.
I enjoyed your newsletter. I know people like you describe. They make interesting characters. Who wants to read about a boring old goodie two shoes when you can have the grandmother that argues about the dice roll. It's like drawing; it's no fun to draw the perfect skinned model with the even lighting. Wrinkles! That is what is interesting to draw. I suppose that goes with much of life. Unattractive has its own beauty.
Good comment! You are quite correct. (Perceived) imperfections make life, and stories, and art interesting.
~~~
Due to circumstances, I was unable to include comments to previous Newsletters. My apologies. Here are some of the comments received:
Shannon  - What a lovely newsletter. I've never experienced mass tragedy in my nursing career, and I pray I never do. Everyone who helped that day in Paris, from the first responders to the hands-on bystanders, is a hero. Thank you for writing this and focusing on light instead of darkness in the midst of this madness. 
I hope that you will never do. I hope that we will never see an event like it again. It is good to know, though, that there are heroes out there. Good and kind people, who look out for others. Including you, because as a nurse, you make such a huge difference to people's lives.
~~~
Elycia Lee ☮  - We rarely read about courage and kindness anymore except in fiction, which is so sad... It is indeed sad what happened in Paris and we were awaken by such a terrible news in our own country today. May we read more about courage and kindness in months to come. Thank you for your newsletter. 
I guess what gets reported is the tragedy. Not the courage, and goodness, and kindness. Which is sad. It is a real shame that it's tragedy that sells...
~~~
Marci Missing Everyone  - Hello Kittiara! Great newsletter! I just wanted to tell you that my NaNo Novel is all about an internet predator/serial killer. He finds his victims on social media. The main character is an FBI agent in the cybercrimes division. So, a good portion of the story will be involved with the internet and computers. I have in the past incorporated tablets and smartphones into my stories. If you want to be current, this is usually pretty necessary. Anyway, thanks for the article!
Thanks for your comment! Your NaNo novel sounds like one that I would be interested in. Is it progressing well?
~~~
Osirantinous  - Hi Kittiara, thank for including my short story. And thanks for the interesting article. I'll often make my characters rich (mostly so I can give them the sort of cars I want!) but not famous. I really don't know how to 'do' famous in the contemporary world - but reading auto/biographies sounds a really good idea for gaining background information!
Haha I can imagine wanting characters to have the things that you would like to have. I have a tendency to give my female characters traits and looks that I would like to have. 
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Quick-Quill  - I read voraciously all through my years until the last 8. What I read as a child and what is being written today is a vast difference. Today YA or childrens novels must be fast paced and filled with action. Kids are used to TV, video games and movies that all complete a plot in two hours. It still amazes me that JK Rowlings wrote books that defied all of that and were also interesting adults read them. (include me) What is the difference? What did she do and others like her (Brandon Mull's Fablehaven) that keeps kids turning pages?
You make some good points there. I truly don't know what it is about those novels that kids like so much. A blend of the familiar and the magical? The friendship? The appeal of a school like Hogwarts? I must say that it would be a great place to study. I never received my acceptance letter, though. 
~~~
Pepper  - As a former middle school teacher and parent, I can testify to the fact that finding that balance between age appropriateness and age appeal is certainly a major challenge. Unfortunately, our culture is complicating that by desynthesizing our children to mature content such as drugs, sex, violence, etc. Younger and younger children have come to expect this content and feel, as you put it, patronized if it is not there. As a parent and a writer, this trend gravely concerns me.
It is indeed a cause for concern. I have a niece. Right now, she is only three years old, so it isn't a real problem yet. But I do worry about her growing up too fast, because there is such an exposure to adult content these days. Parents and teachers sure don't have an easy job!
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Drama Newsletter Team
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Drama: January 13, 2016 Issue [#7423]
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