Friday, August 30, 2013

On Writing Half Faerie: Is it Insta-love for Melia & Ryder?

Insta-love is a popular phenomenon in young adult, new adult, contemporary—okay, insta-love can be pretty much found in any genre where characters are falling in love.

Why is insta-love so popular?

Why do some people love it while others groan and throw the book against the wall?

Chemistry is real.

Phermones, whatever you call it. Of the billions of potential partners on this planet, how many of us are attracted to all of them?

None of us.

Why not?

It just doesn't work that way.

Mysterious forces, seemingly, draw us to that one guy across the room wearing the glasses, the faded tee, and those jeans.

HIM.

Why?

If that romantic sighting goes any farther, we might get some answers. We might find we have amazing things in common, that some quirky trait of his drives us insane (in a good way), or that he's a great kisser. Or something. Or we might find out—Ugh! It was the most superficial of attractions and, please, get this guy away from me.

But if attraction blooms, and continues to grow...

When do we know it's love?

And what is love, anyway?

When I met my husband, I'd decided I was pretty much a failure at love. At least I was a failure at picking out someone to fall in love with. Cause the guys I dated before I met my husband, well, let's just say they all had their great qualities, but there was a reason they were in my past.

Uh-huh. You know what I'm talking about.

Back to my husband, my The One.

I was at a new job. It was completely overwhelming.  I don't think I noticed anyone or anything other than the stack of files on my desk for the first three months.

Then one morning I was in a departmental staff meeting and looked up.

There was this guy sitting across the room with this kind of halo of light around him.

I was like: Who is that guy?

A few weeks later, there was an office crises. Parents were calling to find emergency baby-sitters; everyone else was calling out for pizza. It was going to be a long night.

HE walked into the panic room. Sat at the table with the one dumb terminal. (Do they still have those?)
Took off his glasses. Stared at the screen. Put his glasses back on. Got up, said, "There's a comma missing in the JCL," and walked out.

OMG. Who is that guy?

No one stayed late.

I was standing by the elevators one morning with one of my colleagues. HE walked by, put one hand on her shoulder, put one hand on my shoulder, offered us both a simple, quick greeting, and was gone.

It didn't piss me off and I HATE for people I don't know to touch me.

It all climaxed at an office lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse. We were talking about Titanic. It had been released a few weeks earlier and I'd already seen it three times.
"Why would you want to go see a movie when you already know the end?" someone asked.

"Because it's so romantic," I said. "I love it."

Ten people down, HE leaned forward, looked at ME, and said, "I love it too."

Be still my beating heart.

We went out soon after that, and well, now, we're married.

But until I'd met him, I'd never understood when someone told me, "You'll know."

Like, how will you know?

And then I did.

And living it was a revelation.

So I really wanted Melia and Ryder to have that.

Not exactly insta-love, but definitely insta-attraction.

Swoon.

I guess the only thing I can do at this point is leave you with that song…