closet optimist

First, Merry Freakin' Christmas everyone!

It's been a strange year. For those of you who know my current situation - complete with the two extra roommates and the nearly three year relationship slowly coming to its inevitable end - I'm sure you understand why I'm a little blue this Christmas.

I've stayed much longer in Las Vegas than I initially planned, but life happens and priorities change. There are things I wanted to be, to do, to have done by this time in my 31 (sigh) years. But....I hate to complain. Especially when I see all the homeless on the streets and the people who can't afford gifts for their children during the holiday season. I have a job, a roof over my head, clothes to wear, and the ability to pay my bills. Thems' the basics. And I'm glad about all that.

I'm also the proud writer of two novels (sorry, its still hard to believe myself).

Most people see me as a realist with pessimistic tendencies. But those people don't really know me. I portray that image to help me deal with the crap in the world. Because if you expect the worst you are pleasantly surprised when you get the opposite! Ta Da! It makes it easier to take all the heartache, grief, and pain that life can dish out.

I guess I think I'm special...in some strange way. As a kid, I didn't mind sleeping near the door or window at a sleepover when my friends were afraid of the boogeyman getting them. Because when that crazy killer would come in ready to murder me, he'd take one look at my young self and fall in love and whisk me away to his castle. (You see he was actually a prince under a nasty spell and I broke it with my aura). And you all wonder why I decided to write romance????? ;-)

I always believed I had something different, something unique. Alas, I grew up and realized the truth, but there is still a hint of that belief that refuses to be squashed by real life. That special something defines me as a closet optimist. Behind everything that goes awry in my life, there is hope. Hope that things will take a turn for the best rather than the worse.

Still, I have a soft spot for the worse. I mean, it builds character, it gives you comedic material, and it makes for a much better story. The writer in me just can't be denied.

So the next time things look shitty, know the book of your life needed some conflict, and in the end its going to fly off the shelves the more drama it entails. I firmly disagree with saving the drama for your mama. Share it with your readers. They'll thank you for it! Just keep your fingers crossed for a happy ending.

Quote of the day: Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it. ~Hannah Arendt