Episode 020: Happily Ever After is VALID

I don’t talk about this too much in this podcast but one the most important influence in life for learning to love Happily Ever After (HEA) ending is fanfiction.

I know, not a surprise, yeah?

In one sense, I’ve always loved HEAs, from the time I was a child through college and up through my adult life. In the podcast I discuss the value of HEA stories but honestly I enjoyed them long before I understood WHY. 

But fanfiction helped me accept that love. Fanfiction and the fanfic community gave me the confidence I needed to know that HEA stories also give readers something important emotionally and psychologically: hope, optimism, escapism, joy.

Too often, bad writing gets equated with a genre, but the truth is that terrible writing exists in all genres (even, if not especially, literary fiction), and so does fantastic writing. That was such an eye opening realization for me, and I hope this podcast resonates with you!

Alchemical Lesson of the Week

You’ve heard this one before: Write what you love!

Show Notes

1. This week it’s about a pet peeve of mine: the way HEA endings are used as ammunition against genre writers:
   “Not realistic”
   “Not believable”
   “Setting up false expectations”


2. Escapism is valid and time-honored story telling tradition
   Mad-cap comedies during the great depression
   Arthurian legends
   Religious texts


3. Genre and/or subject is not what makes a bad story; bad storytelling makes a bad story. There is no one great story that can never be told wrong.


4. Your voice is important and if you love HEA, then put your energy into making your readers love them too!