Friday, June 22, 2007

The Strength of Will

I’m creating a sound track of songs, and one that landed there is Loving You Against My Will by Gary Allen. I’ve listened to it repeatedly – I mean REPEATEDLY – and it got me thinking.

Bad, I know.

Can you love someone against your will? Or was your “will” simply seeking out an echo, a sound that matched itself and found it, even if by accident?

Two people with so much conflict, perhaps too much conflict, and yet the vortex pulls them in anyway, despite those obstacles. Perhaps because of them. I know we read and write about characters who have to face conflict after conflict after conflict, each harsher than the one prior, but at what point is it TOO much conflict? At what point do you stop and realize, “No way in hell”?

But there’s that promise of things to come, right? It’ll get better. There’s a reward at the end of all that pain, all that conflict, if you just hang in there long enough, if you’re patient enough.

Those promises.

Those dreams.

And even when the conflicts leave those dreams unrealized, even after promise after promise goes unfulfilled, they still love, they still need, they still CRAVE. Is that the point you’re really loving against your will?

I read and write romance because I believe in the Happily Ever After. I believe that if the love is pure, if the love is real, if the deep pulse of heartbeats match, it doesn’t matter how cruel the conflict. It can’t be contained, nor can it be controlled to meet the needs of everyone else around you. It just has to BE. You can ignore it, you can run from it, you can attempt to make others around you what you want them to be, you can do everything you can to ignore that true, pure love but in the end, it happens. Period.

There is no compromise.

There is no “Kinda Happily Ever After” for a reason.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have this book on my shelf waiting patiently for me to make time to read it. After reading your review, I'll have to bump it up a little on my "must read" list. So many books, so little time...

By the way, I'd like to invite readers and writers to drop by and visit my blog. I offer weekly reading recommendations.
http://www.debrastang.net/wp/

Mo said...

Helllllooooooo...anybody there?!

You've been absent from your blog for awhile; hope all is well. Nationals is coming up soon, isn't it?! You're going, I assume?

Hope all is right as rain in your (red)neck of the world! Give that cute-as-all-get-out little gal of your a big 'ol kiss on her tow-head for me, would'ya! The same treatment for the other three too (althoo...Shandie pro'bly ain't up for that, huh?!)

Hope you're back here and postin' soon - I don't frequent "the other places" much anymore, so I look here for my farm report!

Bestest to ya!!

Mo-ilicious

Becky said...

Hey Bren...you've been tagged. Read my blog (Meme post)

Anonymous said...

From one Brenda to another...truer words were never spoken!

Just discovered your blog today and I'm really enjoying it.

Brenda said...

From one Brenda to another, you are so right...there is no "kindly" happily ever after.

Discovered your blog today, and I'm really enjoying it!

Brenda said...

Oops!!!

Anonymous said...

I'll be sure to tell Julie Kenner you said hi... *wink*

Brenda said...

Laughs! I see you found me, ya pervy little craving. You're too funny, and I'll be sure to tell Julie K.

Anonymous said...

What's happening, Brenda??