Escapism in fiction is a popular concept right now. Writers and readers alike, probably seeking refuge from a real world that seems both frightening and overwhelming, are turning to fiction for stories that feature far less of what makes them miserable in their day-to-day lives. It’s appealing because it allows us to imagine characters that have never had to deal with hate, bigotry, or harm. It lets us envision a lovely utopia, and I think stories like that have such value, precisely because they help us picture a future where we, too, can live our lives in the absence of these things.
However, despite understanding the importance these stories play in our collective imaginations, I don't write escapism stories, at least not entirely. Sure, as a romance author, you can always expect my characters to eventually find their (sometimes fantastically optimistic) happy ending, but when it comes to me, you can generally expect them to be put through the wringer first. That HEA will be hard won and, at least in my opinion, will be all the sweeter for the hardship they endured to get there.
This means my characters, the main couple and the whole supporting cast, often face tough challenges and deal with difficult realities. They come from hard places and experience some of the worst outcomes that could have been thrown at them. I know this will cost me sales, because those stories are not what some readers are looking for. I have decided to be content with that fact, and embrace telling the stories that come most naturally to me.
It's valid to have a preference, and I will never have any negative feelings towards readers that prefer escapism, but I won't be changing the kind of stories I write. Not because I don't see the importance of those fantasies, but because while I understand the value that escapist books have, I still think writing through the hard stuff is just as valuable.
I have put off writing about some of my own lived experiences because I was worried about writing bi MCs or fat MCs because I didn't know if those experiences were compatible with the readers looking for books where bigotry and self doubt don't exist. I saw authors and readers celebrating books where queerness was never met with bigotry or plus size characters never doubted their attractiveness or their lovability, and I wondered if that meant the stories in my heart were the wrong kind.
Ultimately, I realized that wasn't true. The stories in my heart, the ones of sweat and struggle, of rejection and self-doubt, were also not only valid, but NEEDED.
Perhaps now more than they have been in quite some time. We are preparing to enter a dark tunnel, and we need stories that remind us of the light at the end, the one that burns for us as it waits, even if we cannot yet see it.
It’s especially important now for all of us to see that even if bad things do happen, we can be okay on the other side. It's not the end of us. Not the end of hope or of love, not the end of progress or of any of the other good things we fear we may never see again. There's always room for light in the darkness.
Escapism is beautiful and valid but I doubt I will ever write it. I write mess. I write characters that have been abused, abandoned, and rejected. Characters that have not yet found ways to overcome their fears or their self-loathing. Characters who have fallen, failed, and given up.
I let them experience the same suffering we experience, and then I let them stand up. I let them overcome their trauma. I let them find their value. I let them find their self-respect and found families and new purposes in life.
I let them find love and joy.
I think we all need to see that there is not still to be had, even if the things you once feared most have already happened to you. I think this gives us hope for our own futures.
That's why I look forward to tackling all kinds of characters growing through their pain and experiencing the world and their identities in a wide variety of ways. Their journeys will be full of challenges, obstacles, and plenty of pain, but they will all find peace, purpose, and their HEA.
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