Oh, What a Relief!

Many years ago, I came across a list of the seven emotions most commonly reported by people going through a divorce. One of them was… relief. That made sense to me, in that most divorces seem to be protracted affairs, with several years of denial and trying in the first phase, followed by another year or so of litigation and mediation, and then a whole ‘nother challenge devoted to reshaping post-divorce life and identities.To get all that into the rear-view mirror should certainly BE a relief. As a writer, I am exhorted to create tension in each scene, in every chapter, in every character arc and dramatic arc. Raise the stakes! Deepen the betrayal! All hope is lost! But all of that craft advice only works if the story also results in races won, hope justified, and tension relieved. Readers keep turning pages in search of relief. Advertisers promise us relief: From receding gums, interior decoration disasters, ringing in the ears, flabby whatevers, boredom, bad sleep… They are all…

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