What happens when the unlikely hero drops his socks beside the bed and leaves his smelly sneakers to perfume the air? What happens when the pert heroine smears on the exfoliating masque and touches up her roots? Dang that reality anyway!
Fortunately, as writers we don't have to turn that page. We don't have to wonder if the dashing hero will let his granite-hard six-pack abs slide into a paunch. We do not have to see the perky heroine's sky blue eyes develop laugh lines and then crow's feet. We just have to get them to a satisfactory ending where the reader can put down the book with a sigh, content that Rex and Sheila will indeed have a happily ever after.
What constitutes a happy ending? From my perspective it's when the conflicts have been overcome; when the main characters goals have been reached or have been exchanged for a shared goal; when evil has been punished and danger extinguished.
In life, we have to take our happiness on a moment-by-moment basis for life is too fleeting. We have to celebrate each victory and enjoy the small events that make life worth living. Please hug someone you love today and remember to cherish each moment. Don't look beyone the curtain. Just savor today.
