The Story Behind the Story

Since this week, we focused on our creative writing assignment; I thought it would be fun to do this week’s creative writing on what inspired my creative writing piece. For the longest time, I have been enamored by love stories! I watch Hallmark movies and read romance novels obsessively. My parents have an adorable love story. They were high school sweethearts who broke up in college and got back together after going to a wedding together; then, my dad showed up a few days after on my mom’s doorstep with yellow roses to confess his love. Also, my mother was an actress who taught me Shakespeare’s romances from a young age, which explains why my writing is so dramatic. With such great role models, my expectations for love are quite high.

After I had decided that my creative writing piece would be on love, my first thought was how I would incorporate the letters. Throughout this year, I have concluded that letters are the most impactful for me when they go back and forth. It is much more interesting to read a conversation than something stand-alone. By having the recipient and writer alternate, it develops both of the characters deeper. Also, in the case of love stories, it tells the reader that it is not just one-sided. I have also come to hate the constant fake reassurance displayed in many WWII letters we read this year, so I knew I wanted the characters in my story to admit their fears even if it seemed impossible.

Finally, the dying woman was comforted by her lover right before her death is a familiar love story that worked perfectly because I wanted an ending as dramatic as possible. Also, I knew England would be the perfect setting for a dramatic love story because my mother and I spent the last week before I left for college re-watching Bridergton. As for the actual letters I just imagined I was writing to my wonderful boyfriend, the words just came to me. I hope you enjoyed my creative writing piece and hearing the process behind it