Thus, with a kiss, I die

Many of the most celebrated 'love stories' in literature are actually tragedies.

Romeo and Juliet. Wuthering Heights. Lancelot and Guinevere. Abelard and Heloise. Antony and Cleopatra. Even the movie Titanic. Someone dies at the end, or goes mad, or has happiness snatched away in some other mean and untimely manner.

How is all this suffering fair? And how is it romantic?

Well, life's like that. We can't always have what we want -- and there's something emotionally satisfying, if not uplifting, about the 'perfect love' cut short. So long, of course, as it doesn't happen to us.

"'Tis better to have loved and lost / than never to have loved at all" wrote Tennyson.

Or, in the words of the immortal rock band Queen: "Just one year of love / Is better than a lifetime alone." Queen have an eye for tragedy; they also sang Who Wants To Live Forever? from the movie Highlander -- a song about an immortal man with a mortal lover. Yeah. That's never going to end well, is it?

And if even a horrible movie like Highlander can make us cry, in that scene where Connor's mortal wife dies in his arms, an old woman, while he lives on, forever young... well, it just goes to show that there's nothing more desperately romantic than love that dies untimely.

Why is that? Is it because we want to believe that true love lives on after death? Do we like the idea of love so obsessive it can defeat even that most final of endings? Do we all secretly wish for the kind of love that's so wonderful, we might as well die right now, because this is as good as it gets -- the idea of love so perfect that without it, we'd rather die?

Or do we just adore a tear-jerker? What do you think?

GUEST GENIE GABRIEL: CHOCOLATE OR HUMOR?

How does drama slide into humor? Or trauma become laughter? 

Through the magic of a writer's mind, the sugary giggles of a chocolate-induced euphoria or, in my case, one of the darkest times of my life.

Let me back up a few years. Most of my stories are dramatic, with characters who must overcome traumatic childhoods or events to earn their happily-ever-afters. Yet even these stories contain touches of humor because, quite frankly, I can only stand so much trauma and drama before I'm ready for some comic relief.

So at a time when I was wallowing in a gutter of whine, I turned once again to writing for therapy. Not the usual drama, but something funny--perhaps with touches of the oddball.

I tossed a family of quirky characters onto my computer screen. Added some misadventures. Came up with a straight man--er, daughter--to react to their follies. Sixty thousand words later, I was out of my funk. I tucked away this manuscript and went back to writing dramatic stories.

Until my publisher asked me to contribute a novella to a Valentine's Day anthology--and how about the story that started with a malfunctioning mail sorter scattering letters and bills all over the lawn? Um, sure.

I dug out the romantic comedy story, cut half the words, strengthened the motivation of the characters, and fixed the places where I hopped through six or eight changes of point of view in one scene. (Did I mention I had drafted this story while I was in the early stages of learning to write?) I got the manuscript cut down, cleaned up, and turned in by the deadline. Mission accomplished! 

I was feeling pretty good about this until the publisher suggested we do another one for St. Patrick's Day. Gah! I wasn't going through any personal trauma, so I wasn't sure I could write anything funny. 

However, once again I sat at my keyboard and wrote. A romantic comedy emerged. 

I wish I could say this made me feel like I could turn on the humor as easily as opening the door to the chocolate store downtown. That's not the case. I still have a long way to go until I feel totally comfortable being funny. 

Eating chocolate is easier.

For a taste of my romantic comedy stories, check out "Chasing Rainbows" in A VALENTINE'S ANTHOLOGY and "St. Batzy & the Time Machine" in A ST. PATRICK'S DAY TALE. Or try a drama-com story, THE LEADER OF THE BAND, a dramatic story with generous sprinklings of humor. You can also find more of my books and a sneak peak of an upcoming series at www.geniegabriel.com .

And if you want a chance to win chocolate, visit the Rogue's Angels Blog and leave a comment to be entered in two drawings--on Valentine's Day/February 14, 2012 and St. Patrick's Day/March 17, 2012--for a gift certificate from Moonstruck Chocolates .