Hallmark

Not Quite There - The Prompt: Share a story that never fully came together, along with what’s holding it back.

Not every piece reaches a finished form. This challenge makes space for work that is still unresolved.

Share a story that never quite came together, along with what’s holding it back. The gap might come from structure, clarity, scope, or something harder to define.

Be specific about where it falters. What feels incomplete and why has it stayed that way. The focus is as much on the friction as the draft itself.

My preference is Happily Ever After and such like that. Hallmark is a good spot for me and my writing. Except, I'm not quite there either.

The indoor and outdoor scenery is usually great in the stories. So, I can describe scenery like anyone else. My people come from the land of Gitchi Gumi (Great Sea or Lake Superior). The great beauty of the big lake.

We were moved to settle by the Mississippi headwaters, not far from where the start of the Mississippi River is located. We have a distinct four seasons, and some are short. Winter really is the longest or at least it feels like that most years. Summer is always too short. Again, it always appears that way.

Then Hallmark stories appear to make families, friends and neighbors always so supportive, and when family is not involved, then it is friends and neighbors taking their place. I know all about how that works having grown up with family, friends and neighbors that were supportive in my life, and continue to be.

Holidays are common on Hallmark and Christmas can be a theme for much of the year, and appear to start the season earlier and earlier. But who doesn't like Christmas love?

Most enjoyable for me is the uplifting plots where most end with finding the bad guy in the detective stories, or the romance categories, the girl falling for the guy, or vice versa, and their living happily ever after, or at least leaving you believing that is what happens.

My favorites and the ones I enjoy the best are where there is both tears and laughter. And where there are certain characters that I enjoy watching in many of the different stories.

So why can't I write stories like Hallmark? I have made the start and then they sit, unfinished. I can't get far. I have trouble with fiction. My recovery program has me working an honesty program. I worked hard on my dishonesty in recovery.

Not long ago my 47-year-old son said to me, "Mom, you work an honesty program, right?" I said, yes, I do. Then he said, "Well, so do I!" I thought that was great as I had just started talking about how what we do in our life can ripple out to family, friends and neighbors.

In my childhood, I knew I was loved, and cared about, but I was never told by anyone that I love you, nor was I ever hugged. In my recovery, I practiced hugging with my children, because I was uncomfortable giving and receiving hugs. And I told them that I loved them.

This has been a ripple effect as they freely say they love me and hug me regularly. I have a hugging family, and friends now and that wasn't true as I was growing up.

So back to writing fiction. I can probably write Hallmark stories if it is things that come from my life experiences. I don't think that is how it works though.

It will take me some more time to figure this out. I believe I am too old to start writing for Hallmark anyway! I could write a book though that is Hallmark like from my life experiences. I can make sure to include the beauty of the world, the support I get regularly, the holidays and love stories.