We remember them…Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, Mulan, Snow White etc etc etc…All the fantasy stories that we read in books and watched on TV as children. The quintessential princess and prince/knight in shining armor story, love unending, never a cloud in the clear blue sky, flowers always blossoming and all the cute, cuddly furry creatures in the wild running after you while you sing, strolling through the woods. Those are the images we all grew up with. These are the images that have shaped our ideas regarding what we consider a perfect relationship for generations and are continuing to do so with more recent movies like Twilight. The modern day love story about the girl who is obsessively chased by the Vampire and the Werewolf and becomes torn when she has to choose between them (ladies if a man chases you obsessively, watches you while you sleep, get a restraining order because he is a stalker!!). We never heard what happened after these books/movies ended. Did they have financial problems? Did one of them have a substance abuse problem? Did they have trouble having children? Did Prince charming and the Princess suddenly develop rage issues? Did they have to go to therapy? Did her mother-in-law, the Queen, hate her guts?
We, the “Disney Princess Generation” as I like to call us, were not told about these real life issues in these books and movies and more importantly, we were not told to expect them and taught how to handle difficult times when they came around and many of us are shocked to see that fairytale things in the books and movies are not happening in our lives! (Princess whining)
Does it mean we are with the wrong person/relationship? Is it wrong or selfish to want the “fantasy” life? Is it wrong to not want to settle for ordinary?
As an aspiring writer of Fantasy Romance Novels, Here what I think:
I love fantasies and Happily-Ever After stories. I love to read them and I love to write them. I think they are really fun and there are some lessons/ideas you can learn and incorporate in your relationships i.e. how to be more loving, considerate and kind to your partner but I see it happen many times: Many of us seem to rely too much on fantasies to predict and shape our lives!
Fantasies are just that; fantasies! Read it, watch it but don’t expect to live it through and through! Your girlfriend from high school or your next door neighbor might seem to be married to Prince charming and living a fantasy life; the grass always seems greener on the other side but never is…If you are in a relationship and are having real life troubles, its ok. It’s normal. That’s how REAL life is.
Wake up and smell the coffee princesses! You have to scrub the bathroom, work 9-5, change diapers and make your family dinner. There might be no glass slipper; rats that will make you an Haute Couture gown or pumpkin that will turn into a Maybach Excelero in real life but when house chores, homework and dinner is done, the kids are sleeping and hubby is working on his work presentation for tomorrow…in that small window of escape when you can finally be alone and finally have peace and quiet, you can dream and fantasize and be all you want to be…the beautiful, sexy woman that the tall, dark and handome Sheikh wants to dress in gold and ravage in a silk tent in the middle of the desert under the moonlight...with the help of a copy of one of my books of course!
