Mental Purgatory

This story idea was spawned with the latest piece I’ve been working on, though it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. When you look back on your relationships with people, they’re so rich in powerful scenes and memories that help you define what it is that makes that relationship special. Powerful scenes… hrmm… am I thinking… story chapters?

The first question I had with this idea was the context. Is the story a general narrative a la Bridge to Terabithia, in which it slowly unveils these scenes as it builds up this powerful relationship? Or is it a letter to the friend, reflecting on your situation together? While the former seems the more logical and normal (after all, how many two hundred page long letters do you know about?), the second idea has stuck with me stronger. There’s a mention in the story Love in the Time of Cholera, about how the main character writes novels and novels of letters to his lover in an effort to fully explain to her how he feels. So why not try and capture that here?

So now the question becomes, what’s the purpose for this letter? If someone’s going to write a novel worth of letter to someone reflecting upon their relationship, there needs to be a pretty good reason for it. Initially I thought it would be a love letter, but as I thought about it further, I thought it should be a break up letter. There’s this song I really love called “How Do You Tell The One” by After 7 which deals with telling the person you love that you can’t be with them anymore. What better reason for a letter?

Imagine a man conflicted, writing about all of their great times together. As you read the letter, you envision him proposing at the end, and wonder why he’s taking so long with it. However, as you continue reading, you begin to notice some conflicted feelings, some negative thoughts. Finally, he reveals the pain he’s feeling and explains that he can’t do this anymore.

Well, I’m feeling it at least haha. Here’s the song: