My Favorite Terrible Thing

by Madeleine Henry

“You need to rip your story out of real life.” She said that all tensions in a novel, all emotions, have to come from somewhere real in order to resonate with people. “Careful,” she warned, “because if you do it right, you might rip yourself out of the real world too.” Almost too prescient.

Maybe that’s because as a wedding planner, she’s called in for the best moments in people’s lives. Meanwhile, I’m part of the worst. She’s a midwife to celebration. I’m a midwife to tragedy.

Claire’s voice was deep, confident. She never said anything that her whole body didn’t believe. Her chest was involved, giving every sentence a husky backbone. Her hands were emotionally invested. Her thighs and knees were active listeners.

Claire devoted herself to the idea that everyone is the star of a multigenerational love story. That everyone has someone, an all-forgiving and permanent home for their soul. Even more fantastically, she thought other people might care about this idea too. People with urgent, real-world problems. She thought they might want 120,000 words of her fantasy. If Claire has a superpower, it’s belief. Or a sense of purpose.

which I’m always rereading and re-underlining, finding new sentences to love.