Closure

I've heard it said that stories seek closure. On its face, it makes sense. A story involves a protagonist with a problem who makes a decision, thus ending the problem. Whatever the result may be (positive or negative, foreseen or unforeseen), the choice has been made and the matter is closed.

I take issue with this. Nothing is ever closed. Nothing goes away forever. No part of your past stops affecting you.

Every couple of years, I will randomly get a thought in my head. I will think of myself from elementary school. It may be something I did or saw or thought. And after that, I will feel off for the rest of the day. I was a completely different person back then in every respect. It boggles my mind that those memories are of me. But they are.

Throughout my life, I have had opportunities come and go. I have made my choices and there is no way to go back and do it again. The matter may be closed, but that does not mean there is closure.

Thoughts linger. Feelings do, too. Once there is no more action we can take, we are forced to sit with those lingering thoughts and feelings and deal with them.

And that is where interesting stories come from.

Stories about the choices people make can be quite compelling. They can be wonderful escapist fantasy. In real life, though, that is not always the case. More often than not, we find ourselves having to live with the decisions we've made. It is not always pleasant and there is not a whole lot we can do about it, but everybody finds their own way to cope.

To me, that is where interesting stories come from: The ever-gripping pull of reality. People respond to humanity. And what is more human than a person dealing with the results of their choices?

I do not like the idea that there is no such thing as closure. It is a grim and dark belief. But, it is what I believe (at least as of writing this). If nothing else, I can use it to aid my craft.