I finished reading Christine Feehan’s Dark Desire yesterday. For context and in case you’re interested in checking it out, I’ll tell you that the story is about an ancient (fictional) species called the Carpathians. The females are few. The existing males, if not united with their “lifemate” (soulmate) (who must be female) within two-hundred years, would be compelled to turn into ruthless vampires with no humanity. This novel is the first in a series about the Carpathians, revolving around Jacques and Shea. At the end of the novel, they say the words “‘I love you'” to each other as if weren’t already obvious enough.
(***Let me note that there are some serious binary concepts of gender and biological sex in this novel that I do not agree with just as I don’t agree with the heteronormativity of it all but that’s a different issue for another time.)
And it is not only in this single novel.
Off the top of my head, I can name quite a few novels, in which two characters, at the end of the story, after they have fought internal and external battles to prove their feelings for each other and still directed to say the words.
It’s done in some movies as well.
It occurs to me that perhaps this is ineffective.
Now, bear with me.
Let me first tell you, I am not in any way condemning these writers of books and cinema, simply critiquing their creative choices.
As early as elementary school, those who are taught the craft of narrative or creative writing are taught to “show, don’t tell”. For those unfamiliar with the concept, it is the lesson that in order to create a more powerful scene, a more powerful plot, one must refrain from blandly stating facts and rather show how events and details come to life.
An example:
Telling = ‘Sarina was tall; Samara was short’.
Showing = ‘Sarina, despite already being a natural five-foot-seven wore black stilettos adding to her height making Samara feel like a one-story building next to a skyscraper.’
Showing is about letting readers realize the facts themselves through the details given. Showing is effective in captivating a reader’s attention and dragging them into your story.
Now, there are times when being short and direct is more powerful. If you read Hemingway, you’ll know. As my middle school art teacher used to say: “Sometimes, less is more.”
But those times of effective telling exist only when showing does not.
At least in my opinion.
A writer spends an entire twenty-four chapters or an entire thirty-six scenes developing characterization, creating internal and external conflicts, shows two characters fight each other and fight for each other, protect each other, long for each other, lust for each other. He beats up his wife’s attacker. She gets jealous when her boyfriend flirts with another woman. He comes home to his husband every night with a chocolate box. She walks hand in hand with her girlfriend between every class.
You describe their conversations, their shared laughs and cries, their arguments and reconciliations. And after all of that, why have them say the words?
Who are you trying to convince? Your audience? Your characters? Yourself?
Personally, it doesn’t make sense to me.
I find that while “Show, don’t tell” is important, ‘Don’t tell after showing’ is just as important.
Of course, we all want to hear those three magical words and so would our love struck characters. So sprinkle it in somewhere in the middle, and that too sparingly. But don’t have your characters say it every other chapter and definitely do not have them say it at the very end. The exception is that this last scene is the confessional and the other person had no clue they ever felt this way. But even then, there are better ways than “I love you”.
There are always grand gestures to think about. I think one of my all times favorites – not necessarily an ending – is from How I Met Your Mother in which to prove to Robin how much he genuinely loves/cares for her and wants to be with her, Barney creates an elaborate, dramatic, and slightly comedic scheme by pretending there’s a secret last page to his playbook that outlines all his ways of wooing women. It turns out the last play, “The Robin” isn’t really part of the original book and instead, it outlines all the ways in which he had been getting Robin to realize her feelings for him throughout the episode. If you haven’t watched the scene, watch the frikin’ scene:
I promise it’s worth it. It’s funny and sweet and so romantic. It made me want to laugh and cry all the same. And shout out to Neil Patrick Harris who does an excellent job of playing such an epic character. Barney is one of my all time favorite fictional characters in the entire realm of fictional characters. Right after Jesse from Full House and Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.
Anyways, totally getting off track.
Back to my main point.
In situations such as these, these grand gestures, even totally confusing and crazy ones like Barney’s are so much better than an “I love you”. And they don’t even require the words to be said. They don’t even have to be so grand. Perhaps the focus relationship isn’t so far along. Maybe one character just asks the other out for coffee or to be their date to Homecoming. A short and sweet gesture is just as good too.
After a long time of analyzing stories, both real and fictional, I can safely say that when there is love, there is love and there isn’t really the need to say the words. In fact, words are just words. And actions do speak louder than words.
I would rather my future romantic partners bring home a red rose, white jasmines, and a box of our favorite ice cream we can eat while binging on our favorite shows than if they just said “I love you” and ignored me the rest of the night.
Sometimes love is more powerful when it is implied. When it is felt than when it is said.
Or at least, that’s what I believe.
