I stopped by my friend's Facebook wall to wish him a happy birthday, posting this message: "Have a very happy 17th birthday! You can blow out the candles this year knowing you are finally free!"
He responded back, saying: "Thanks, Paige. Unfortunately though, freedom comes at a cost."
I just sat there thinking a bit before replying: "Ahh...It always does. Is freedom worth the cost though? I guess that's up to you to determine."
I find it funny how the rules of society correspond with the laws of science. Newton's third law of motion says, "For every action, there is an equal, but opposite reaction." You get what you give. If a teenage boy harrases a girl, he gets a broken nose. Action, reaction.
It's the same with freedom. If you push to get towards your goal, something's going to try to shove you to the ground. Freedom comes with a price. For Katniss, she had to kill Cato to win "The Hunger Games." In "127 Hours," the guy had to cut his frigging arm off to obtain freedom.
In writing, that struggle to obtain freedom is called conflict and readers just gobble it up. I'll admit, I feel bad for my characters sometimes and forget that I'm trying to write the next great American novel so I just give them a break when I really shouldn't.
However, I'm getting better. Outlining my novels helps a lot. There are still moments when I have to stop myself from handing my character freedom on a silver platter though.
Remember this when writing your novel: freedom is never free. Learn it, believe it, and accept it because that, my friend, is life.
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