Yesterday, Casey wrote a story that’s a cool glass of water for the summer heat – a playful, romantic little slip of a story that’s perfect for a spare moment.
If you haven’t read it, you should.
It’s right here.
Go read it.
I’ll wait.
Go.
Go on, get.
.
.
.
Kate and Jude came into existence over a year ago, when Casey and I were writing out a barn fantasy together online one night. Casey took the outline we started and wove it into a story that has progressed over the course of a few sexy installments. Jude and Kate aren’t a direct reflection of us, but because we do have a lot in common, they allow us to indulge in a fantasy of how people like us could have met under very different circumstances.
In between the stories, Casey and I love to talk about Jude and Kate – discussing their fears, their hopes, possibilities for the future. Sometimes – well, a lot of times – it’s easier to talk about third-person characters in a story than it is to talk about our own lives and fears. Before she met Jude, Kate’s life was finally on track – college, career, a future full of family and soccer games – but when they met she was immediately smitten and found herself questioning all those plans. She’s off at school much of the year but comes back to visit, although they have to be careful not to be seen together, because they’re sure no one would approve. Jude’s working at Kate’s family farm, busting his ass to be accepted for who he is among a group of farm hands who aren’t always terribly liberal-minded. He’s torn between giving himself permission to imagine a life with Kate, and with facing the reality of how hard that would be and what sacrifices it would mean for both of them. They’re falling in love, but neither Jude nor Kate is brave enough to admit it to each other or even themselves. Buried beneath the stories of romantic trysts, there’s a foundation built out of the pain of separation, of insecurity, and struggles with money, acceptance, identity and class, and the joy and wonder of love-at-first-sight.
Sometimes a story is just a story, but this story is so much more. It’s a salve for the past, a vehicle to rewind-and-rewrite. (I would give anything to be able to go back and heal the pain of Kyle’s past – Kate’s love and acceptance of Jude is one way I can do that in the present.) It’s a safe place to meet and love when we’re too far apart and missing the intimacy. It’s a springboard for conversations we can trick ourselves into having when it’s too hard to talk. But, on top of all of it, all the angst and the struggle, it’s a celebration – of love, of lust, of Romeo and Juliet done right and worlds colliding to create something magical.
It’s not Our Story, but it’s our story, our chance to do it right. Come in, sit a spell, and remember a time when the excitement of first love overwhelmed your senses and carbonated your life.
And if we tell it just right, you might be surprised to see
it’s a little piece of your story, too.
Oh, honey, thank you.. this is a wonderful review and commentary on this story. It is us and not us, that’s true. It’s me and you, and also the relationships we’ve been in over the course of our lives. And, yes, it reflects a lot that other people will be familiar with. I’m excited about the possibilities for these characters and for this scenario. Brainstorming with you yesterday, discussing them and digging into their storyline really excited me. I really love these characters, I feel them very clearly, can see and hear them. I’m excited about the potential future of this storyline. And you are a big part of that excitement and potential. Having a writing partner with your insight and intelligence, your passion and compassion, is really an invaluable resource for me. And it makes this so much more fun, to share with someone I love deeply.
thank you, for everything you do, which is considerable
Wow, baby, you’re really just so wonderful, and creating with you is so much fun, like catching frogs in the summer time.