For the past few weeks, I've been allowing myself to mentally dart from one storyline or topic to the next. For some of them, it's a general thought that I move to a list of ideas, for others it's just one scene. But they all have to do with relationships. Like ALL of them. Including my most recent flash fiction...which you should read.  

I ran through the top 6 conflict types and noticed that I only really write about 1 or 2. Either character vs self or character vs character. Looking back, it's also what I tended to blog about. Whether it's about fights with my partner or struggling with my career focus, it doesn't stray too much from myself or direct relationships. Usually romantic.

One of the main things that interest me in any story, or real life, is the idea of different perspectives and how that plays into people's relationships.

For example, the other day my partner and I were talking about moving. I was discussing something that frustrated me and my partner cut me off with a comment. I immediately stopped talking and walked away. Since we've been together for 7 years, he knew I was upset but had no idea why. I also know myself and know that I cry over every type of emotion and that it is hardly ever useful. So for the next ten minutes, I stayed upstairs while I calmed down.

Thankfully, I've done a lot of reading on relationships and perspective, so I came downstairs and said what I took from his statement. Not "you said this thing I inferred" but "I heard this thing" and it hurt my feelings. It wasn't what he had meant at all and he was only cutting me off to say what he thought I was going say. He was only echoing the things I had said so much about myself. Which was the exact reason it had hurt so much, it was exactly what I feel bad about. Anyway, we talked about it, I still cried, and soon after, things were fine.

Since we have that perspective of getting into disagreements and solving them, I want to put that into my fiction. Partly because I've been in those relationships where resolutions don't happen and things just get worse and worse. If you could learn about healthy relationships, conflict resolutions, and read juicy sex scenes, isn't it a win-win-win? But maybe I'll try some other conflict types.

This week's image: I was taking shots to use as a background image in an upcoming promo for work.