Random Ramblings: INSTA-LOVE


Dear Readers,

You know what I realized the other day? The world’s most well-known love story has two characters who fall in INSTA-LOVE.

What’s insta-love?

It’s that thing that readers love to hate. I’ve seen readers deduct star ratings from books because they felt a story wasn’t realistic—because the characters just met and they fell in love too fast.

That doesn’t happen, readers say.

But this is fiction. Aren’t we reading for an escape?

Romeo and Juliet met at a party at Juliet’s house (a party that Romeo was crashing, BTW). He’d been all emo over his unrequited love for Rosaline until he saw Juliet. Suddenly this teenager full of testosterone is in LOVE with Juliet.

BEFORE THEY EVEN SPEAK.

Rosaline is long forgotten as the two lovebirds exchange some words, hold some hands, and share a hot kiss. He leaves, fully in love with Juliet.

She’s devastated to learn the boy she just fell in love with is a Montague.

The boy she just fell in love with… after having known him all of five seconds.

There’s more… like he shows up under her balcony to profess his love, and five minutes later he’s leaving to find a priest who will agree to marry them.

They’ve literally known each other about an hour. They’ve kissed twice and spoken twice. And now he’s off to find a chapel.

If that’s not insta-love, I don’t know what is.

And insta-love isn’t specific to Shakespeare—or even to literature, for that matter.



Ever seen the movie Titanic?
 
Rose and Jack fell in love on a cruise ship. It was four days from when the Titanic left the port until it hit the iceberg.

If Rose and Jack’s story isn’t true love, I don’t know what is.

(Although I still contend there was room for Jack on that door. See photo.)



One more example, and then I’m done.

Once upon a time, an innocent college freshman went to a party. She wasn’t supposed to be there because she was pledging a sorority.

A cute boy—a sophomore—stood at the keg. He filled a red Solo cup full of Milwaukee’s Best and handed it to the freshman. 

It was love at first sight… (it had nothing to do with the beer, by the way).

And that’s the story of how I met my husband. People keep telling me to write a book about how we met, and maybe someday I will.

So insta-love really does exist, whether it’s in literature, in the movies, or in real life. I’m a sucker for a good love story, fiction or nonfiction, and I think it’s kind of awesome that the greatest and most famous love story ever written is the best example of insta-love.
  
XOXOXO,
      

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