Melodrama Trumps Perfection

Ever have a perfect day? One where everything falls into place without a care in the world? While those kinds of amazing occasions make life sweeter, that same story would be dull as tea water in a novel.

Let’s take a true-life case study of “the tale of two rides.” The vibrant photo above tells the story of a picture-perfect gravel bike outing. Dressed for the part, the cyclist’s GoreWear vest complemented her lululemon leggings and Bivo water bottle perfectly. It could almost have been a Canyon bicycle ad.

And the journey matched the still shot. A winding path meandered under a canopy of blazing red and yellow leaves, along a bubbling creek, and across wooden plank bridges. The magical autumn day boasted a brilliant blue sky with a snow-capped mountain range in the distance.

But . . . isn’t there always a but? The two pictures below expose the other half of the adventure. The GPS took the riders on the wrong route at first, along paved streets, across busy 4-lane highways, and up thigh-killing hills. On two separate but equally terrifying occasions, cars stole the cyclists’ right-of-way and nearly took a rider out. Thankfully, no one got hurt except for a racing heart rate and shaken nerves.

After finally locating the intended scenic path, the cyclist struggled to keep up with her companion. The harder she pedaled, the father behind she got. Turned out her back tire had gone flat, four miles out from the car.

At the end of the ride, the dust all over that stylish purple water bottle covered everything else from head to toe. And the bike mount displayed just how flat that tire had become even after the emergency boost by a tiny air pump.

Now for the takeaways from this non-fiction parable. A novel where the heroine encounters no struggles or challenges makes for one boring adventure. In contrast, a real page turner allows readers to empathize with the protagonist as they feel her pain and root for her triumphs to the end.

A writing framework called the hero’s journey actually requires “an ordeal” where the main character overcomes an enemy or obstacles. Think Katniss Everdeen struggling to survive the Hunger Games or Cinderella forced into indentured servitude by her stepmother. Those stories engage readers because the heroines overcome seemingly insurmountable hardships to a happier ending.

So, next time some kind of trouble interrupts an otherwise enjoyable experience, consider it an unexpected surprise in what could have been another humdrum, tedious day. At the very least, it may make a traffic jam less annoying or that burnt entree a little more palatable.