Alice

There are a dozen half written stories sitting on my hard drive. I started the night with the goal of finishing at least one. Needless to say I failed, but I did notice something.

All my stories, every single one, starts with an Alice falling down her rabbit hole.

It is a basic archetype of storytelling, the hero's journey, which starts with an average Joe/Joanna being offered the opportunity to embark on an amazing adventure. The Alice in Wonderland variation is one where the hero isn't given a choice and is swept up into the adventure by accident.

My Alice's never have a choice.

I don't think I could ever finish these stories. At least not to my own satisfaction. All attempts at ending these tales always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The taste of hurried mediocrity or a literary stop gap measure. When rereading them, I feel like I was walking down a nice sunny path that unexplainably stops at a ledge that drops into the ocean.

Could it be because I myself have never fallen down the rabbit hole or stepped into the looking glass?

Maybe..

Hmm. Time for something drastic.