Life has rules. In this game, achieving something comes at a tradeoff. Sure you can move away from home to broaden your horizons, but realize that every time you come back to visit, your parents will seem to have aged quicker without you catching the daily nuances. You can take that shiny new job, but know that your new colleagues will have different dynamics with you, and there will be new things to learn—some of them being challenging in ways you might not have expected. You can dedicate your time to learning a new language, but there is only so much time in a day. Maybe it comes at the cost of being able to read for pleasure. Whatever it is, whatever happens to you during the pursuit of your goals is your life. It’s what defines you. I guess a better word for all of this would be sacrifice. In the process of getting what we want, our sacrifices define us. When writers show readers the way a character’s life falls in place around their sacrifices, they will carve out more distinct, meaningful people. Read More
