Have you written something romantic for tomorrow?
Lovers and friends all around the world are searching for just the right words to express their love and longing to the person who holds their heart captive.
As writers we should be especially good at finding just the right shade of blue to describe the eyes of our sweetheart. The words should flow from our pens as we declare that our love for him or her could fill oceans. It should only take a moment to create a sonnet glorifying the essence of your feelings for your soul mate.
Do you shy away from expressing emotion and love on the written page? Maybe you’re fearful that someone will read the words you tore from your soul and not understand what you’re trying to express. Or worse, laugh at them.
Most of us have no problem expressing the strong, tough side of ourselves. We can write the stern letter to the credit company that messes up our report. We can express our unwillingness to pay more than the standard fee for service on our car. We’d stand in line all day to defend our child from a bully. And we’d never be at a loss for words. Because the world expects us to be that strong person.
But where are you hiding your soft side? That part of you that feels your heart skip when the sun first slips over the horizon and spreads fingers of gold through the veil of morning fog?
Have you forgotten the part of you that falls in love with a squirmy, blind newborn pup? The part of you that remembers the feel of a kitten’s whiskers on your chin? The part of you that holds a child close and safe while reading the same bedtime story for the fourth time in one night?
Fall back in love with that part of yourself this Valentine’s Day and write something gentle and beautiful, as a gift to someone you love, to the world, and especially to yourself.
That’s the beauty of being a writer. You can bring every part of yourself to your work. The strong and the soft. The loud and the quiet. The warrior and the lover.
So tomorrow, on Valentine’s Day, love life, love people, love yourself – and tell us about it.
Then the next day, you can go back to being strong, tough, and resilient.
If you must.
Leave a comment and tell us what you’ll write for the side of you that loves deeply and quietly.
I love this Suzanne. My husband and I are pretty low key when it comes to Valentine’s Day, but last October was our five-year wedding anniversary — and it’s true, I can make a character swoon and craft a great romance scene, but something about trying to put my own, real feelings stumped me. At first at least. Opening our own souls can be so much harder…and just as you say, it’s so, so important.
Hi Emily. I think we have to exercise our softness just as much as we exercise our strength. The more we allow ourselves to share that side of ourselves the easier it becomes to express how we feel. And the wonderful thing is that that expression carries into every aspect of our writing, engaging our readers with the emotion. Congratulations on more than five years of opportunities to share your feelings and your love!