This is one of those holidays designed to make you feel really bad if you’re single, and pressured if you’re a man in a relationship, and self-judgmental if you’re a woman in a relationship.
Or it could be fabulous and romantic and a true celebration of love 🙂
Exercise: How did your characters celebrate? Together? Alone? How do they feel about the holiday itself? Write a paragraph for each. Often this material is used later, so don’t think of it as only practice. Try to be as complete in the thought as the examples below, and don’t worry if it fits in right now, or even if Valentine’s Day will be used in the script or novel.
Here is my own version of the exercise:
My female lead went out on a bad date with a chubby, bald TV producer who tried to seduce her by offering to get her an interview for a new cooking show on the Food network. After a clumsy skirmish in a cab, she escaped intact, if somewhat askew! This is her first year single, and this guy did not shore up her feelings of optimism!
My male lead, sat in a local diner on 10th avenue and binged on hot chocolate and pie. A few minutes earlier, back in the bar he hangs out in, a perfectly lovely woman who he had a one night stand with tries to be sociable and he freaks out and leaves. After three hot chocolates and pecan pie in the diner, all with extra whipped cream, he finds himself feeling sick and allows the cute waitress to take him home!
