Marilyn Horowitz

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Valentine’s Day-Going Deeper

by

Happy Friday!

How did your Valentine’s Day go?

The 14th was also Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, which lasts for six weeks until Easter. Lent is about repentance, while Valentine’s Day celebrates love.  I saw a woman carrying a bouquet and a box of chocolates, and had a big cross made out of ash written on her forehead. The juxtaposition was amusing and I thought about what her story would be?  A Romantic Comedy about a woman who gives up romance for Lent? H’mmmn…

Then I remembered how many times I “repented” on Valentine’s Day, when the fellow I was with revealed his true colors, for better or worse, often worse.  Did he bring flowers and chocolates? Was there a card? A gift? Did he take me out? Wow, am I really that superficial?

Where did this checklist come from? More likely from Hallmark than the Bible. When did I start believing that following a formula meant authentic affection? Silly me! I realized the assumptions I’d made about Valentine’s Day, were part of my personal belief system.

The next thought was to explore how the characters in my current stories felt about Valentine’s Day and I used the exercise below to dig deeper into my character’s psyches.

Here’s the exercise:

For you:

  1. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
  2. Write about a Valentine’s Day experience – did you repent or celebrate?
  3. Rest the timer for 5 minutes.
  4. Describe your fantasy experience.
  5. Compare the two.

For Your Hero or Heroine:

  1. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
  2. Write about a Valentine’s Day experience – did he/she repent or celebrate?
  3. Rest the timer for 5 minutes.
  4. Describe their fantasy experience.
  5. Compare the two.

For your Villain or Obstacle:

  1. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
  2. Write about a Valentine’s Day experience – did he/she repent or celebrate?
  3. Rest the timer for 5 minutes.
  4. Describe their fantasy experience.
  5. Compare the two.

If you’re writing a Romantic Comedy, repeat the exercise for the Love Interest.

I found this very helpful and hope you will too.

Here’s to your successful writing!

Professor Marilyn Horowitz

empire State building The Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day.