A New Writing Prompt from Charity Hume — a Special Tech Installment

Technology can be helpful in matters of the heart, as many couples who have found one another through on-line dating will attest.  On Valentine’s Day, why not use the internet to send a personal message to some of the people you care about most? While the “techno-valentine” is out there in a thousand pre-fabricated forms, your beloved wants to know how you feel.  Your own words will make the best impact.

Creative Writing 101: How to write a Valentine

Sending a valentine takes guts.  You are after all, declaring your love. First of all, take a deep breath. You need to take a second, get in front of the page, and think. Breathe in. Breathe out. Now.  Take stock.  Who do you love?  Write down everyone from your first grade teacher in Kalamazoo to your long lost brother to your first date.  Put them all down in a line of names.  Have fun thinking of moments, flashbacks, exciting questions, daily rituals, visits or dramas.  Just give yourself permission to mine your memory for as many names as come to the surface in your first burst of concentration. Once you have them down, you have a perfect excuse to compose a message of love to one or many names on your list. For each person, give yourself a moment to speak from the heart. Tell them why you thought of them just now.  Say it straight.  Don’t be complicated. You can just tell them what came to mind when you were asked, who do you love?  Now write down what you thought of when you wrote down that name. Tell the person what you saw in your head, what you remembered, the place, the time, the words that came to mind.  If you want an image to accompany the words you’ve expressed, browse Wikipaintings or museum sites to find a favorite painter, or a photograph of a favorite scene or place.  Insert into your email.  Sign your name.  Push send.

Image: Noon Day Rest by John William Godward, (1910), courtesy of Wikipaintings.