Valentine's Day Dos and Don'ts - A Guide for Writers & The Ones Who Love Them

With Valentine's Day arriving this week - where the hell did the month go? - I started thinking on what would be the *perfect* Valentine's Day gift for a writer. This was both good and bad. Good because I discovered there were many items that I think would make a great gift. Bad because there are a few reminders I had to strategically place throughout the house to ensure Thursday went off without a hitch in this house. :)


So I threw all of these little notes and yes-that'd-be-perfect items and figured I'd share ... you know, just in case anyone wanted to maybe print the lists out and strategically place them in front of our spouses. ;)

Valentine's Day Dos (for the author's significant other):

• Do buy flowers. They freshen up our writing space and urge the muse into creativity.
• Word of caution: If your significant other's like me and has a bad habit of knack for forgetting to water the flowers, you may want to opt for some lovely, bright, fake flowers instead.
• Do Snag Us an Awesome Candle. Like flowers, a spicy and/or exotic scent in our writing space can also do wonders for our muses. Chocolate scented candles anyone? ;)
• For tips on the best scents to purchase for an artist, check this out.
• Do Get Us a Gift Card. Gift cards to Barnes & Noble and Amazon are ALWAYS welcome! ALWAYS needed!
• What? You didn't know many authors spend oodles of money at the bookstore? :) 
• Do Get Creative with Homemade Coupons for Peaceful Writing Time.
• I don't have kids - yet - but I know many, many authors/writers who do. So why not have the kids make a coupon book for their writerly parent?
• Tip: Be sure to include at least 3 coupons for at least 4 hours of quiet writing time. Translation: Be prepared to take the kids for lunch and a movie for a few Saturdays. :)

 

 

Valentine's Day Don'ts (for authors):

• Don't Plan to Write on Valentine's Night. Unless you're up against a deadline, don't make any plans to write, be on Twitter, blog, edit, or any of that other writerly stuff. Simply enjoy the night with your loved one!
• Don't Even LOOK at a Book Until Your Date's Up. Even if it's a pleasure-reading novel, don't look at it, don't pick it up, don't start reading it until after your Valentine's night is through. If you're anything like me, then the rest of the night will be filled with you saying, "Just one more chapter, honey." :)
• Don't Forget to Leave Your Work Worries at Work. Whether you'll be writing all day and didn't make your daily wordcount, or you'll be at the office having a stressful day because this and this and that and that went haywire, don't bring it on your Valentine's night with you. Leave it at home if you're going out, or leave it at the door if you're eating in. Find something else to talk about over dinner besides work if you can.

And that pretty much sums it up! Now I'm going to print this out and lay a few copies around the house in hopes that I'll be writing beside beautiful flowers, smelling chocolate chip cookies via candle flame, buying the next book in Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series, and doing all of that in perfect peace while the kitties are locked up with the hubs for a few hours on Saturday.

Yup ... for authors it's dream big or go home! ;)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Melinda