Happy Valentine;s Day…..

This is a day when the Hallmark and other greeting card companies can be especially assured a profit. But, as well, the sentiments expressed in these cards have become more real and heartfelt over the years. Kudos to the card companies for tuning in to what people want and need.

Today is a day to express your caring to someone important. In my case, I have taken a feral cat into my home and gentled her so that by now she enjoys being petted, massaged, and even held. I had a photo taken of her to celebrate my decision to have her as my new feline friend. Nellie, my sweet cat of 16 years died August 22nd, and since then I haven't felt much like writing. Since I do not get paid for writing (my preference), I have the luxury of writing as I feel I want to or as I believe it is important. I have talked about taking a writing break in various previous posts — and likely will in future posts — because taking a break is a necessary part of the writer's process.

I did not expect such a long break this time. Life happened in a way I didn't expect. No need to go into details beyond my missing Nellie. What matters is that I believed it was necessary to allow this break to happen and so I went with it.

As a writer, trusting your intuition is essential. Even for technical and nonfiction writing, intuition counts. I will write about intuition in my next post.

Sticking to a prior project you're determined to finish can result, not only in a boring outpouring, but as well in writer's block. Same old is tedious. New ideas invigorate our writing. And, one way to get new ideas is to switch and write something different. Especially totally different. Or as totally different as you are capable of.

In the past I've suggested taking a break from your writing, and I've suggested doing some different activity. The goal is to "clear your mind" and give space for new ideas. But, writing on a different topic, or writing in a different style can accomplish the same thing… and it can be invigorating.

Writing needs to be alive to engage our readers. No matter what kind of writing we do from light fluff to serious academics, still there can be life in our writing. I've even happened upon technical writing that engaged me!

Especially when we are deeply engaged in a project, we need to bring life to it. When we work on short pieces, the issue of aliveness is not likely to be as compelling. So, don't keep your nose to the grindstone if you're involved with a long project. Make sure to take writing breaks, and do a different kind of writing, or start a different project.