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Writing Challenge

My Funny Valentine?

We blog for a million different reasons, but in the end we’re all storytellers. Writing Challenges help you push your…

We blog for a million different reasons, but in the end we’re all storytellers. Writing Challenges help you push your writing boundaries and explore new ideas, subjects, and styles.

To participate, read the challenge instructions and write at least one post in response. Tag your post with DPchallenge and include a link to this post to generate a pingback. Make sure your post has been specifically published in response to this challenge. We might just highlight some of our favorites on Freshly Pressed, on our @postaday account on Twitter, or in our quarterly newsletter.

My first date with the person who ended up being my (fortunate?) wife was the day after Valentine’s. We’d thought about getting together for a while, but meeting in the run-up to this organized heart-shaped extravaganza felt at once tacky and stressful. Would we just be auditioning each other for an upcoming candle-lit dinner? Our annual un-Valentine’s has since become an inside joke and a beloved ritual.

What’s your Valentine’s story?

Of all the different holidays on the calendar, St. Valentine’s Day, coming up this Friday, might be the most fraught with conflicting emotions. It feels strange to be explicitly against a day celebrating love and commitment. But it’s hard not to feel self-conscious — if not completely unoriginal — when walking on a sidewalk teeming with other flower- and chocolate-wielding lovers.

What about those of us in unhappy relationships, non-traditional ones, or enjoying a fulfilling, solitary life? The terrain can get rocky, fast. Can one single day encompass the richness and diversity of experience — from the heartwarming to the heartbreaking — that love can produce? Does it even make sense to channel so much emotional energy into 1/365th of the calendar?

In your posts for this challenge, feel free to take the discussion in whatever direction inspires you. You can share your most unabashedly romantic Valentine’s story, or write about why you shun the holiday altogether. You can describe a funny (or touching, or poignant) scene you’ve witnessed on a past Valentine’s, or tell us about an alternative celebration you’re planning this year to mark your most meaningful relationships.

If you’re looking for more specific writing prompts, here are some you might have fun with:

  • You’re an intergalactic visitor who just happened to land on Earth on February 14. Describe the weirdness you’re seeing.
  • Write the Valentine’s card you’ll never have the courage to actually send.
  • Invent your own love-themed holiday: what would it encompass?

Whether or not you’re in the mood for love, we look forward to reading your posts — have fun writing!

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  10. Hi! This is a little different take on the traditional Valentines day. It’s called:

    “No Valentine? – It’s Still All Good”

    After all, not everyone has a valentine so it can be a lonely and depressing time for many. Therefore… I have written an engaging post on how to give and where to find love elsewhere – it’s a cheery post 🙂

    http://victoriakgallagher.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/no-valentine-its-still-all-good/

    Hope you enjoy it! Wishing you all a great week ahead 🙂

    ~ Victoria

    Like

    Reply

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