WRTR, UR SPECIAL

Ahhh, Valentine’s Day . . . the holiday of love.

Does it make you have warm feelings? Or queasy, sickening feelings?

The other day, I saw a Valentine candy display. I think it was actually before Christmas, because retail stores now jump the gun on every holiday. I’m expecting Fourth of July merchandise to appear any day now.

I spied what used to be one of my favorite treats as a child: conversation hearts. You know, the little heart-shaped mounds of sugar with sweet sayings like “Luv U,” “Be Mine,” and, more recently, “Text Me.”

That got me thinking, which is a dangerous thing: what if we had conversation hearts specifically geared toward writers? Considering the rejections, long hours of toiling alone over pieces, and tortuous rounds of editing, we writers could use a little love. Sweet candy bites with sayings pertaining to our craft might be the encouragement we need to keep going.

I decided to take the idea and run with it and came up with some possible sayings for these Writerly Hearts (see if you can figure out the abbreviations):

1. UR A GOOD WRTR
2. LUV UR BK IDEA
3. U GET A CNTRCT
4. LUV MY ADVNCE
5. NO MOR EDITS
6. U SOLD A BK
7. CNTRCT W/O PRPSL
8. UR OUT OF SLSH PILE
9. MNUSCRPT ACCPTD
10. HAPPY 2000 WRD DAY

I think these would sell out at coffee houses and bookstores. Who’s ready to invest with me? In the meantime, encourage the writer in your life, even if it is U!

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.