This week: A Valentine to the Craft Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
Keep reading for your chance to claim an exclusive trinket! |
“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.”
~ Martin Luther
Writing from the Heart: A Valentine to the Craft
February has a way of turning our attention toward the people and things we cherish most. While store shelves overflow with chocolates and roses, writers know that one of life’s greatest love stories is the quiet, enduring relationship between a writer and their craft.
Writing is not always easy. It asks for vulnerability, patience, courage, and an unwavering willingness to begin again. Yet despite the occasional heartbreak of writer’s block, rejected submissions, or abandoned drafts, we return to the page again and again because writing is more than something we do. It is part of who we are.
Fall in Love with the Process — Not Just the Product
It is natural to dream about finished manuscripts, glowing reviews, or the moment you hold your book in your hands. But lasting joy comes from learning to love the middle - the messy drafts, the revisions, the sentences rewritten ten times before they finally feel right.
This Valentine’s season, give yourself permission to romanticize the process:
 Light a scented candle before you write
Pour your favorite cup of coffee or herbal tea
Play music that makes your imagination wander
Create a writing space that signals your brain: This is where the magic happens.
When writing becomes something you look forward to rather than something you must conquer, your creativity opens in remarkable ways.
Write the Story Only You Can Tell
Comparison is the thief of creative joy. Someone will always write faster, publish more often, or appear more confident. But no one — absolutely no one — carries your perspective, your history, your emotional lens.
Readers do not fall in love with perfect writing. They fall in love with authentic writing.
So write bravely. Write honestly. Write the stories that feel a little scary to tell. Those are often the ones that resonate the deepest.
Send Yourself a Love Letter
When was the last time you celebrated your growth as a writer?
Take a moment this month to reflect:
What have you learned in the past year?
Where has your writing grown stronger?
Which risks did you take?
Consider writing a letter to yourself acknowledging the dedication it takes to show up to the page. Writers are often their own harshest critics; Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to practice self-compassion.
Court Your Creativity
Creativity thrives when it is nurtured. Step away from the pressure to produce and allow yourself to play.
Go somewhere new with a notebook
Eavesdrop gently on conversations at a café
Read poetry aloud.
Write something wildly outside your comfort zone
Think of these moments as little creative dates—opportunities to rediscover the excitement that first drew you to writing.
Stay Faithful Through the Difficult Seasons
Every long-term relationship experiences seasons of doubt, distance, and fatigue. Writing is no different. There will be days when the words refuse to cooperate and weeks when life crowds out your creative time.
Do not mistake these pauses for failure.
The love of writing is rarely loud; more often, it is steady and enduring. Even when you are not actively writing, your mind is observing, collecting, and shaping future stories.
Trust that you will find your way back to the page. You always do.
Share the Love
Writing may be solitary, but the writing life should never feel lonely. Encourage a fellow writer. Leave a thoughtful review. Recommend a book you adore. Celebrate another author’s success without measuring it against your own.
There is room for every voice.
And sometimes, the greatest gift you can give your own writing journey is the community that walks beside you.
A Gentle Reminder This Valentine’s Day
You do not need permission to call yourself a writer.
If you write – in journals, on napkins, in early morning quiet, or late at night when the house finally settles –, you belong to this beautiful, courageous community.
So this February, remember:
Love the blank page
Love the imperfect draft
Love the persistence within you that refuses to quit
Most of all, love the writer you are becoming. Because the relationship you build with your craft may just be the most meaningful love story you will ever write.
Do you have a Valentine's story you'd like to share with the WDC community? How about a favorite writing tip, a book you recently read that moved you, or a story you loved that was written by another member of the WDC community? Every registered author who shares their ideas and/or creative endeavors relating to or inspired by this week's topic will receive an exclusive "With Love" trinket. The image used to make this month's trinket was created by yours truly. I will retire this month's limited-edition trinket in April when my next short stories newsletter goes live.
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
~ William Wordsworth
Thank you for reading.
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic, I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
|  | Letters (13+) What is the cost of true love? How far would you go to protect it? |
| | On the Chance (E) A young couple takes a chance on love. ~ Contest Entry / Holidays |
| | Human (13+) The world lost its colorful luster when she realized he wasn't a real boy... |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
The following is in response to "The Writer’s 12 Days of Christmas" :
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S🤦♂️  writes: Lists like this can definitely help some writers, especially those in the self-doubt part of their writing cycle. For myself, the only thing about this time of the year is that, even when it is stinking hot, I still need to write. I have a minimum daily word count, and have stuck to that for over 15 years (last time I didn't write I was very ill). But I also understand I may not be normal...
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AbbyAG  writes: Despite my willingness to write something of my own again, I've had seven years of relentless writer's block. Thank you for these wonderful tips, Shannon - I feel sure they will help me write successfully in 2026!
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Valentine Princess Megan Rose  writes: When my parents were alive, my husband and I spent New Years Eve with my parents and had a ham dinner on New Years. The same with Christmas. Now, my husband and I will be having a turkey dinner on Christmas and ham on New Years. As for writing, I don't know what muses and ideas I will get. I may enter a contest or not. I may go back to my old stories and add on to them.
I like your ideas. I have one new book by Danielle Steel I want to read. Light a candle. Good call. This newsletter was helpful and has got me in a writing mood.
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Detective  writes: I don't have a restorative holiday tradition, though honestly it sounds like a good idea, and I should probably come up with one. I haven't thought about New Year's writing intentions, beyond wanting to do some editing on pieces in my portfolio and adding to it.
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BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  writes: Just have fun.
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Damon Nomad writes: Thanks for the suggestions for writing as the days of Christmas. Maybe each one for a month and you would have a year. This year I wrote freelance in a new genre and a whole new format. Developing a story and then scripts for a narrative game. Definitely stretched and improved me even though in someways he writing was less stylish.
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Osirantinous  writes: What a great list of things for us to do and think about. I must admit I often do number 10, reclaiming half-written ideas, sometimes years after I first wrote them. They don't often go terribly much further but I still enjoy reading the old bits and writing new bits.
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Jeff  writes: This is a great list; thanks for sharing! I don't have any restorative holiday traditions per se, but I do try to spend some time reflecting on the previous year and intentionally thinking through what I want to accomplish in the new one.
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sindbad  writes: Hi
Shannon
🎄 Highlights from "The Writer's 12 Days of Christmas"
The newsletter provides a 12-day roadmap to help writers reset for 2026. Key takeaways include:
* Days 1–4 (Mindset & Environment): Revisit your "Why," curate a cozy reading stack, and create tiny rituals (like lighting a candle) to signal writing time.
* Days 5–8 (Review & Refresh): Conduct a "Year in Words" review to celebrate growth, refresh your workspace, and update your "2026 Writing Toolkit" (trackers, software, and craft books).
* Days 9–12 (Community & Celebration): Connect with other writers, revive one abandoned project for 15 minutes, and set "gentle goals" instead of rigid resolutions.
* Writing Tip: Many contributors noted that they use the "What If?" technique to turn real-world tragedies or mysteries (like the Ash Wednesday fires or the disappearance of Tom Thomson) into compelling fiction. Refreshing thoughts indeed..sindbad
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Annette  writes: I don't think I have a restorative holiday tradition. But your 12 Writer's days list really spoke to me. The points that really resonated with me were to declutter my desk, curate my next three to five books to read, and to think of 2026 as the year when I will return to work on this novel that brought me to Writing.Com almost 18 years ago.
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Maddie Stone <2026 Edition>  writes: Thank you for this newsletter! It takes me a while, but I do get around to reading all of them.
Day 4, 9 and 12 were my favorite. I will be keeping this newsletter in my email, so I can refer to it throughout the year for inspiration.
My plans for the new year for writing go along the lines of carving time out to do it instead of leaving it on the 'to do' list. I've been evaluating what keeps me from writing and it is helping. I love to write and I feel better physically, mentally and emotionally when I do. So, here's to 2026 and a healthier (and more successful in writing) me!
Happy New Year!
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💘 Richard 💘  writes: I copied this, I hope you don't mind. There is great advice here, and I think I am going to take it.
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Wannabe  writes: I was not on the site in December; it would have been fun to participate in the 12-day activities. The image quote from Neil Gaiman was a perfect choice. Love the meaning behind the message. Reading this newsletter was quite interesting. All the replies make me wonder what question was asked. But then I scrolled back and found the link, another newsletter that I will need to read.
As for your question in this newsletter, I been away for quite some time and have been working my way through the many changes. I plan to write several things this year that will include finishing and polishing some books that were started long ago. But first, I need to finish going through my portfolio item by item to see what is there and finish what was already started, as well as to fix any grammar and spelling mistakes that have been neglected for far too long. Thanks for bringing this newsletter to my attention in the newsfeed. For now, I am off to sign up to receive the next issue. Hey, welcome back! 👍🏻
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Short Stories: February 11, 2026 Issue [#13587]
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