Writing Exercise #6 and Conference Challenge #2: How do you like me now?

It’s Thursday and you know what that means, right? Time for another writing exercise cleverly disguised as a conference challenge!

Last week, Laura laid down the ground rules and issued the first challenge. Remember, even if you haven’t started you can always go back and do them at your leisure. Just make sure you comment in the specific challenge post that you have indeed done the exercise. We don’t want you to go through all that work and not have a chance to win a writer’s goodie basket at our region’s 20th Anniversary Conference and Celebration in March.

I thought about saving this, seeing that Valentine’s Day isn’t until next Thursday, but I figured that everyone is already planning treats, flowers and other surprises for the ones they love – from grandparents to parents to significant others. What better way to chase away the mid-winter doldrums?

There’s a great Toby Keith song from a few years ago called – wait for it – “How Do You Like Me Now?” It’s about a music geek guy in high school who couldn’t get the attention of the pretty and popular girl. Now he’s a big star and the tables are turned.

There’s a lot of those stories out there and I love them. Like the shy and awkward girl that everyone made fun of who wins America’s Next Top Model, Nicole:

(from blog.zap2it.com )

Or the young man whose life started in hopelessness and was told his future was bleak and is now a Superbowl Champion, Michael Oher:

(from nydailynews.com)

Or what I think is the mother of all “how do you like me nows” – the middle schooler who was teased that grew up to be, ahem, the future queen of England:

(from www.time.com )

“That’s right, you can call me Your Royal Highness now that I’ve snagged the most eligible man on the planet.”

Maybe you know someone with a story like this, even if it’s not on such a grand scale. Perhaps that someone is even you. Whether you know the person or just read about him or her in the newspaper, I want you to use them as the inspiration for this challenge.

What has this got to do with Valentine’s Day, you ask? Read the challenges below and you will find out.

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Writing Exercise #6/Conference Challenge #2

Think about your favorite “how do you like me now” story. How were they treated and by whom – peer, teacher, relative? Who was the guy that barely acknowledged her existence and wouldn’t even think of asking her to the prom or the girl that turned him down for a date and then snickered with a friend that he even had the nerve to ask?

Now that things have changed – big time – think about what kind of Valentine’s Day card the snubbed would like to send those people. What would it say inside? That’s your challenge – to write a couple of verses fitting of a greeting card. Make it as funny, nasty or sweet as you like. And, if you’re feeling really ambitious, turn it around and write a Valentine’s from the snubber to the snubbee.

Illustrating Exercise #6/Conference Challenge #2

Design the above Valentine’s Day Card. Again, make it as funny, nasty or sweet as you like – just as long as you get the point across.

Have fun and make Hallmark proud!

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