“Show, don’t tell,” is a major writing rule, but it also applies to most aspects of life.

Relationships and friendships need more than just verbal communication. Hearing, “I love you,” doesn’t sound very convincing if the person professing their adoration doesn’t look you in the eye, kiss you every once in a while, or support you in your aspirations.

Anyone can say something.

It takes so much more to put those words into play.

When reading a book, no one wants to be told what the characters do. If I’m conscious of reading instead of swept up in a world of words, then I don’t connect with the work.

The same goes at home.

My husband is the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met. He doesn’t just say, “I love you,” or “I’m proud of you.” He picks me up and swings me around. He tickles me until I want to pee. He makes fun of my silliness, and does little things that show me just how much I mean to him. In return, it makes me want to do more for him.

With my kids, I know that telling them what to do or how to react won’t teach them anything. They learn by watching me and mimicking my behaviors and that of my husband. I work very hard to find balance in our life so I can show my kids how to handle themselves as they grow.

Friends and neighbors are tougher to keep up with nowadays because everyone’s always so busy, but no matter how many times plans get cancelled or how long you go without being able to really talk and hang out, if you really care about your friends and wish to have a strong connection to your neighborhood and community, you can’t ever stop reaching out.

Offering understanding and patience is another way to express love.

We live in a time of immediate returns. Everyone is so used to clicking now, getting things now, ordering everything NOW. But quick and easy is never as rewarding as the things that take time to develop.

Quick relationships are shallow. I don’t mean that as an insult, it’s just the truth.

Quick runs, quick chats, and quick moments don’t stick with us as much as the well-thought out, well-intentions deep ones that cast a spell over our world and put everything into perspective.

Quick writes, rewrites, edits, and emails are death in the publishing industry.

Taking the time to show readers you care, to display how much writing means to you and really prove that to editors, agents, and publishers is a wholehearted approach to business that doesn’t end when you go home.

Time and effort make life worth living.

One cannot enjoy rushing the way they do sharing a real piece of themselves without holding back or checking the clock.

Today is a good day to turn off your phone, hold someone’s hand and really gaze into their eyes. Today is a good day to breathe while you write and pour all of yourself into that piece you’ve been working on.

There is love everywhere if you look around.