The language of love?

One of my big messages in my teaching is that writing has two sides -  technical (most writers can string words together in a competent fashion) and added value - the emotions, images, the concepts, that make what would be otherwise 'competent' writing jump off the page.
This comes to mind because I am about to go on local radio after the Inkerman Writers, the group of which I am part and which I teach, was asked to write some romantic poetry for the station for BBC Tees for Valentine’s Day.
Now, I do not write much poetry and am not particularly romantic (not sure how many crime writers are!) but there are universal lessons here. At the heart of each great poem, story, script or novel is emotion. The good writers present beautifully-drawn characters whose thoughts, fears and emotions leap off the page and grab the attention. It is what makes the good writing special.

John Dean