I changed my blog theme today. Not that I didn’t like the Choco theme (which is awesome), but because I like to change things around sometimes.

Women are like that.

Fellows, if you come home to find the house rearranged, don’t get irritated. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Change, even in small things such as rearranging the furniture or reorganizing the cupboards, rejuvenates a woman. Nothing like a little redo somewhere in our lives to make us feel like a million bucks. And trust me, you want us feeling like a million bucks, because then we’re more likely to make you feel like a milllion bucks…or more.

Why does it make such a difference in our outlook? Not sure. Just because women are like that.

My personal opinion is that much of a woman’s optimism and self-image come from her surroundings and appearance. For example, I detest clutter (although you can’t tell by the current state of my house – I’ve simply learned to live with it). When I’m in cluttered surroundings, I get anxious, claustrophobic, irritable, and depressed. When I start feeling that way, I change something that easily accessible – even if it’s a small thing like cleaning out my computer folders. I did that a few weeks ago with my Pictures folder, and I rode that high for a week.

Rejuvenation. It’s why we rearrange our living spaces. It’s why we redo our landscaping. It’s why we change makeup brands. It’s why we choose a new shampoo. It’s why we buy clothes in a different style than our usual. It’s why we want to “go somewhere different.” It’s why we get our hair cut & styled a new way. It isn’t that our problems go away with each snick of the scissors, as though some shears and a little gel will simply cut out our dilemmas and reshape our lives. Change empowers us, gives us a new outlook, encourages us to think outside the box for a new and improved way of solving our issues. It lifts our spirits, and makes impossible tasks or problems seem surmountable.

The rejuvenation that change brings is why I write in two different genres: contemporary romance and paranormal romance. My paranormal is dark and emotional, and sometimes I find myself falling into a blue funk after writing for a while. So I always have two works-in-progress at the same time: one paranormal and one contemporary. It’s my way of balancing the dark with the light.

Fellow writers, don’t be afraid to change. Don’t be afraid to try a new genre. Don’t be afraid to reorganize your work space (just remember where you put everything). Your writing career depends on you being rejuvenated constantly, so that what you’re churning out isn’t stale prose but words full of life and emotion, characters who are evocative and engaging, a story that is unforgettable and touches the soul.

And men, don’t despair when the woman in your life changes things up a bit. You’re going to benefit when she rejuvenates. It will spill into every corner of your life. Why?

Because women are like that.