Tips to write Love letters..

How to write a love letter

• Learn how to write a perfect love letter. Without some form of professional guidance, lovers new at the romantic trade usually attempt to get into this craft with disastrous results. Here, at last, are some rules that can help forge a love relationship and even in some cases, help it move forward to the next level.

• Is the art of crafting love letters dead? Pretty much it is. But therein lies the advantage that lovers in this age have over 18th century romantics who penned their masterpieces from quill; sealed their letters in wax; and even wrapped them in special ribbons. Everybody did his or her love letters that elaborately in those days. But since nobody does that anymore, your letter will certainly stand out and get noticed. You may do it on special paper that you can buy from nearly any office supplies store (Kinko’s, Staples, Business Depot, etc.), but the fact alone that you are crafting the letter on your own makes your presentation one of its kind. It’s like a product that stands out (through the sheer power of advertising) from the store shelves!

• 1. Now let’s get down to business. Get yourself settled in your room and light a candle in your study, preferably one with that jasmine and roses aroma (feel free to change the candle flavor to what drives you into the romantic mode). Have yourself some romantic music as well. I especially suggest “As Time Goes By” on piano.

• 2. Think about your love object. If you happen to have a picture of him or her, take it out to evoke fond memories (if any). Then, proceed to write a brief outline of your cherished one’s qualities (don’t make the list too long, just the major ones will do). It would also help to read to yourself some romantic lines penned by the great poets--just in case that romantic mood is taking a little more time to set in. Some of which are:

“My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains,

My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk.

Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains…” (Keats)

Or if you are feeling a little desperate, try this emblem of the romantic era:

“Love brought me to a silent Grove, And shew’d me there a Tree,

Where some had hanged themselves for love,

And gave a Twist to me.” (Robert Herrick)

• 3. Feeling romantic now, it’s time to pick up that pen or feathers quill if you may. Make sure your salutation is appropriate as behooves love letter etiquette. For instance, you don’t begin with “My sweetheart Judy, “ if you’d only known Judy for a week or two. On the other, writing a rather formal “Dear Juliet” will not do if Juliet’s been your steady for about a year. Avoid sending confusing signals in your opening salutation, or else it may undo a relationship already made (unless this is what you intend your letter to achieve).

• 4. As you pour out your heart into the writing, be sure to avoid spelling errors. Especially if your message is all-important, a typo or two connotes carelessness in your lover’s (or even prospect’s) mind. So it doesn’t hurt to have the dictionary close by.

• 5. On the other hand, having the dictionary close by might drive you into a frenzy of using high fallutin’ words, which are a definite no-no in effective, love letter writing. You think those long words will impress the reader? No. If your objective is to sound warm and caring, short, meaningful words will do.

• 6. I am the master of understatement when it comes to crafting love letters. Hint at how you feel rather than saying it outright. From my experience, this is so much better than blurting it all out at once. This is not to say, though, that you would beat around the bush--another no-no. So here’s an example to explain my point. Instead of just saying “I love you so much,”say “I wonder why I always think of you these days, and how each day makes me more powerless to stop this habit.” Or you may treat the “I love you” as the climax, bringing it towards the end. In letters as in bed, a little foreplay doesn’t hurt.

• 7. If you’ve got chicken feet handwriting, might as well have the penmanship task relegated to a calligraphist if you have the budget, or else turn to a good handwriting type in your word processing software. I suggest Shelley Volante BT or Brush Script MT for the ultra-romantics; but in case you’re after the modern look, do try out other handwriting types in your writing software. You will find a type personality that suits you.

• 8. Watch out for your closing, too. Follow the same train of thought as in Advice #3 above ranging from “With warmest regards” on one end, to “Yours unconditionally” at the other extreme. Never ever confuse your signals, and especially not towards the end.

• 9. Finally, douse a little (never, never overdo this) cologne or perfume on the letter before you seal and send it. A drop of my Davidoff Cool Water cologne is perfect for me, but your choice might be totally different and certainly so if you happen to be female. At any rate, choose the scent that you wore on your first date; and if there was none, a scent that best reflects you or your personality will do.