The art of writing love letters

by Kathryn M D’Imperio

Sometimes, it's hard to compose a romantic love letter. For some of us, it's easy to pour out our feelings. But others would rather bury themselves than have to show their emotional side. Hey, it takes practice. Here are some tips!

Romance, passion, lust
"Love makes me write what shame forbids me speak."
Robert Herrick, "What Shame Forbids to Speak"

Ah.... Love letters. Have you ever received an old-fashioned hand written love letter? Or have you ever written one? Have you ever received a love letter that made your heart melt? That made you breathe harder? That made you cling on to every single word? These days it's rare to receive a romantic love letter likes that, especially one that speaks from the heart. Writing love letters is a lost art. It's like painting a portrait of a beautiful woman on canvas. A painter must carefully capture every detail or feature of the woman or the moment is lost.

When writing a love letter, you try to capture each emotion raging within you so you can tell your lover exactly how you feel. A love letter is supposed to be romantic, passionate and even lustful. When your lover reads your letter, he/she should be able to feel your emotions, know your deepest desires, and feel like they are the luckiest man or woman in the world. Writing a love letter is also a great way to let your love know how you feel if you're shy.

Not particularly emotional
Listen to some romantic music, you need to set the mood before you write the letter. Once you feel ultra mushy inside, then it shouldn't be too hard to write the letter. Some people also have a picture of their sweetheart next to them while they write the letter. It helps to look at images of your love during your love letter composing. You can also write down what you love about your partner before you start.

There's nothing wrong with doing this and again it's a great way to get you to open up. Inspiration is the key. Usually when you want to write a love letter, it's because you were inspired by your love to write one. After all, writing love letters is all about showing your true feelings to your darling.

Sometimes, it's hard to compose a romantic love letter. For some of us, it's easy to pour out our feelings. But for others, they would rather bury themselves than have to show their emotional side. Hey, it takes practice. Here are some tips: The emotionals
What more can I say to the ones who are already at ease with being emotional? When I say emotional, I mean that you are able to openly communicate with your partner and are able to say wonderful and romantic things to your love. It's great that you can tell your partner exactly how much you love them and when you write it down in a love letter, it runs deep into their heart. So if you haven't written one, try it.

The essentials
There are some essential items with which you might want to write your love letter. Here are some items you can gather:

• Colored pencils
• Fountain pen (get different colors)
• Special paper (can be parchment, romantic stationary paper, handmade paper, or personalized stationary paper.)
• Matching envelopes
• Confetti
• Your favorite cologne or perfume
• Wax sealer & wax sticks (look for the red or pink wax sticks)
• Different colored inks & a small sponge.
• Stamp Kits (some arts & crafts store sell these romantic stamp kits that you can use to stamp the envelope with hearts, lips, etc.)
• Romantic stamps from the post office

Writing the letter

"Each letter you send me penetrates more deeply into my heart."
- Gustave Flaubert, French writer, to Louise Solet, French Poet, August 9th, 1846.

Okay, so now you have the stuff and you're feeling quite mushy. Where should you start? Remember to use nice penmanship in your love letter. If you're creative, try writing in calligraphy -- pick up a book for tips on how to learn this style. But if you don't want to, then just write it in your best handwriting (and use a pen you really like).

Practice writing the letter first -- you don't want to waste your nice paper, in case you aren't happy with the first draft or two. I can't exactly tell you exactly how you should write the letter. It must come from your heart. Your heart is the music and the letter is the one that will play that music. But if you're still stuck, try writing about what you love about your darling first. That should help you and get you going.

Be playful... be romantic... be uninhibited... be yourself.... let your heart run wild. Just let go and you'll soon have the most romantic love letter that your love will ever read.