How Love Letters Can Sweeten Your Writing

In a recent conversation with a colleague, he admitted he was nervous about writing for a well-known website because he was fairly inexperienced and didn’t want to be embarrassed if he got some negative feedback. I told him that even negative feedback is good- if it is constructive, of course. What better way to hone your skills than have a professional critique them? It’s like taking a free writing class!

I then asked him what the last thing he wrote was. He jokingly said a love letter to his girlfriend. While he may have said that in jest, it got me thinking. A person can really learn a lot about writing in general by taking-and using- the fundamentals of love letter writing.

Be Confident

Well, you’re writing the letter to begin with, so that’s a step in the right direction. But that amount of confidence will only get you so far. Do you have the confidence to say what you want to say, even if it may be difficult for you to write- or for the other person to hear? There may be times in your writing career where you may have to deliver bad news or a harsh review. Delivering your words with confidence will make the reader have confidence in YOU. You will come across as being believable and knowledgeable, which is exactly what you want in both your public -and private- life.

Be Organized

No person wants to receive a love letter that leaves them wondering if their suitor has multiple personalities. While you certainly don’t have to make an outline prior to writing it, be sure to at the very least gather your thoughts so you’re not talking about spending your life with him/her in one sentence and then what you’re going to do for dinner in the next. Think about your writing as a story and say just what you have to say in order to tell the tale.

Be Interesting

It’s a LOVE letter for goodness sake…put some love into it! Everyone expresses their feelings differently, but if you’re taking the time to compose something that will be read by others, then make it interesting. Make it something that they will want to keep around for a while. I used to keep a box of mementos from my younger days and there were two or three letters included in that box. Those were the ones that had that extra special “something” that made me want to keep them. They were interesting, funny, caring and memorable. Be the same.

Be Real

In the world of love letter writing, there is nothing worse than a fake, a con-person, someone who makes himself or herself out to be something they aren’t- and never will be. Don’t be this person. Don’t inflate your credentials and experience. Be honest, who you truly are and write from the heart. If not, it’s only a matter of time until your sweetheart- and readers- realize the truth and lose confidence in you. This type of dishonesty can have even longer lasting and more serious consequences if you pass yourself off as someone who has done things and held professional positions when you haven’t. Keep in mind that the Internet holds a wealth of information and it’s not hard for anyone to find out the truth about you in just a few clicks. So if you’re professing your love for Judy, make sure Judy won’t find your recently updated dating profile if she Goggles you.

Image

Image