Do you come down with a severe case of writer’s block every time you think about writing a love note to your spouse?  

You’re not alone.

Even if you’re usually a talkative person, sometimes transferring that energy onto paper can be a challenge.

For some people, speaking through a pen comes naturally.  For most, however, it can be a difficult thing.  My husband is an incredibly gifted writer…except when it comes to writing love notes.

He easily verbalizes how much he loves me in the most beautiful ways, but ask him to write those same words down and you’ll get a blank stare.

For the first eight years of our marriage, he signed nearly every card with, “Love, Keith.”  Now, he’s advanced to adding a sentence or two before the Love, Keith.  

So if you are anything like my husband (come to think of it, maybe I should send this post to him too ), here are 7 simple tips to writing the perfect love note:

1. Don’t be afraid to borrow words.  Listen, I highly doubt Hallmark is going to come after you for borrowing words from their cards to give to your husband. As long as you’re not posting it on the internet and it’s private, use these words for inspiration.

2. Get your groove on…and then write down the lyrics.  Find a love song, get your groove on, and then jot down some of the lyrics.  Have you ever noticed how a love song you heard at a special place 15 years ago can cause memories to come rushing back the moment you hear it again?  Go online and search lyrics to romantic songs like Clint & Lisa Black’s When I Said I Do and turn those into a beautiful note.

3. Leave technology out of it.  Here’s the one time in the 21st century when you should not use technology.  The most personal love letters are handwritten.  It doesn’t matter if you have poor penmanship (although you may want to consider writing a few drafts to get the nicest version possible).  So pull out a pencil or pen and a piece of paper and go at this the old fashioned way.

4. Let nature speak to you.  When was the last time you left the hustle and bustle of city life (or the often hectic pace of home life) and simply immersed yourself in nature?  I don’t know about you but when I am among nothing but trees, sitting beneath stars, walking along a sandy beach or hiking in the mountains, words flow more clearly.  Clarity is gained and all that is beautiful comes rushing to your mind.  Immerse yourself in a natural and picturesque environment, whip out your pen and note pad, and I bet something magical will appear on your paper.

5. Enlist help.  Listen, if you want to write something beautiful and aren’t gifted in the area of creative writing, enlist your friends and family.  Send out a mass email and make a fun game out of it.  Tell everyone to send a line to be added to the letter.  You will get some oh-so-funny responses.  And if you can’t use any of them, at least you’ll get a big laugh out of it.

6. Pinterest, baby.  I was one of the last bloggers to get on Pinterest.  No, really.  I fought it as long as I could because I’m not an arts and crafts person.  But now that I understand it better, I realize how useful this social network can be for drawing inspiration.  Find all sorts of creative love letters and notes and borrow from their ideas.

7. Don’t be afraid of a few ABC’s.  Do you remember Nat King Cole’s L-O-V-E, “L is for the way you look at me. O is for the only one I see. V is very, very extraordinary. E is even more than anyone that you adore and. Love is all that I can give…”?  If all else fails, bust out your dictionary and run through a list of words that fit various letters in the alphabet. For instance, if your husband’s name is Mike you could say, “M is for the marvelous way you love me, I is for…” and on and on.

Are love letters important in order to show someone you love them? Of course not. But why not do it anyway?

QUESTION: When was the last time you wrote your spouse a love letter?  What was their response?

Until Monday…make it a great weekend! 

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THE NEW YORK TIMES® BEST-SELLING BOOK: It’s been described as, “Like Eat, Pray, Love but not down on marriage.” Make sure to check out the Happy Wives Club book.  I had the great honor of traveling to 12 countries on 6 continents, interviewing couples happily married 25 years or more, with 1 mission only: to find out what makes marriages happy…and keeps them that way.  It’s a marriage book like none other.  Guaranteed.