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Posts tagged ‘Valentine’s Day’

Feb 5

Love is in the air: How to write about it

Valentine’s Day will soon be here. In case you’re inclined to write a mash note, love note, or even like note, read these posts for pointers.

Six tips for writing a love letter

Craft a Valentine’s Day poem for your beloved

And for more inspiration, read these poems on The Academy of American Poets website:

“The More Loving One” by W. H. Auden

“Love Story in Black and White” by Toi Derricotte

“Wild Nights – Wild Nights! (249)” by Emily Dickinson

“The Kiss” by Stephen Dunn

“My Father’s Love Letters” by Yusef Komunyakaa

“When Someone Says I Love You the Whole” by Karyna McGlynn

“A Love Song” by William Carlos Williams

Feb 14

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Six tips for writing a love letter

No matter how much we strive to polish our writing skills, it’s not always easy to find the words we want to say, especially when the stakes are high. Finding the words though is worth it and a gift that money can’t buy.

On this Valentine’s Day, as you search for just the right words to write to your beloved, find inspiration in these words Napoleon Bonaparte wrote to his wife Josephine De Beauharnais.

“Dearest Josephine, I wake filled with thoughts of you. Your portrait and the intoxicating evening which we spent yesterday have left my senses in turmoil. Sweet incomparable Josephine, what a strange effect you have on my heart! Are you angry?  Do I see you looking sad? Are you worried? … My soul aches with sorrow, and there can be no rest for your lover; but is there still more in store for me when, yielding to the profound feelings which overwhelm me, I draw from your lips, from your heart a love which consumes me with fire? Ah! it was last night that I fully realized how false an image of you your portrait gives! You are leaving at noon; I shall see you in three hours.  Until then, mio dolce amor, a thousand kisses; but give me none in return, for they set my blood on fire. –Bonaparte”

These tips might help you write your own love letter:

1. Write a draft. Think of your first words as a draft that you will adjust. This takes some of the pressure off and frees you to fling those words down on the page. Read more

Feb 2

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Craft a Valentine’s Day poem for your beloved

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it’s a perfect occasion to craft a love letter or poem for your beloved. Ted Kooser, U.S. poet laureate from 2004 to 2006, began a tradition in 1986 of sending a Valentine’s Day poem on a postcard to 50 women (with his wife’s understanding).

When he stopped in 2007, he was mailing postcards to 2,600 women, including actress Debra Winger and author Louise Erdrich. He closed with a final poem dedicated to his wife Kathleen.

His book Valentinesfeatures all the poems. Here’s the first one he wrote: Read more