How to Write a Love Note

Captain Wentworth writes his famous letter.

I love a great love note, and Valentine's Day is a great day to give or get a love note. Of course, love notes aren’t just for lovers. I’ve written love notes to my parents, my kids, my friends, and my siblings. Everybody loves a love note. It’s the perfect recession-proof valentine’s gift. It’s also a great way to rekindle a relationship that’s gone a little flat.

One of the advantages of marrying another writer is that my husband is great at writing me notes. I have a notebook full of them. I think it's one of the things that's strengthened our marriage. During the early years--when things were sometimes a little rocky--I often had to write down a list of the things that bugged me about my husband then throw them away before writing him a love note. It sounds weird, but it must have worked because we’ve been married for eighteen years now.

It’s like a Thank-you Note

You can think of a love note as a sort of thank-you note. A good way to start is to list some of the person’s good qualities, saying things like:

• "Thank you for listening to me,"

• "You're great at making me laugh," or

• "I love how you work hard every day."

It’s a way to Remember Good Times

You can also talk about fun times you’ve had together:

• "I’ll always remember our kayaking trip,"

• "I really enjoy our early morning runs," or

• "I always look forward to watching old movies with you."

It’s Unique 

It’s important not to limit yourself. Don’t worry about making your note a certain length. A good love note can be really short or really long or somewhere in between. If you want to draw a picture, go ahead. Your note doesn’t all have to be original either. If there’s a song or poem that reminds you of that person, write down the lyrics. One of my favorite love notes from my husband is a collection of quotes that reminded him of me.

The classic love note in literature is usually a confession of feelings that haven’t been obvious up to that point. This is, of course, the most risky and most romantic love note. Chances are, though, that most love notes you write go to people who already have a clue about your feelings. That doesn’t mean that they won’t love to see them in writing.