Before you get started, make sure you have got everything you need for your love letter. Take nice, thick paper - in the colour of your choice. Not too bright though; go for the lighter alternative - pale pink in place of pink, apricot in place of orange, and so on. Adding motifs in the shape of hearts or little roses is allowed, but not absolutely necessary. Here, too, less is more. Should your sweetheart fancy the full dose of romance, then go for it.
There are two things to consider in a pencil: It has to write beautifully and you have to write beautifully with it. Fine ballpoint pens are ideal, yet fineliners such as the STAEDTLER triplus fineliner are likewise well suited. They come in 30 different colours - including subtle natural and pastel shades - to match the paper. Best you choose the proper writing instrument intuitively. Beware of glitter pens and otherwise, though: Cheap run-out versions are often messy, so better invest a little more.

You have got your pen and paper? Very well, set it aside. We will do dry runs first. Fetch some notes and take notes. Only when the ultimate letter has been created will we write it down nice and clean.
First of all, think about why you are writing this letter. Was there a specific occasion or incident which inspired you, or do you just want to open your heart? Do you wish to thank someone for the past years or write your way into someone's heart? Think about how you feel and jot down a few notes. Also, you can gather real experiences and moments which you connect with the person. Think about what makes your loved one so unique - even more so if they are failings. Examples such as these will make your letter more vivid and thus more emotional.

Your notes are rough diamonds, and you are the jeweller. Once you have determined what your love letter is to be about, you can begin phrasing. Looking for the right words, can easily make you go mad. If that perfect phrase just won't quite come off, crib from the pros. But with style. That is to say: If you do quote Goethe, then stand by it.
However, ONE quote should suffice - after all, you should be the one writing, not have someone else do it for you. Try to express your emotions clearly. The art is in letting your feelings speak out clearly. It isn't easy, but don't despair and don't be too self-critical. Even if you're no Casanova, your sweetheart will appreciate your commitment nonetheless.

Metaphor á la “losing sleep over you” are always a rewarding stylistic device for love letters – although a little more individuality wouldn’t hurt. As well as your feelings, your personality should also come into its own. So remain true to yourself – even if phrasing is difficult for you. There is nothing worse than a love letter which bears the handwriting of someone else. Ghost writing is definitely out of the question.
Whether you give your letter a passionate, stormy or a reserved-sensitive style depends on your situation. How long have you known the person, what is your motive? Always question whether the text conveys your message – from your point of view and your sweetheart’s. If the revered is of the rational kind, ornateness may be out of place; just as ardent of love right after the first date. Less drama, more honesty.

You have to decide for yourself whether to insert metaphors and quotes. You should, however, use one thing for sure as regards content: the secret weapon “uniqueness”. If your sweetheart finds his or her nose awful, it should be the most beautiful in the world for you. And if your loved one is a stickler for order, you praise the perfectionism shown.
From a beauty patch on the derrière to forgetfulness, from flowing hair to lack of self-discipline – there are many things which make up your sweetheart. By naming them you show that you appreciate all this in the person – good and bad. In this way you subtly meet one of the most beautiful statements in the world: “I love you just the way you are.”

Like the beginning, the end is also very important. This is where you sum up what is dear to you – with emotion and understanding. Push and shove, and you’re out. Too much agitated melancholia won’t work either. Strike a balance that suits you and the intended recipient. 
It’s the last words of the letter that stay in mind, so a little sweat-talking is allowed! Alternatively, you can include a linguistic wink to make your sweetheart laugh.
Be creative, open and “sweet”. Say farewell by putting a smile on the face of your sweetheart. That’s 100 points!

It is finished, and so are you, probably. Because the joy of completion is all too often accompanied by the nervousness of delivery. Keep calm; there are still things to do. Now read your letter out loud three times at least, like an audition, while paying attention to tone and rhythm. You may need to touch up a few parts.
You should sleep on it before doing the final copy. Then read your love letter out loud several times again. Don’t be embarrassed by what you have written – unless you don’t really feel it. If you think you may have overshot, it’s better to slow things down a bit. But only a little! After all, you should show some courage in your affair of the heart.

Brains off - paper out. It's time for calligraphic writing. Before you get started with the high-grade paper, you should do some wrist stretching exercises and warm-up writing. Then begin. You want your writing to be particularly beautiful and flawless of course - and if something does go wrong, you can try to pick it up gracefully in your letter rather than to set out anew. Don't forget to date your letter so that your sweetheart can recall the event even after years when nestling in your arm with a "Do you remember...".
Once your creation has been completed, read it again (and yes, you most likely already know it by heart). Does everything fit together? It does. If appropriate, you can enrich the letter with a dash of your perfume. Now you put everything in an envelope and prepare for the hardest part. The way to the letter box.

Yes, love letters are like an emotional striptease. That’s never easy. But you have a goal in mind and are therefore ready to be entirely at the mercy of your emotions.
You can deliver your letter personally – for bonus points without looking silly. The good old stamp, however, will do. Or you can slip your sweetheart the envelope secretly. In case of a new acquaintance or a first declaration of love, you should be ready to face hard times. Over the next days you will probably suffer, doubt and despair – and feel the full force of love’s fiendish side. Hold out and wait for a response. Under no circumstances should you contact your sweetheart first.

Some are rewarded directly for their sweet efforts, their feelings reciprocated. For others, merely a delicate bond of love forms, accompanied by loss of sleep and butterflies in the stomach. And others yet have their hearts broken. Ouch.
No matter how your mission turns out: You did everything right. Love is worth fighting for, sometimes even taking a risk for. It didn’t work out this time, but it definitely will next time. Why? Because. In our fast-paced times, you did something special for someone very special: you took time. And someone out there will definitely appreciate this fact. Look forward to it.

You need to make the first step a pleasurable experience as keeping a diary should be fun and not have a 'duty' feel to it. That means you need to get yourself a nice diary with or without a lock, a notebook or anything else that takes your fancy. Loose sheets of paper are possible in theory, but are likely to soon get jumbled up and out of order. So forget that option. You'll also need a nice pen – one that you like and can write with over longer periods of time without your hand getting tired. Online journals exist but aren't really the same thing. A virtual file is not like an actual book that you can skim or leaf through.

A brand-new journal full of nothing but blank pages can be quite daunting. No need to panic: Remember that the diary is intended for you and you alone and that it doesn't have to impress anyone else. It may help if you begin with a quote, a poem or a song text – anything you find moving. That can help break the ice and neutralise the intimidating blankness of the white page in front of you.

There's only rule to diary keeping: There are no rules. There are no dos and don'ts. It does, however, make sense to write the date on each entry so that you not only know what was on your mind, but when too. Apart from that, you're free to write whatever you like – there are no restrictions.

The first step is always the hardest – it doesn't have to be though. If you're not quite sure how to begin your entries, here's a solution that might help: "Dear diary".
That makes it like writing to a fictional pen pal and many find that helps them get started. Alternatively, you could begin with a headline or one single word that sums up your day. Like we said before: There are no rules.

That's up to you – and no-one else. You can confide in your diary and write about absolutely anything. About special occasions or even not-to-special ones, about your feelings, dreams, fears, hopes or plans. Think of your journal as a black hole, waiting to swallow up all your day's troubles. Let your thoughts and feelings out – whether good or bad. Your diary will never say "You're not going on about that again, are you?". Take advantage of this and let it all out!

Your entries need not be entries as such. Maybe a picture would be a better way to explain what's bothering you. If so, draw one! Or have you got a photo that shows how your day was? Stick it in! It's important that you free yourself from the fixed idea of what a diary should be like. It's your diary and should be just as you want it to be. So if you'd rather jot down a list of pointers instead of writing whole sentences, then you can. If you fancy, you can put in sub-headings, cross things out and add a * for any afterthoughts. Let yourself go!

 
Some people find it easy to pick up a pen and start writing. If that's you, then get going! Once you do, the different topics may get a bit jumbled up when put to paper, but at least it means they're unfiltered. A person who spends too long thinking about what he wants to write often gets in his own way. If you find it impossible to do without structuring your thoughts somewhat first, you could scribble down some notes before making your entry.

There are some things that are difficult to talk about. They do need to be dealt with though. Strokes of bad luck, separations and crises are as much a part of life as happy events that we prefer speaking of. "Thinking is the soliloquy of the soul", Plato once said.
Writing down your thoughts helps you get through difficult times and find closure on unpleasant experiences. You can also tell your diary if you've done something you're not proud of and are feeling bad about it. Recognising your own shortcomings is, after all, the first step towards self-improvement

Are you having problems with lesson 8? We've got a trick for unmotivated writers. Note down a sentence in your diary in the morning which sums up your expectations of the day ahead. In the evening, you do the same. This time though, a sentence that describes what the day really was like. Do that for at least two weeks. You'll then find it easier to keep a diary and find yourself needing increasingly more sentences for self-reflection.

 
You now know what needs to be done to make 'mission diary' a success. One more request: Persevere! Even if you forget to make an entry for two weeks, don't give up. A diary is more than just a record – it tells the story of your life better than any other medium could. Candid, honest and blunt. That's why it's such an excellent means for channelling your innermost thoughts.

Diaries don't just offer you a way for coming to terms with any bad experiences you may have had, they can contain positive thoughts too. Butterflies in your tummy, the Superman of your dreams, a trip around the world etc. And not just as memories but as a testimony of your past. Wow!
You can discover yourself anew – all you have to do is read it to find out about your life at any particular point in time. Some things will make you laugh – others may make you blush. Don't be embarrassed, accept your feelings – even if you find it difficult to relate to them any more – and smile to yourself.

A diary is a bit like the Amber Room. Everyone's dying to find it! Look after it and hide it in a safe place. We really don't want to think bad of anyone: But when you get hold of someone else's diary, the temptation to take a peek inside is almost irresistible. After all, there's no better way to get inside the owner's mind. So think carefully about where you want to keep your precious piece.

Start your diary today. It's your personal secret-keeper, it won't argue with you, won't give anything away and belongs to you and you alone.
You'll discover the pleasure to be had in keeping a diary and then being able to reread it years later. That easily makes it worth the effort. Before you know it, you'll notice how good it feels to make an entry and get things off your chest. And it's much more intimate than opening your heart to someone else, because when you write in your diary, the person you're confiding in is you!

Considering the fact that the average adult has not held a pen in hand in over a month, practising is the be-all and end-all. A simple trick works wonders: Always carry a pen with you - and use it.
Instead of typing a telephone number directly into the mobile phone, write it down first. The pens by STAEDTLER are ideally suited for the lessons because they prohibit scribbling and encourage writing slowly.

That’s so mean. But once you have returned to using a pencil regularly, the pace will increase. Now you will write whole sentences. Make sure that your writing remains consistent.
Regardless of the direction it slopes, as long as the overall result is elegantly proportioned. Then, the synthesis of the arts is within reach.

You have perhaps already noticed how delighted your synapses are. Writing by hand is good for the brain - and it gets any mind going again which has been collecting dust because of computer use. Thus motivated, you may try your hand at a love letter or a thank-you note.
In doing so, try painting the words instead of simply writing them. Content is of secondary importance: After all, a handwritten letter appeals to the emotional part of the reader's brain somehow or other. You simply can't go wrong.

Congratulation! You have shown endurance. Don't stop just now - it would mean giving up this beautiful script for the touch system on a keyboard. We do realize that you will not be sending your tax advisor artful cards in future. That's not the idea.
Rather you should realise that you should not equate your tax advisor, co-worker or advocate with your partner, friends or family members. So to the tax office you should continue writing e-mails. And to your loved one a real letter now and then - in your personal, beautiful handwriting.