A love letter is a symbol of romance and will endure well beyond a bouquet of red roses. To all the men out there keen to make an impression on someone special thisValentine’s Day, you’ll want to pay close attention to these fool-proof writing tips.

- Always address the letter to the person receiving it and sign off with your name at the end. Any confusion around this part could spell trouble!

- As you put heart to hand, hand to pen and pen to paper, keep your funny bone nextto your heart. Humour is consistently rated as the most attractive quality in the opposite sex.

- Don’t compare yourself to Shakespeare. Poetry and prose come with years ofexperience and let’s face it, she already knows that roses are red and violets are blue.

- If you make a spelling mistake, start again. Twink is not appropriate, especially overtheir name.

- Capture one of your favourite moments together on paper. While she may not have forgotten, she’ll definitely know you were paying attention.

- While she wants to hear that you think she’s beautiful, remember to concentrate onwhat’s on the inside too – even if she does have a rather impressive set of…shoes!

- Ditch the everyday text language (LOL, LMAO, TTYL) and use your imagination.Remember you’ve got more than 140 characters to work with!

- The presentation of the letter is key. A fine ink pen on quality paper, complete with a wax disc will give you extra brownie points.

For the essentials in helping you craft the perfect love letter this Valentine’s Day or formore special gift ideas visit www.redletterday.co.nz

Lindy MacDonald, owner of boutique stationery store, Red Letter Day, not only has aneye for fine gifts, she has a way with words too! The self-confessed stationery devotee has had a long-standing love affair with writing and sure knows how to string a sentencetogether.