Tips For Writing Valentine’s Day One Liners From Nicholas Sparks

I posted an interview I did with Nicholas Sparks about 'Safe Haven' yesterday, but I came across this on Shutterfly and it made me chuckle.  It's obviously too late for Valentine's Day, but you can stash it away for next year!

Nicholas Sparks is the bestselling author of 18 novels. Eight of his books — Message in a Bottle, a Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John, The Last Song, The Lucky One and Safe Haven — have been made into movies. Here are his tips for writing the perfect one-liner.

Keep it STRONG

Be committed. Your line must convey love, and convey it in no uncertain terms. Stay away from language that is open for interpretation or that leaves room for doubt—avoid words like “might” and “maybe.”

Keep it SINCERE

Think about love as a very real, personal thing between you and the person you love. Find inspiration from your relationship. What does this love mean to you?

Keep it SIMPLE

Your goal is to convey your feelings—not your intelligence. Don’t be too wordy, and if you’re going to use metaphor, pick one; it’s better to have one metaphor that says it all than a number of metaphors that each fall short in their own way.

Keep it SHORT

Do not hide your message in an endless parade of phrases, words, and descriptions. Part of what makes the phrase “I love you” so powerful is that it evokes such a powerful emotion in so few words.