Contest Revives the Lost Art of the Love Letter

I have a drawer full of love letters that my boyfriend of two years has written me.

They are treasures beyond compare, worth more than anything he could ever buy me - in my heart.

In London to rectify love not being in the mail like it used to be but knowing it's in the air a competition has been launched to revive the lost art of love letter writing.

The second annual international contest, which brought in 5,000 submissions last year is Philanthropist Henri Zimand's competition to snare the best written love letters and is now accepting entrants from Britain too as well as the U.S.

"No one should underestimate the power of a letter that truly comes from the heart and with every letter I receive I am moved and remember my wife," said Zimand in a press release.

For each of the first 10,000 letters posted to the website AndaSpirit.com in Britain or AndaSpiritUSA.com in the United States, a contribution to a cancer organization in the area where the letter was written will be given.

The winners, which will be chosen from a panel including Zimand and other judges, will be whisked off to New York and on Valentine's Day given a horse-drawn carriage ride in the Big Apple.

Sheila of KissingBooth.com offers these tips when writing a love letter:

1. Start slow.

2. Look for inspiration in art and literature books.

3. Place a picture of your loved one in front of you for inspiration.

4. Practice on plain white paper.

5. Don't try to gain points by writing phony letters about such things as flowers, butterflies, or something else your partner may like.

6. Don't write about anyone else except you and the addressee in the letter.

7. Always end the letter with thoughts and hopes for the future.


8. Love letters need not only be for new couples.

According to lovingyou.com, love may be expressed in a variety of ways but the most classic one is the love letter. Some expressions such as these are sealed with a lipstick print kiss as a token of affection before sending the literary work on its way via the U.S. mail.

At passionup.com you can choose from an array of customized love letters and personalize them for your own situation.