Students Of Success

Nothing is more daunting for any writer than having to stare at a blank sheet of paper.

When we stare at a blank sheet of paper, we often think, “What am I going to write?” A few minutes later, it becomes, “Oh my goodness, I can’t think of anything to write!” And several minutes later, it turns into something like, “Write, dangnabit! Write! Write! WRITE!”

Some writers call this writer’s block. But I call it the “Writing-Muse-Needs-A-Kick” syndrome.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to do with your writing muse gone truant. We’re going to kick her back into gear so you can fill up that blank page.

Here are 7 writing muse kickers for you to try right now:

1. First Line: Begin a story with “There was once a chance I didn’t take…”

2. Cliche Starter: Weave a story or poem around the cliche, “keep your powder dry.”

3. Power of Metaphor: What does “a string of laughter” make you think of?

4. Proverb Mix: “Beauty breaks the camel’s back.”

5. Story Words: Use the words “pianist, pencil, high-rise building, running shoes” in a story.

6. What If? Story: What if you’re going to write a story about betrayal, with a young man as the main character and a locket as the key object? Set your story on a ranch.

7. Quick Prompt: Write about what you’d say to an uninvited guest.

About The Author

Copyright (c) 2003-2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

For more similar kickers to help start off your writing or even fill up that page you’ve been staring at since yesterday, pick up a copy of Shery’s software for writers, WriteSparks! Lite for free => http://writesparks.com

My friend Joe was very angry. He has just launched his ezine. Last week, he called me in a panic.

“My ISP is threatening to shut me down” he cried.

“Why, what happened?” I asked.

Slowly, working through his agitation and angst, I gathered that one of his ezine ’subscribers’ had accused Joe of ’spamming’ - sending email (or in this case, an ezine) to someone who had NOT requested it. It took a week of repeated phone calls and emails to his ISP before he could get back to his ezine publishing tasks.

It could happen to anyone. Even you!

And this made me wonder - Why would any ezine publisher ’spam’ readers? Or even open him/herself to such accusations?

The simple answer - Many just don’t know how easy it is to avoid.

In my book “Ezine Launch - Creating ‘Killer’ Ezines”, I strongly emphasize the importance of the subscribing process. And that’s what this article will do too - give you TEN reasons to keep your ezine subscribers happy, enthusiastic about your writing, and ultimately make them your most valued customers.

Do it right and you can play them like a musical instrument, get them to sway to your tune, listen to what you’re saying, believe you, respect you.

And presto, you have yourself a new customer.

Once this trusting relationship is established, you can name your own price and your readers will order from you. Your sales will explode, profits will skyrocket.

But only if you do it right !

Today unforgiving subscribers are less tolerant of poor ezine design and administration. They vote for bad ezines by hitting the “Unsubscribe” button. The margin of error in ezine publishing is small.

That is why a tutorial like Ezine Launch - http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com/ezinelaunch/ is an invaluable tool, a hand-holding guide to your initial ventures into publishing email newsletters, leading you step-by-step through the difficult first steps to e-publishing success.

And well begun is half-done. That’s where Double Opt-In comes in.

What does this mean?

With double opt-in, you don’t send out your ezine to everyone who asks for it - until they have confirmed their request by either visiting a website or responding to an email message. This not only verifies that the ezine request is genuine, it also provides you - the ezine publisher - with proof of this request.

To see what I mean, visit our ezine sign-up page at Ezine Launch Monthly at http://www.EzineMarketingCenter.com/ezlmonthly/

Detractors claim that with double opt-in you lose readers.

True, some people who ask for your ezine may not re-confirm.

But think about it - how many of them are likely to become loyal customers or long-term readers? What you’re losing are the tire-kickers, the freebie seekers who transiently flit from one thing to another.

And that is a good thing. Because those that remain are the serious prospects, people who are really interested in you, your product, your service. They are potential customers.

So here are ten reasons to go down a double opt-in route.

With double opt-in, you can

1. Attract the most interested, responsive target audience as subscribers

2. Gain respectability and professionalism for your ezine by behaving responsibly

3. Quickly establish a trusting relationship with readers

4. Ensure most subscribers will actually read your ezine, since they asked for it - twice

5. Enhance the value of your ezine to advertisers who can now reach receptive opt-in audiences

6. Improve the effectiveness of your ezine as a marketing vehicle for your own product and services

7. Have documented proof that subscribers asked to be included on your mailing list

8. Avoid mischievous people signing up someone else’s email addresses for your ezine

9. Save yourself time and money otherwise spent handling complaints from angry ’subscribers’

10. Spare yourself the anxiety and anguish of being shut down by your ISP, or worse, legal action

For all these reasons and more, a double opt-in subscribing process is today’s ‘gold standard’ for ethical and responsible ezine publishing.

Short cuts work in the short term. In the long run, however, quality and professionalism in your ezine publishing efforts will reap the greatest rewards.

Here are a few more resources that explain the most effective ways to grow your list quickly — and ethically!

Jason Potash’s Ezine Announcer at http://www.ezinemarketingcenter.com/announcer/

Paul Myers’ Amazing List Machine at http://www.ezinemarketingcenter.com/listmachine/

Dr.Mani’s Ezine Marketing Tips at http://www.ezinemarketingcenter.com/ezinetips/

Good luck and happy e-publishing

About the author:

Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian has been building profitable niche
minisites since 1998. He recently launched “INSTANT NICHE
MINISITES” - a Web-based tool you can use to ‘point-and-click’
your way to creating niche marketing websites.
http://www.InstantNicheMinisites.com

www.InstantNicheMinisites.com
ideas@ezinemarketingcenter.com

Claude McKay (1890-1948) was born in Jamaica to “relatively
prosperous peasants” (Hathaway 489). In his youth he “studied
classical and British literary figures and philosophers as well
as science and theology” (Hathaway 489). McKay’s earliest poetry
was written in traditional English forms, but later he was
encouraged by his mentor Walter Jekyll to write “dialect poetry
rooted in the island’s folk culture” (Hathaway 489). His first
two volumes of poetry, {i}Songs of Jamaica{/i} (1912) and
{i}Constab Ballads{/i} (1912), are primarily written in dialect.
McKay immigrated to the United States in the fall of 1912, and
after studying agriculture at Tuskegee Institute and Kansas
State College, he moved to New York City in 1914 (Hathaway 490).

In New York, McKay became “increasingly involved with political
and literary radicals” (Hathaway 490). His third volume of
poetry, Spring in New Hampshire (1920), reflects his
changing political stance; his previous use of dialect is gone,
and the poems are divided between commentary of race relations
in America and nostalgic images of life in Jamaica (Hathaway
490). Dissatisfied with American leftist efforts to combat
racism, McKay escaped to the Soviet Union in 1922 and spent six
months traveling throughout the country, attending Communist
symposiums and lecturing on art and politics (Hathaway 490).
While in Russia, McKay “republished a series of articles he had
written for the Soviet press” under the title Negroes in
America (1923), which delivers a “Marxist interpretation of
the history of African Americans” (Hathaway 490).

In 1928, when McKay was recuperating from illness in France, he
published his first novel, Home to Harlem, which is his
most widely read work. Even though the novel describes the lower
class culture of Harlem, rather than middle class values,
Home to Harlem is inherently propagandistic. The central
theme of the novel is the internal conflict undergone by an
educated, intelligent African American (Stoff 133). Ray, through
his friendship with Jack, the ‘natural, instinctive man’,
realizes he has “been robbed by his ‘white’ education of the
ability to act freely and impulsively” (Stoff 133). According
to Stoff’s interpretation of McKay’s work, “only the instinctive
primitive can survive happily in white civilization, its
dehumanizing tendencies are irrelevant to his innately free
existence” (Stoff 134). While McKay’s politics and philosophy
are at odds with most of the Renaissance elders, he still uses
his art for propaganda purposes, in this case to condemn the
African American intellectuals who have traded their own culture
for the middle class values of white America. In his last novel
Banana Bottom (1933), McKay offers a Jamaican heroine
whom is adopted by white missionaries (Stoff 142). Unlike Ray,
Bita Plant, “who rejects the civilized value system but not her
intellect, can move easily from one world to another without
impairing either instinct or intellect” (Stoff 142).

Like the characters in his novels, McKay himself was “forever
seeking fulfillment of his desires to escape color-consciousness
and recapture lost innocence” (Stoff 146). McKay, in his later
life, stated that “As a child, I was never interested in
different kinds of races or tribes. People were just people to
me” (Stoff 128). It was in America that he became aware of his
race consciousness through bigotry and discrimination. McKay,
for the rest of his life, strove to transcend racial boundaries,
but ultimately failed. Many other Renaissance writers, such as
Jessie Fauset, would also explore racial boundaries.

Bibliography

Hathaway, Heather. “Claude McKay.” The Oxford Companion to
African American Literature. Eds. William L. Andrews,
Frances Smith Foster, and Trudier Harris. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1997. 489-90.

Stoff, Michael B. “Claude McKay and the Cult of Primitivism.”
The Harlem Renaissance Remembered. Ed. Arna Bontemps. New
York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1972. 126-146.

The Rewards

1. Trust. Trust is earned over time. A lot of mistakes or
misunderstandings that might make an editor wonder about a
writer they don’t know will all be water under the bridge in a
trusted relationship. 2. Strong Lines of Communication. Another
benefit of trust is openness. You’re more likely to know just
what your editor needs and be better prepared to please her or
him with strong, open communication between you. 3. Ongoing Work
and a Regular Paycheck. An editor who has learned to count on
you will do so, time and again, assignment after assignment. 4.
Growing Relationships = More Work and Raises. The more an editor
trusts you, the more she or he will entrust to you. Maybe twice
the work each month as when you started. To keep you, as the
relationship grows, your paycheck will often grow also. 5.
Growing Clip Files. An editor who assigns you work every month
is good for a dozen new clips a year, as opposed to the editor
who only calls on you once or twice. 6. Great References. The
longer and better they know you, the more likely they are to
gladly recommend you, and in just the right way. 7. Word of
Mouth Advertising. Those recommendations will often come without
you even asking for them. 8. Consistent Style and Other
Expectations = Easier, More Familiar Work. The better you know
an editor and their expectations the more it will be second
nature to do just what it takes to keep them happy. 9. Insights
and an Inside Track on What’s Happening in the Industry. Editors
will not only entrust you with more work, but more information
as part of those tried and true relationships. 10. Momentum. One
of the best ways to build momentum in this industry is to work
with people longterm. Rather than always digging up new work and
building new relationships, ongoing relationships and work can
carry you while you add to them.

Building Editor Relationships

1. Study the Markets. Magazines with the same bylines month
after month use the same writers longterm. Build relationships
with these editors first. 2. Know Them so They’ll Want to Know
You. If you are familiar with the magazine’s thrust, needs,
expectations and working style and deliver that first article in
a way that demonstrates that it and you are a perfect fit for
the publication, it’s easier for the editor to envision a
longterm relationship with you. 3. Make Your Intentions Known.
Let editors know you are interested in building longterm
relationships that produce a win for everyone. 4. Don’t Rest on
Your Laurels. Though it should get easier to satisfy your
editors, they will also expect growth from you. 5. Protect
Growing Relationships. The longer you work for an editor, the
more important it becomes to never miss a deadline, never turn
in a bad piece, never let them down. The more you have invested,
the more this relationship is worth. 6. Follow Editors to New
Publications. If an editor goes to another magazine, try to
preserve both your relationship with your editor and the current
magazine if you can. If they aren’t directly competing, this may
be a way to double your work. To this end, build relationships
with others at the magazine, as well. Become a source of
articles the publication can’t do without, no matter who the
editor is. 7. Make Conversation. There will be moments when it
is appropriate to just be human. When they come, talk, make
conversation, inquire, get to know your editors as people as
well as professionals.

I run across funny signs all the time. I try to take a mental note or take a picture of the sign for later use during a public speaking engagement.

John Jay Daly, a speaker friend of mine, does a hysterical slide presentation called ‘The Wacky, Wonderful World of Washington.’ Many of the slides are of signs that he has seen around Washington, D.C.

My favorite is a sign that says, ‘In case of nuclear attack, the ban on school prayer will be lifted.’ Another slide has a brass plaque on the front of a large building that says, ‘All Deliveries Go to Rear of Building.’ The next slide is the brass plaque on the back of the same building that says, ‘No Deliveries.’

You can have lots of fun with signs. I just showed you two ways you can use them. In the last paragraph, I told you about the signs my friend uses in his slide presentation. That’s one way. The second way is to actually show them, as my friend does, by means of projection. A third way is to have the sign or signs with you and hold them up.

I just attended a Meeting Planners International function where the presenter had his own applause sign. Everyone applauded on cue and had a good laugh because of it.

Photographic Tip: When taking pictures or slides of funny signs, always fill the photographic frame up completely with the sign. The impact of the sign is much greater when you do this. View this web site’s

‘Public Speaking Visuals: Fill ‘Em Up’ article.

Some of my favorite signs:

At a hospital in Prince Georges County, Maryland:

Hospital Policy is to refuse service to hospital patients. (This was posted at the snack bar.)

Funny tombstone inscription:

As I am now, you soon shall be. Prepare for death and follow me.
Scribbled below: To follow you I’m not content. Until I know which way you went.

Another tombstone: It’s so soon, I’m done for, I wonder what I was begun for!

On church marquee: Honey I Shrunk the Sermon

On door of small restaurant: Out to lunch

Sign in front of bankrupt store: We Undersold Everybody.

These English language signs were seen outside the United States:

Advertisement for a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by latest methodists.

Somewhere in an elevator: Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up.

1936 French sign: Don’t kill your wife with work, let electricity do it.

In a Bangkok drycleaner’s window: Drop your trousers here for best results.

Please leave your values at the front desk. (France)

You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid. (Japan)

Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose. (Switzerland)

I saw this sign on a display in a shoe store/pr>

All our spring colors are now in. (All shoes on the rack were white.)

Keep your eye out for funny signs so that you can tell your audiences about them or show them.

Here’s my favorite sign of all time from a hotel in Acapulco, Mexico:

The manager has personally passed all water served here.

Copyright © 1998 - 2005 Advanced Public Speaking Institute

Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book “Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations” and “Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing.” It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his clients’ needs. http://www.antion.com

Advanced Public Speaking Institute
3105 Sergin Ct.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
(757) 431-1366
Fax (757) 431-2050
Contact: cmckinney@public-speaking.org
http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.com

Visit our Blog at http://www.GreatPublicSpeaking.BlogSpot.com

thy skin’s mine flesh,

with blood running through mine veins.

thy heart’s mine aviary,

to where i lay after mine flight.

thy eyes are mine road,

the road brightened by the mighty sun.

thy kiss is mine soul,

a soul longing for passion.

thy hands are mine friends,

they take me through mine bliss.

thy soul’s mine paradise,

the only one above the sky.

doth mine world and body be forever mine?

doth mine song from my heart for thine be heard?

let us be the only one flower with red roots to tip.

mine dreams will finish their quest if you’re here.

About the Author: Lynes Celeste,
16 years old,
a student,
from Rizal, Philippines.

Source: www.isnare.com

Do you struggle with creating content for your ezine? You think
you are not good enough? Or you just don’t have enough time to
write quality articles? Here’s some good news: You’re not alone!

The simple truth is… you don’t have to be an expert writer on a
particular subject, or require plenty of time to write a quality
articles.

It’s not hard. In fact, you don’t have to spend any of your time
creating original or great content. You’ll probably be asking me
now, how is it possible?

Here’s your answer,:

You can:

Use articles from free article websites

You can use articles from free ezine sites and publish them in
your ezine or website, if you didn’t already know. Authors
submit their articles there hoping other publishers will pick
them up and use it in their ezine. So, go to sites like
http://www.ezinearticles.com/ or http://www.goarticles.com/,
choose the article you like, and send an email to the author
letting him/her know that you are going to publish their ezine.
They will be more than happy to grant you permission to use
their articles, and they’ll probably send you more in the future.

Use articles from other publishers’ ezines

If you have been subscribing to other people’s ezines, you will
notice that some of them have a notice at the end of the article
saying you can use that article for your ezine or website,
provided the resource box is intact. Try subscribing to
newsletters published by experts. Their articles are really good
and sometimes they do allow you to use their articles. Just send
them an email requesting permission to use their articles.

Here are two really great ezines that allow you to use their
articles:

Ezinequeen – http://www.ezinequeen.com/

Directory of Ezines – http://www.directoryofezines.com/

Hire someone to write articles for you

Yup, this is another way of getting quality articles. Go to
forums and create a post asking if anyone is interested to write
articles for a small fee. Many of them will be knocking at your
door offering their services.

Two very responsive forums are:

Anthony Blake’s forum – http://www.ablake.net/forum

Michael Green’s forum – http://www.howtocorp.com/forum

Let your readers write your ezine

How? You can write a short note in your ezine, saying that you
accept articles from readers. Many readers will be happy to
contribute because it will give them (and their websites) some
free publicity.

Copywriting is the ONE skill that will
turn words into cash, and it’s really
the one thing you must learn if you’re
thinking of selling anything at all.

From traditional direct mail and now to
the internet, the power of words has
already made millionaires out of
ordinary folks like you and me!

Successful copywriters know this.
That’s why they charge exorbitant fees
for their services, which will no doubt
still be money well invested.

The good news is, you can have this
power too. You can write your own sales-
pulling copy everytime - if you know
the ‘tricks’.

Well read on and I’ll reveal to you 3
jealously-guarded tips that can turn
you into a copywriting genius quickly…

(1) Start A Sales Letter ‘Swipe File’

Simply start collecting winning sales
letters AND emails into a ’swipe file’
that you can refer to for :

* Your own education

* As an ‘idea generator’ for your copy

* As inspiration and motivation

You’ll find this ’swipe file’
invaluable to writing your own killer
copy. Successful copywriters literally
swear by this method in creating
awesome sales letters.

(2) Write As If You’re Your Own Prospect

The real secret to copywriting genius
is to get into your propect’s mind and
encourage action at will.

And the best way to do this is by
becoming your prospects!

Write your copy from their view and put
yourself in their shoes. Think like
them and you’ll build a subconscious
rapport that wins them over.

Throughout your copy, ask questions
they would ask.

Write from the heart and answer these
questions.

Ask yourself too : “would YOU buy this
product yourself if you’re reading the
copy you wrote?”

Identifying with your prospects must
begin right from the headline down to
the final P.S.

(3) Create The Achieved End Results

Here’s a tip that works like crazy.

Create the actual OR perceived end
results write at the beginning of your
copy. Give specific details. Continue to
emphasize these results and benefits
throughout your letter.

Give a ‘tangible’ feel to what can be
achieve IF they buy, and what they’ll
lose if they don’t.

A simple example…

Don’t write : “You’ll receive unlimited
traffic to your website everyday!”

So? What does that achieve?

Write instead : “Generate 1000% more
traffic, subscribers AND sales with
less than 5 minutes work!”

This shows the end results more clearly.

Copywriting’s easy if you know the
right techniques.

Apply the above 3 tips and you’ll be
improving your own copy quickly …
without spending hundreds of dollars or
hours on copywriting courses or ebooks.
Try it.

About the Author

****************************************
Copyright (c) By Ewen Chia
Finally! Discover Web Marketing Secrets,
Tips And Resources In Less Than 30
Seconds And Without Spending A Single
Cent!
http://www.marketing-make-money.com
–> P.S. More hard-hitting articles
can be found at
http://www.EzineArticle.com

Reprintable Article: Permission is granted for the following
article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine,
newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product
for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline,
copyright, and resource box is included.
———————————————————- Use a
List-server to Distribute Your Newsletter

By Stephen Bucaro

If you publish an e-newsletter or e-zine, you know that
administering your subscriber list is a big chore. To maintain
the list, you may be using an email program on your computer or
a CGI program on your server. One advantage to maintaining the
list yourself is that you know it is not being shared by anyone
else.

However, there are four good reasons why you should host your
list on a list-server.

1. People can subscribe or unsubscribe from your list
automatically with absolutely no work by you.

2. People often subscribe with an email alias or forwarded email
account. You send your newsletter to one address, then receive a
delivery failure or unsubscribe from an address not on your
list. You can’t delete it from your list.

3. People subscribe to the list and then forget that they
subscribed. They accuse you of spamming. This can’t be avoided
entirely, but if your list is hosted on a list-server, you can
respond by saying “all subscribes and unsubscribes are handled
automatically by the list server, you have no control of it.”

4. If you plan to sell advertising in your newsletter, most
advertisers and advertisement networks will require you to
verify your subscriber count. If you maintain the list yourself,
the only way you can do that is to share your list with them.
You don’t want to do that.

If your list is hosted on a list-server, the number of
subscribers is there for all to see, provided by an independent
third party.

Choosing a List-server

Many list-servers disappeared in the “.com” bust. The best one,
listbot, was bought by Microsoft. It is now called bCentral and
costs $30.00 per month. Being a list owner, it is your
responsibility to keep your list private. With the well
publicized ethical problems at Microsoft, I would not put my
subscriber list in their hands.

Most of the lists ended up on Yahoo. They are in the domain
http://groups.yahoo.com. I find yahoo groups very complicated to
configure. I also worry about Yahoo’s privacy policy. Yahoo
Group Help states, “If you use Groups, it is very likely that
other users will be able to see your email address.”

http://www.topica.com has the easiest to setup list-server.
However, it is primarily a group mailing list application that
must be configured correctly to perform the newsletter list
function. Topica’s privacy policy states, “The email addresses
of participants are partially obscured so they are not
obtainable by unauthorized visitors.”

Configuring the List-server

To make a list server function as a newsletter list requires
that you modify its default configuration. The following
configurations should be set.

1. List Type: Read-only Announcement list. Only the owner of the
list can post messages to the list.

2. Subscription: Does not require owner approval for people to
join the list.

3. Archive: Readable by subscribers only. If non-subscribers can
read the newsletter, why should anyone subscribe?

Using the List Server

Now all you have to do is post your newsletter to the list and
it will be delivered to all the subscribers. You will still be
required to deal with delivery failures. If the reason for the
delivery failure is because the email box no-longer exists, then
you should delete that address from your list immediately.

A delivery failure can also occur because the email box is too
full, or because the mail server is down. You should establish a
policy for dealing with delivery failures. You have three
choices.

1. Ignore them and let the number of messages returned because
of delivery failure grow to enormous size. Advertisers will not
use newsletters if they find out they are paying for a large
number of non-deliverable addresses.

2. Delete them immediately. If you do that, you may be removing
many subscribers who only have the temporary problems mentioned
above.

3. Keep a delivery failure address on your list until it fails
three times. After three consecutive delivery failures, it is
unlikely that the situation will clear up, so you may as well
delete the member.

If you want to publish a quality e-newsletter or e-zine, you
need to spend more time working on content and less time
administering the subscriber list. For this reason, you should
use a list-server application. But make sure that you are
comfortable with the operation of the list-server before you
commit your valuable subscriber list.
———————————————————-
Resource Box: Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to
maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a
Web site and make money on the Web visit:
http://bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp
Newsletter Send a blank email to
bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com

I Just Can’t Wait for Valentine! My boyfriend Stephen and I have
been together for a year now and we are separated by 2 hours
drive. Last February, I kept complaining how both my sisters had
plans for Valentine’s Day and how much I miss him. And all he
did was try to comfort me. On February the 14th, I was awakened
by our love song “I Can’t Live Without You” and then found a
stem of red rose on each step of the stairs leading to the front
door. As I opened the door, I found him standing with the
biggest and cutest teddy bear asking if I wanted to be his
valentine. Later that evening, he had a whole moonlit dinner for
us (he actually made the candlelit dinner). It was so impressive
and romantic! I still talk about it to this day. -Jane ‘I Just
Can’t Wait for Valentine!”-

Just Do It! When my boyfriend of 9 months told me he was never
going to get married unless a woman asked him, I was surprised.
I had always prepared my self to say yes to him when he did, but
now I had to change the plan and ask him. Last Valentine’s Day,
he took me out for a romantic dinner in an Italian restaurant. I
wanted to read to him a letter I wrote telling him about my
feelings and what I wanted out of our relationship. During our
main course, I started reading it slowly, looking at his face
every once and a while to see his expressions. I then suddenly
got out of my chair and walked towards him, while still reading
the letter. When I got to the part in the letter where I wrote
that I was going to propose to him I told him to hold the letter
for a minute, knelt before him and told him it was going to be
my honor if I could be his wife. The look on his face was
priceless; he looked at me and with tears filled eyes. Everyone
in the restaurant was looking at us… I was crying out of joy
and was the happiest woman on earth. This is my Valentine Day I
will never forget -Just Do It Marlyn-

Valentine Hunt This is my idea, and I’m going to use for this
Valentine year… First, I talk to her boss at work, and arrange
to have her scheduled for a day when she doesn’t really have to
work. When she shows up that day, her boss tells her they don’t
need her and she can go home, but hands her a note (from me)
which is the start of a series of poetic clues. The gist of it
is the first clue indicates she should go to the place where we
first met (fare included with this clue). When she gets there,
the second clue hints at the place we had our first dance (keys
to a car included with this clue). When she gets there, she
finds another clue hinting at the place we had our first kiss.
At the end, the last clue sends her to her favorite outdoor
spot, where she will find a toy shovel and uses a treasure map
drawn on the back of the clue to dig up a treasure chest jewelry
box, containing the engagement ring. When she gets it up and
finds the ring, I come up behind her, drop to one knee and tell
her she is my treasure, and ask her to be my wife. -My Treasure-
A Fantastic Night I’m a radio DJ and have been courting with my
boyfriend for 3 years. On Valentine’s Day I had to work all day
and was really bummed that I couldn’t be with my boyfriend. When
I got off work I called him and he said that he was tired and
that we could see each other for breakfast tomorrow. I was
really disappointed but I was too tired to care. When I got home
I went into my bedroom and found a beautiful black lingerie with
a long stemmed red rose on it. There were petals everywhere and
12 long-stemmed roses placed on my favorite places around my
room. My boyfriend had even taken off the petals and sprinkled
them in my bathtub surrounded with candlelits and the scent of
rose, a bottle of wine with 2 glasses oh! it was so romantic,
and more than I could have ever dreamed of!.This was a fantasy
that I had told him once and he remembered. I was so shocked
that I stood there for about 10 minutes just gawking at the
whole thing. I knew right there that I loved this man, and that
I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. -My lifetime
husband-

White Roses Means ‘True Love’ My boyfriend turn up at my work
place in the morning of Valentine’s Day with 2 dozen white
roses. I was totally surprised and amazed! My co-worker had
asked him why the white roses and he said, “White roses means
true love.” I was blushing, speechless, crazily in love and
totally happy! On my day, he took me out for lunch at this
classy Chinese restaurant; he knows that I’m absolutely a
Chinese food freak! Oh no, my Valentine surprise wasn’t over
yet! We spend the whole weekend in Phuket and once again knocked
me off my feet! It was the best Valentine ever! I felt like a
princess that weekend! He certainly made it an unforgettable
one! -Surprise Love- Spend this Valentine with wonderful gifts
and ideas for the special one you love. “U too can have a
Fantastic Valentine!!!” I have been married ever since the
Valentine Surprise! and just can’t wait for Valentine Day!

Susan Kimberly U
TOO CAN HAVE A FANTASTIC VALENTINE