What other styles are there for silly/affectionate note-writing?

March 8, 2007 7:12 AM

What other styles are there for silly/affectionate note-writing?

I'm a big fan of writing silly little letters to my boyfriend for him to find when he gets home from work. And he's a big fan of receiving them. However, I've made things a little hard for myself by trying to make every single one of them (maybe 2/3/more per week) a different style.

For example, I'll do one as a poem, one as a numbered list, one with funny questions in them, one with our inside jokes written down so he won't forget them, one with doodles, one with each sentence starting with the next letter of the alphabet, one with instructions.. and so on. Yeah, it's corny, but it makes him smile, and I love doing it.

So, aside from the fact that I could just re-do previously used styles, because he appreciates them, whatever they say, and I can possibly think up some more myself, does anyone have ideas for other styles? (Also, I never use other people's material - so no quotes, song lyrics or movie quotes.) I just like to keep it as original as possible. :)

posted by angryjellybean to writing & language (25 comments total)

Just a few thoughts...goofy plans for world domination / get rich quick scheme, a paper plate made into a completely ridiculous award (make sure this isn't coming from a potential sore spot in the relationship), short-short stories about strange people/places/things...
posted by graymouser at 7:17 AM on March 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

And a few more: usage instructions for made-up devices, driving directions that violate the laws of time and space (preferably to places less than 15 min. from home), a series of haiku with ridiculous endings...
posted by graymouser at 7:19 AM on March 8, 2007

Do the ransom note thing with each letter cut out of a magazine or newspaper.
posted by macadamiaranch at 7:20 AM on March 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Just keep being creative. I did this too on hundreds of note cards and it was stressful trying to think of what I was going to do next. You could get plenty of suggestions in here, but it will be so much better if you come up with the ideas on your own.

I like graymouser's suggestions, but if you're as creative as I think you are, you can come up with these ideas and manage the stress along the way.

In case you end up deciding you don't care about that:

Sports announcer
Restaurant menu
From the future/past
From current news events
In binary code
From a mechanic
Notes from a business meeting
From the hairdresser
Glue on lettering
Haiku/Limerick
Kid's lemonade stand style
posted by cashman at 7:25 AM on March 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

-rebus style (I luuuuvvvv rebuses)
-crossword or search a word puzzle style
-cryptic code
-morse code
-backwards lettering so he has to hold it in front of a mirror to read it
-print in other languages - run them through babelfish for extra fun
-glow in the dark ink so he has to light it and then take it into a closet
-scavenger hunt style, with clues to where the next parts of the note can be found
posted by iconomy at 7:27 AM on March 8, 2007

Don't give up on poetry after just one! There are literally dozens of different styles of poems. In addition to choosing different rhyme schemes/meters, there are also a number of not too difficult formal styles. May I suggest, as a start:

Limerick
Double Dactyl
Villanelle
Haiku
Rondelet
Sestina
posted by decathecting at 7:30 AM on March 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

note to self/to-do list "accidentally" left out
posted by white light at 7:44 AM on March 8, 2007

I have a habit of writing notes to my girlfriend on note-cards that are cut and decorated to resemble some object contained in the text of the note. For instance, a note complimenting her bodily charms might be cut out in a female silhouette, or one calling her the "apple of my eye" in the shape of an apple, etc. She absolutely adores them, but has to hide some of my racier notes when guests come over.
posted by saladin at 7:59 AM on March 8, 2007

Story arcs
posted by wackybrit at 8:24 AM on March 8, 2007

-pop-ups
-cootie catchers
-origami
posted by iconomy at 8:30 AM on March 8, 2007

These are great ideas, thanks for asking this question!

How about something like those "while you were out" phone memo forms? Or fake postcards from your happy place?
posted by sarahmelah at 8:31 AM on March 8, 2007

"Once upon a time" stories. With ridiculously obvious pseudonyms.

My boyfriend once made me a passport to his heart. I got a "permanent immigration" stamp. It was awesome.
posted by heatherann at 8:39 AM on March 8, 2007

My fiance sent me an envelope full of tiny bits of card in different shapes, each with a loving message on in different colours of ink. I still have all of them.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:43 AM on March 8, 2007

Game show host.
A speech from the President/Primeminister.
A Dalek.
A little girl.
A mimic of him.
A suicide note.
posted by pollystark at 8:51 AM on March 8, 2007

Warning notice

Also: It is a federal crime to remove this tag

also: ticket (traffic or theater)

also: ingredients list / nutritional analysis

also: advent calendar

also: horoscope
posted by amtho at 9:24 AM on March 8, 2007

If you can track down a copy of Exercises in Style, it might give you some ideas.
posted by juv3nal at 9:57 AM on March 8, 2007

Fake utility bill; elaborate recipe; baseball card; business card; political flyer; investment opportunity advertisement; jigsaw puzzle; band venue flyer; parking ticket; ransom note; Ladle Rat Rotten Hut (Little Red Riding Hood) style.
posted by jamjam at 10:05 AM on March 8, 2007

More thoughts:

Spam email
Regular card, put through a strip shredder so that the strips have to be reassembled
Gift Certificate
Frequent flyer miles (could be dirty)
Stock Certificate
shopping list
Dictionary page (with definitions of words about your relationship, complete with pronunciation guides)
Track list for mixtape/CD
posted by decathecting at 10:15 AM on March 8, 2007

diagrams
posted by mikepop at 10:46 AM on March 8, 2007

ha, these are great! how about a credit card offer complete with credit card magnet?
posted by kitalea at 11:11 AM on March 8, 2007

Dear sir, sort of letter, like it's coming from a company.

Collage postcards with photos of him mixed in.

mobiles

notes on his calendar or even better if he uses an online calendar a reminder note that pops up.

make a photograph note it and just keep it on his camera until he loads it/ develops it

Scavenger hunt with clues leading to a prize
posted by brinkzilla at 11:23 AM on March 8, 2007

What fun! I'd definitely branch out into different media. Write on flattened (paper) coffee cups, napkins, interesting ads torn out of magazines; with watercolors, finger paints, or crayons; perhaps on new surfaces—lipstick on the mirror, dry-erase marker on the windows, magnetic poetry on the fridge? Or take pictures of these things, or messages spelled out in food or other materials. Lists and diagrams offer a lot of options. I used to do “[blank] or [blank]?” with a friend—Mariah or Whitney? Beach or mountain? Watermelon or cherry? Nouns or verbs? Flowcharts. Sentence diagrams. Outlines (as in for a research paper). Flashcards. Cue cards. Baseball cards.
posted by CiaoMela at 11:30 AM on March 8, 2007

Fictional proxy. Our teddy bear writes notes / says things we would not want to say directly / or for fun. Especially evil fun things.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 5:20 PM on March 8, 2007

How about a comic strip? If you're an artiste, great. If not, stick figures!
posted by juliplease at 5:24 PM on March 8, 2007

Haha, this is awesome. My boyfriend and I give each other silly notes occasionally, though his is more humorous.

He sent me a filled-in crossword once! (Well, a bunch of crossing words really) Unbeknownst to him, I too had prepared a crossword for him to fill up.

Word searches? Riddles? Trivia? Something interactive would be good.
posted by divabat at 1:20 PM on March 9, 2007