Everyday writing tips – How to write a birthday card
Yes this may seem like a mad article title! Surely we all know how to write a birthday card right? You simply fill in the name of the individual whose birthday it is / was / will be, and sign it off with lots of love. Er, well it may have been that simple years ago, when shop-brought, mass produced birthday cards were the only option available to you. Now however, with the introduction of e-cards, blank cards, card making kits and a general revival of handmade stationary, there is a growing need to come up with your own, personalised birthday card message. And if you want it to stand out from the crowd it’ll have to tick all of the boxes; it needs to be creative, unique, personal and produce that fussy feeling when read and appreciated. Writing birthday cards has become a whole lot more complicated now!
When it comes to creating your very own birthday card message there are a number of things you need to think about. Perhaps a little obviously, the first thing you need to consider is who will you be sending the card to. You need to have spent a little bit of time thinking about the reader of the card because this will help determine the style and tone of the message written. Consider the following questions:
1. Is the recipient of the card male or female?
2. How old are they?
3. What sort of personality do they have? Would they appreciate a rude message, a humorous message, or a heartfelt message?
4. How well do you know the intended recipient? What level of personalised message do you think would be appropriate for your relationship with them?
5. When will you be sending the card? Obviously if the card is likely to arrive late, you need to ensure that the message reflects a belated birthday wish!
Once these questions have been answered you should have a clearer idea of the style of message that you want to write, the tone at which you need to pitch your writing, and any content specific criteria that needs to be included. You are almost there! You just need to now think about length. How long do you think the message should be? Most individuals would write between 10 and 20 words for a birthday card message. Can you convey everything you need to convey within this space? Next think about how the length of the message you are going to create will impact on the spacing of the card. If the card itself is tiny, you’re message also needs to be. If your card is particularly large, a tiny message will become lost. Focus on tone, style and length, and you should create a well thought out, personalised birthday card message.