Trying to put romantic feelings into words is never easy. Has it ever been? After all, there’s a classic work of literature that involves one of its main characters seeking assistance in writing about love, and it’s served as the template for countless other stories told in the years that followed its original publication.
If you’ve ever thought about sharing your feelings with someone in a letter but doubted your own ability to pull it off, it’s probably worth pointing out that, as with so many things in 2023, you could always hire someone else to write it for you.
As it turns out, there are plenty of people out there willing to take on freelance love letter assignments. That’s the biggest takeaway from a new article in Slate by Heather Schwedel. Schwedel spoke to both ghostwriters and someone who’d made use of their services, all of which makes for a fascinating look at a little-covered aspect of modern romance.
Some of the letters are indeed for declarations of affection, Schwedel found — but others relate to maintaining existing relationships, including letters written to apologize or to celebrate an anniversary. The rates cover a lot of ground, with the least expensive ones discussed in the article costing $5 each and the highest-priced ones commanding $120.
A Novelist Reflects on “Casablanca,” Humphrey Bogart and Young Love
In this excerpt from his book “Cary Grant’s Suit,” writer Todd McEwen revisits a classic movie in an unexpected wayThe article covers a lot of ground, and notes that part of the job of writing romantic communiqués can also involve telling a client when they should be less intense — or when something should be a text as opposed to a full-blown letter. We’re a long way from Cyrano here, and yet some things have barely changed.
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