Create Custom Birthday Card Messages & Poems
You don't have to be a professional writer to create a heartfelt and sincere birthday message. These tips will help you get started writing a birthday note that matches your thoughts and suits your recipient.
Avoid staring at a blank birthday card. It just promotes writer's block and adds pressure. Relax! Use these ideas to turn that blank card into a treasured sentiment.
1. Look to professionals. Writers labor over words for days, weeks, and even years. Let their hard work benefit you. Get inspiration from published works that you admire. Use a favorite quote to say what you can't express. Copy the rhythm and meter of a favorite poem, replacing lines or words to create a birthday-theme sentiment specific to the birthday card recipient. Excerpt from a favorite passage, and add your own birthday wish at the end. Incorporate the birthday person's name or other characteristics into an existing poem or quote.
2. Brainstorm. Let your mind go wild. As fast as you possibly can, write down words and phrases that describe the birthday card recipient. Only spend a few minutes, and don't stop to think about what you're writing or how it might sound. Just scribble down everything that comes to mind. Don't place any limitations on yourself except time. Now, compile the birthday-theme words and phrases and compose a birthday message filled with the best of the characteristics and birthday phrases you just listed.
3. Check references. A rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, quotations book, and other references can be your best friends. Online versions are readily available. These references can help you find that missing word, phrase, or quotation, and they can inspire your writing. Remember, all poetry need not rhyme, but a rhyming dictionary can uncover some unexpectedly fun choices when you need one.
4. Be specific. Paint a word story. Talk about the day the dog jumped on the table and ate the birthday cake. When you do, name the dog and describe the three-layer, pink-frosted chocolate cake with green candles. Draw a picture that brings you both back to that experience.
5. Borrow from the generic. Most mass-market birthday cards are general in nature but they can create a perfect foundation for your own message. Start with a basic birthday poem or sentiment, and make it funny or heartfelt by including a real anecdote from your experience: a birthday story, a catch phrase you share, people you know, or anything else that's personal and specific.
6. Keep it simple. Write two lines that draw on a shared memory. Try your hand at haiku; it's only three lines and 17 syllables. Draw on your elementary school poetry skills, and rhyme four lines. Get punny if your birthday person loves a play on words. Let writing a birthday message be fun.
7. Be bold. Don't be afraid of critics. You're writing a birthday poem, not the great American novel. If you fill the message with real expressions of love, friendship, joy, and good wishes, no one can fault your sincerity. If they make fun of your poem, take it in stride. You're not a professional writer, right? You're just playing one for this birthday.
Editor's Tip: A handmade card is a great inspiration for a birthday message. Check out these easy and unique birthday cards for kids, men, and women. Our instructions make them come together easily.
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