Text messaging, also known as SMS ("short messaging service"), is rapidly becoming essential to modern romance. I don't care whether you are wooing or wedded or both; today's woman expects a man to use his words.

Yet like everything else related to relationships, SMS has its perils. It may take some practice before you master the art.

In case you haven't realized this yet, text messaging is the perfect medium for men of few words. If you quail at the huge blank screen while emailing or feel the despair of not typing fast enough to keep up with a woman in IM, text messaging is where you get to shine.

On the other hand, if you love the written word, texting presents a wonderful creative challenge. How much can you say with so little? How long can you keep the banter going? How seductive can you be within the constraints of the medium?

While text messages have not yet replaced long, luxurious letters, SMS has a number of advantages for the Cyrano on the go.

• You can text from anywhere
  Standing in line, waiting at red lights, on hold with a mortgage lender, in the restroom when you're out to dinner. You can share that romantic or funny thought immediately after it occurs to you. And then you can relax and forget it, because you don't have to store it up to tell her later.
• No one has to know you're doing it
  Unlike a phone call, texting is a private activity that you can perform in a public place. That means you can get as mushy as you please without annoying those around you. Don't forget to set your phone to vibrate or silent mode so incoming messages don’t harsh anyone's mellow.
• It's the least disruptive way to let her know you're thinking about her
  If she's busy, she can look forward to checking her phone when she has a moment. And if you're busy, you don't have to worry about extricating yourself from a conversation if she's feeling talkative. Text is more suited to spontaneity and seizing the moment than to deeply involved discussions.

This modest investment on your part pays off generously when you discover how your attention makes a woman feel. Every time you send a text, you show that she's on your mind, that you care about her and think she's hot. For you, SMS might be a pleasant habit to develop.

But for her, it's foreplay.

And Find about:

How to flirt by text

Why some think texting is ruining the English Language

Practice Safe(r) Text

Examples of Texts gone horribly wrong