Texting, like instant messaging, tends to bring out our wilder sides. If you're just getting to know a woman, keep your tone flirtatious and let her signal whether she's open to more explicit language.
For example, you might send something like "I can still taste your kiss." This is both romantic and erotic, and it can have several shades of meaning depending on what the two of you have been up to. But if you get a smiley and "thanx!" in return, you might want to avoid writing anything that could be published in Penthouse Letters.
If your mind goes blank, take a breath and think about your mutual history. Song lyrics and movie quotes make excellent personal messages. So do simple phrases like "you're pretty" or "love your luscious lips" or "I was just thinking about how beautiful you look in the morning light." The important thing is that you mean what you say, when you say it.
Some couples forget to tell each other things like this after many years together. Why wait until you're within earshot? Pick up the phone and text it.
Forget everything you've heard about "SMS lingo" or "text speak." I would not have been nearly so excited had my lover written " ur my breth. ur d vry hart of me, responsibl 4evry pulse of bl%d n my veins" instead.
While the shorthand certainly exists and will continue to plague high school English teachers, I recommend using actual words instead of abbreviations and acronyms.
A woman appreciates your willingness to spell out the full words on the phone keypad. And if your goal is seduction, I cannot emphasize enough the difference between:
When you get home today, take a relaxing bath, then open a bottle of wine. Slip into your nightie and wait for me in bed. I am going to kiss you all over.
And:
wen u gt hom 2day, taK a relaxn bath, thN opN a bottL of wine. Slip N2 yr nightie n W84M n bed. Im gunA X yall ovr.
The former shows that you are prepared to take your time and make an effort. The latter makes us wonder if you're of legal age.
If you text enough, you'll find yourself running through mental lists of synonyms, trying to find the shortest word possible that still says what you mean. I have a whole vocabulary of four-letter words to substitute for longer words in text messages.
For example, I use "alas" instead of "I'm sorry" and "ergo" instead of "therefore."
Most couples who text frequently develop their own shorthand. One couple I know uses "[t]" to stand for "team" -- which is how they think of themselves. They have also developed some terms based on American sign language, like "\mL" for "I love you" because it looks like the sign for ILY.
Another couple began sending each other random words that began with "L," right after they first said "I love you" to one another. List, lodge, lurk, lorry, and luminous were among those exchanged in that first giddy week.
Find out:
How To Practice Safe(r) Text
Read examples of text messages gone horribly wrong
