Romance 101: A Man's Handbook: Process Analysis

Chantel Blake
English 101-04
Professor Jim Hepworth
March 11, 2007
Romance 101: The Man’s Handbook
Process Analysis
Flowers, candle light dinner for two, champagne, soft background music, and a secluded place. Doesn’t that sound like a perfect Valentine’s Day? But I don’t believe that romance should only be for one day out of the year. Guys may think that if they plan romantic events, then they are going to be seen as a sissie because they are showing their emotions, or they feel that romance is not important and is a waste of time. But if you want to make your girlfriend happy, and you want to "score" with her, take some of my pointers that I’m going to give you, to heart.
If you want to be romantic, but don’t want to go broke while doing it, write her a sweet, little note. While I was in high school, my boyfriend would always write me notes. He would write in then about how special I am, how lucky he is to have met me, and sometimes he would apologize for his actions for a situation that happened earlier. All of the notes weren’t mushy, he would draw me pictures, or it would be an inside joke that we shared together, and they would make me laugh all day. Those notes meant so much to me, I have kept every single note that he has given me, and every once in a while I will sit down and read them and remember everything that happened that day. When you write these notes, don’t just hand them to her and tell her, "here you go," put them in places that you are certain she will find them. These little notes don’t need to be love poems, just tell her how special she is to you, and how lucky you are to have her. . . . While writing the notes, make them original and extra personal. You can do this by sharing with her your favorite memory together, or including an inside joke you share together. By doing that, you will let your girlfriend know that you pay attention and you listen to her when she talks to you.
To go along with the writing, and if you have this skill, you could write her a song. I think that there is nothing more romantic than writing her a song and singing it to her. But, if you don’t have music skills, then I would just stick to writing the notes, I mean, you don’t want to embarrass yourself right?
However, writing isn’t the only option you have to sweep her off her feet. There is nothing a woman likes more than a man who can cook. When I say cook her dinner, that doesn’t mean throwing a frozen dinner in the microwave, and telling her, "enjoy!" You don’t need to make her a three-course meal, but it makes a girl feel really special if you know how to cook. The reason she feels that way, because she knows that she won’t have to be the only one that cooks every meal, and that you are very capable of taking care of yourself. Cooking dinner is kind of like the notes, you need to make it personal. Do some research, ask her if she has an absolute favorite meal, and what it is. Just by asking her, it makes her feel like you really want to stay with her, because you want to know every little thing about her. When you find out the information about her favorite meal, plan a special evening for her, and tell her that she won’t have to lift a finger the whole night. But if the best dish you make is macaroni and cheese, then you could go to the restaurants around town and order out. If ordering out is the option you have to go with, then make sure that the place that you are going to be eating at is set for the two of you. Setting is everything. If the setting is even a little off balance, or isn’t set up perfectly, it could ruin the whole evening. However, if something does happen to go wrong, be optimistic and continue the date. There should be little to no distractions and no company. Turn off cell phones and pagers; let the answering machine get all the calls. Schedule this time like an important appointment. Set aside at least 2 or 3 hours of time for just the two of you.
If you would really like to blow her away, and be put in the record books, then spend the big bucks, but only if you have the funds. If your girlfriend has a favorite flower you could by her flowers everyday, attached with one of the notes that you wrote her. You could also plan a romantic get away with her. Maybe she has a favorite place to go, and she went there every year since she was a little girl but she hasn’t been there for a few years. Talk to her about the place and research the area, the best time out of the year to go and if there are places to stay. If there is a hotel that she stayed at when she would visit, call the hotel and make reservations and have the hotel decorate the room with her favorite flowers and candles. If her favorite place is a beach, then pack a lunch and a blanket and eat on the beach, right by the ocean. When you are finished with lunch, take a walk along the shore, holding hands, walking through the water, and telling her how much you love her, and how beautiful she is. When you finish the walk, take her to the hotel, and tell her that there is a surprise waiting for her in the room, and she will walk through the door, and see all the flowers and candles surrounding the room, and she will melt right into your arms. When evening comes around, tell her to get dressed up and meet you in the lobby at 6:00 or whenever your reservations are. As she comes down to the lobby to meet you, have a couple of her favorite flowers in your hand to give to her. Have transportation waiting outside for the both of you, and tell her you have reservations at the best restaurant in town. As you are riding to the restaurant, make sure there are refreshments in the car, something to drink, and a little something sweet for the ride back to the hotel after dinner, and there always has to be soft music playing. During dinner, make sure that she is enjoying herself, and that she has everything that she needs. If there is time, and she isn’t too tired from the day, you could go to the movie theater. But if she wants to go back to the hotel and relax, ask her if she would like to go to the hot tub and relax, or go to bed, because her comfort is what the day is all about.
After you have gotten some sleep, in the morning when she wakes up, have room service bring up her favorite breakfast, so she can start the day off right. After she is done with breakfast, and ready for the day, the both of you can walk around and go sight seeing, and visit some of her favorite spots, that she used to go to with her family. Always make sure that you have a camera with you and take many pictures so the both of you will never forget the special days you spent together.
Remember, don’t just love her, but show her. I hope that everything that I told you has opened your eyes to how easy it is to be romantic without having to spend your life savings, unless you feel you need to. Most woman are very easy to make feel special and loved. Just always remember that everything you do affects her too, and always try to make a good impression on her.