Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to flex your writing skills and treat your loved one to a heartfelt letter.

But writing one isn’t as easy as it sounds. How do you convey your most complex and inner emotions in a clear, concise and sincere way?

Anna Quinn, a Port Townsend author and owner of the Writers’ Workshoppe, said the first thing to do is to look for inspiration from famous love letters of the past.

Quinn provided some examples.

Follow in the footsteps of John Keats, who wrote to his beloved: “You are always new. The last of your kisses was ever the sweetest; the last smile the brightest; the last movement the gracefullest.”

Or take a page from Zelda Fitzgerald’s book and pour your heart out as she did to F. Scott Fitzgerald when she wrote, “There’s nothing in all the world I want but you and your precious love. All the material things are nothing.”

The letters of Gustave Flaubert, Virginia Woolf, Leo Tolstoy and the iconic love poetry of e.e. cummings all can come in handy.

After you’ve found inspiration, start a first draft, Quinn said.

“Write your heart out,” she said. “Uncensored. Try a first draft where you write in a stream-of-consciousness way, not stopping for punctuation or spelling or judgment — this always helps me connect with my vulnerability and heart more deeply.”

Port Townsend author Jennifer Gold, whose book, “The Ingredient of Us” is scheduled to come out in July, agreed.

“Make a pact with yourself that no one will ever read the first draft,” Gold said. “This way, you can lay it all out without fear. A first draft is all about capturing the raw emotion and getting your ideas down.”

Write about love, Gold added, but explore other emotions that love encompasses, such as comfort, lust, security, passion and friendship.

And even if you’ve found inspiration from the likes of Keats and Fitzgerald, don’t get anxious about writing the perfect letter.

“It doesn’t have to be complicated,” Gold said. “You don’t have to be a masterful wordsmith to write a swoon-worthy love letter. Fancy phrasing doesn’t hold a candle to honest emotion. Focus on the feelings and memories you want to convey.”

When you’re ready to write the final draft, get out your fanciest pen and get to work.

“Oh, and maybe use beautiful stationery,” Quinn said. “Though I’ve received plenty of memorable notes on paper napkins, so follow your heart.”

A love letter can be written to anyone, Gold added, not just your lover. Write a love letter to your friend, a family member, even your pet.

“Everyone deserves to feel loved,” she said. “So if you love someone — whether it’s romantically or platonically — why not say so?”