The first thing that you should do is look at the personal advertisements that have been posted by other women, so that you know who your competition is. Look carefully at these advertisements and it won't take you long to see that most of them are a lot alike. You will notice that a few of the advertisements do, in fact, stand out from the crowd. The ones that stand out do NOT start with 'Hello' or 'Looking to meet new friend' or any other plain and boring headline.

Some that stand out are real turn-offs. These are the ones that begin with statements like, 'I'm the kind of girl your mama warned you about' or 'Your daddy would tell you to not mess with a gal like me.' These are the best examples of what NOT to do. I've always wondered just who these women hoped to attract with those kind of headlines.

The very few that do stand out from the crowd in a good way all have one thing in common, and that is that they are not common.

The basic rule for writing a personal ad is that it should only be 200 to 250 words long. About two-thirds (150 to 200) of the words should be devoted to telling about yourself - who you are and the things that you like. The balance of the words should be used to describe the kind of person that you are hoping to meet.

Some headline ideas that do get attention are lines like: "I'm willing to lie about how we met if you are!" or "You have been granted two wishes. I'm here. What is your next wish?" Both of these examples are a bit cocky, but they send a message of humor and they aren't 'Hello' or 'Looking to meet new people.'

The following is a sample of what a personal advertisement placed by a woman might look like:

I believe in magic! Every time I am hiking a mountain trail and see the sun rising over a distant mountain, I believe in magic. Every time I see the look on a proud new father's face when I am doing my volunteer work at the local hospital, I believe in magic, and every time I watch my unbelievably beautiful Golden Retriever win yet another trial, I believe in magic. My many friends make me believe in magic, too.

I could be called a little 'vertically challenged' at only 5'2", but what I lack in size, I make up for with enthusiasm for life. After I have put in my 40 hours as a legal secretary each week, I love Saturdays that I spend with my friends grilling steaks and watching sports on television. I love having my nieces and nephews spending the night and telling ghost stories.

I would like to find someone with which to share the magic. He must be a person who loves the outdoors and he must especially love kids and dogs. I would like to meet a man who is ambitious without being obsessed with success. I'm 25 and would like to meet a man who is between 25 and 35 years old and has never been married. He needs to have a great sense of humor and he has to believe in magic.