How To Write a Personal Letter

When I decided to give up Facebook for the month of January, I didn't really make a decision. What happened was that I thought 'Hey! Maybe I should give up Facebook for a while.' Instead of considering how this would impact my life, how much I would miss it or... anything, really, I just typed a status saying I was doing it.

Best idea ever.

In my farewell status, a few friends and I decided to keep up via post. With stamps and pretty stationary and pens and EVERYTHING! I haven't written a letter every single day. They take a surprising amount of time and energy to write. But they have a few advantages.

..::They're personal. No one else has a letter like the one you just received!

..::Handwriting is beautiful. All handwriting! It tells the story of your correspondent's school life and it's a huge part of them.

..::THEY COME THROUGH THE LETTERBOX. The postman comes, and he delivers this special thing that is just for you, tailor-made and for nobody else. That is brilliant.

..::They last forever. A personal letter never gets lost in a backlog of wall posts or tweets.

So here are my tips for the optimal letter-writing experience:

1. Find some stationary you really love. If you love owls, get some owly paper . If you love drawing, doodle a design to make your letter extra special. The page can be out if a jotter, the recipient won't mind. But there's always something you can do to make it look special. (Stickers. ;) )

2. If you have a pen that you like to write with, stick to that. The main thing is not to worry about what you're writing with, just get writing!

3. Enclose things! If you think the recipient might like a new recipe you found, or be interested in a photo you saw in a magazine, include it ! It's one more topic for your letter and is so thoughtful!

4. Buy a book of stamps. Don't buy single stamps. Books of 10 stamps are neatly foldable to put in your wallet for when you need one. You don't want to have to go out and buy a stamp every time you need to post a letter. It's daft. Make sure you have airmail stickers too.

5. Make a copy of your letter before you send it. Take a photo, scan or photocopy it so that you can remember what you said. If you get a response, you may not remember what questions you asked!


So there you have it! Go write some letters! Maybe it can be on your task list for Project Me!

Amy