How to (Really) Write a Letter

"I mean, you could use that sort of writing style in a letter, but who writes letters anymore?"

*classroom full of laughter*

My 18-year-old English Comp. II students proved to me today that the art of letter writing is dying. Or being stabbed in the back gleefully by its evil step-sister the text message. But there are some of us who think that sending a hand-written letter to a dear friend is a tradition worth preserving.

I am a fairly geeky letter writer. I dip my fountain pen into my inkwell and seal my parchment with red wax (None of that is an exaggeration). Yet I realize that one does not need to revisit the 17th century to honor the great art.

Letter writing can become an enjoyable activity for the least nerdy of you nerds by keeping a few things in mind:

1. Everybody likes letters.

As much as the 18-year-olds of the world laugh at letters, a wax-sealed letter in the college P. O. Box will make anybody's day. Yes, your grandmother will probably frame the letter and keep it above her bed, but your athletic, tomboy-ish best girlfriend will even have to admit that the your letter just might be special enough to save.

2. Pick paper you could almost pet.

Not all paper is created equal. I realize that as I collect papers from my students every day; the almost-cardstock papers say, "This tree's life was not taken in vain. You should give him an A." There's a reason you don't send out resumes on toilet paper and that expensive birthday cards take 3 stamps to mail. Paper is a piece of artwork we are allowed to touch.

3. Write your letter in real time.

Is your partner cheering on his team the whole time you are writing? Throw in a few comments about how cute/weird he is as he throws pizza crusts at the TV. Let the reader know what's happening as you are actually putting ink on paper. It will make your friend feel as if she is sitting in the room, mocking your boyfriend with you.

4. Acknolwedge that letter writing is weird.

If the art of letter writing is new to you, don't be ashamed to admit it. Include your reader in the experiment. Let them know how self-concious you are of your nerdiness. They'll love your quirky candor.

5. Force yourself to write on both sides of the page.

If you're going to write a letter, you might as well do a dang good job. Use all your space. If you run out of things to say, be random. Include an akward conversation you just had on a plane ride, talk about your future hypothetical adventure to Australia, tell her your plans to completely redo your apartment to make it look just like Monica's apartment in Friends.

6. Keep the letter enjoyable.

I've received letters from new letter-writers that were heavy. Heavy as in these acquaintances shared their darkest secrets that I really didn't need to know. These are not letters I wanted to keep for future perusal; they were evidence I thought I had to keep locked away in case somebody found them and locked my friends up. If you need to talk to your friend about something very serious, call him. Don't send out the rough draft of your suicide note.

7. Post the letter in style.

Have you been waiting to use your Hello Kitty stickers for years now? Go ahead and tat that thing up. Have you found a really cool, oddly shaped envelope that just oozes the message, "This is not a bill"? Send that message out with confidence.

Writing letters takes some time; maybe that's why nobody writes them any more. Yet in a world of "i <3 u bae," a love note that takes three days to unfold its heart means just that much more.

#diy #howto #letterwriting #lifestyle