The Gift of a Letter ~ Bringing Back Letter Writing

There’s something rather romantic about sitting down at a desk with a lovely sheet or two of stationary and writing to someone. For me it brings up the image of a genteel young lady of the Regency period seated at a writing desk in the corner of a parlor, pen and ink at hand. Yes, I’m a Jane Austen fan.

Early in my marriage I wrote letters often. Both of David’s grandmothers lived in California while we were in Oklahoma. I wrote to them every month or two and they both told me how much they loved my letters. It wasn’t so much that my letters were anything special but that I was virtually the only person who wrote them.

At one point my grandfather in California started a correspondence with me in which we each wrote a few lines of poetry. Sadly, he died before we got very far with this but I treasure the few letters we did share.

When our first child was born I began writing monthly letters to David’s mom keeping her updated on Chris and his latest developments, along with a few snapshots. This all sounds so quaint in our current era of text messages and digital photos shared on Facebook and Instagram.

I’ve written here before about thank you notes and the fact I still believe in sending handwritten expressions of gratitude. And I’m certainly not the only one who still does that. But far fewer write actual letters these days. When was the last time you received an honest-to-goodness letter from a friend? I remember distinctly because it’s such a rare thing these days. But does it have to be that way? A handwritten letter amidst all the usual bills and junk mail feels like a true gift, hence the title of this blog post – “The Gift of a Letter”. I took the title from Alexandra Stoddard’s book by the same name.

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A couple of years ago I read about something called InCoWriMo:

InCoWriMo is the short name for International Correspondence Writing Month, otherwise known as February.

With an obvious nod to NaNoWriMo for the inspiration, InCoWriMo challenges you to hand-write and mail/deliver one letter, card, note or postcard every day during the month of February.

 

I was immediately taken with the idea and decided to participate. I could have just written to friends and family but I thought it would be fun to write to YOU, my readers. I accepted the first 28 who asked to be included. 

I really enjoyed the experience and several wrote back, although that wasn’t a requirement. 

So here we are, with many of us unable to interact in person with people beyond our immediate household. Phone calls, texts, Zoom and other means of keeping in touch are wonderful and I can’t help but think how fortunate we are to have these resources just now. 

However, perhaps we should consider this an opportunity to bring back letter writing. I’ve sent a few cards recently and have a list of several more to send this week. I ordered stamps from the USPS online store, as well as a packet of note cards.

A few days ago David came home from work with several packages of lovely note cards. Apparently he buys these from some group for the disabled and has been doing it for awhile, whenever they call him. I decided to consider this a sign to write more letters. 

I have a lovely little antique desk in my library and I’ve decided to make that my dedicated letter writing desk. I also have a desk in my office but that’s where I work. I want letter writing to feel like pleasure rather than work. 

This afternoon I cleared a few extraneous items from the top drawer of the desk and put the note cards David bought into the drawer, as well as the stamps and cards I had just bought. I already had a lovely stationary set, thank you cards and address labels in there. 

I’m also thinking that I might need a fountain pen…

 

And wax seals…

I love the idea of creating rituals and I can just see myself sitting at my desk with a candle burning, a cup of tea at my side, writing letters like a character from a Regency romance novel. 

Yes, the more I think of it, the more I believe letter writing will become a regular ritual for me.

 

 

For more information about letter writing, check out these resources I found for you…

Resources:

How to Write a Letter

“While email and texts have become the standard form of written communication in today’s fast-paced, digital world, there’s still a place for old-fashioned, snail mail letters.”

 

From me, with love: the lost art of letter writing

Three years ago, novelist Jon McGregor invited strangers to send him a letter in the post. Scribbled notes and love letters are still landing on the doormat…

 

How the Civil War Taught Americans the Art of Letter Writing

“At the outbreak of the Civil War, the U.S. Post Office Department had been delivering about five letters per capita annually. During the war, the average soldier sent more than five times that many. People who felt little capable of long, expressive narratives about their mental and physical well-being proved all the more resourceful in approximating bodily presence. For Americans during the Civil War, embracing loved ones on paper was a hardship they could only with difficulty overcome. Most of them, no doubt, would have rather not had to resort to it. For us, their efforts created a record of something we rarely get to see: glimmers of the emotional lives of ordinary people long gone.”

 

Write-On Campaign

“Write_On is a mission driven campaign to promote joy, creativity, expression, and connection through hand-written correspondence. Inspired by Egg Press founder Tess Darrow, the Write_On Challenge launched in 2014 with the entire staff of Egg Press and Hello!Lucky, our friends, our families, and our fans writing 30 letters in 30 days during April, National Letterwriting Month.” 

 

A Month of Letters Challenge

1. In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs. Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch.
2. Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items.

 

The lost art of letter-writing:

 

 

Books about letter writing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may also enjoy these posts:

Etiquette ~ Thank You Notes

 

How to Start a Letter Writing Practice

Put these on your calendar:

InCoWriMo:

InCoWriMo is the short name for International Correspondence Writing Month, otherwise known as February.

With an obvious nod to NaNoWriMo for the inspiration, InCoWriMo challenges you to hand-write and mail/deliver one letter, card, note or postcard every day during the month of February.

National Card and Letter Writing Month:

The U.S. Postal Service officially designated April National Card and Letter Writing Month in 2001 “to raise awareness of the importance and historical significance of card and letter writing.”