I know what you might be thinking… depending on where you are, it could still be January 31, but in Australia people are already starting to send their missives.
You can send anything. A letter, a postcard, a ticket from a movie you saw with a note jotted on the back… You can hold something in your hands, put it in a little box, and then somewhere else the person you were thinking of can hold the same thing. It’s sort of amazing, when you think about it. Sometimes starting the letter is difficult, but let me share with you some advice from Hill’s Manual of Business and Social Forms, published back in 1879.
The expression of language should as nearly as possible be the same as the writer would speak. A letter is but a talk on paper. The style of writing will depend upon the terms of intimacy existing between the parties… In your letter be yourself write as you would talk.
There is a tendency to overthink before putting pen to paper because it seems more permanent somehow than a computer screen. There is no delete key. Don’t fret. The letter you are sending will delight the recipient simply because you thought of them. The little bobbles simply prove that you are not a robot.
Be yourself. Are you ready?
Absolutely! My first card has already been handmade and posted to a dear friend. I did this before discovering this wonderful idea so am pleased I am on track so far! Waving from faraway Hobart, Australia Jane x
My first note is also on its way – to Russia! This is fun.
I began today by sending a letter to my sister-in-law; the main point was family business (sending a deposit for summer reunion lodging), but it was lovely just to sit and write and not self-edit to death. Tomorrow, I will finally mail a friend’s baby blanket, which I completed a month ago.
Fancier–and more fanciful–mailings will follow. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
For this evening, I have five letters to write. They are mainly right here in the United States. As I told you in my personal introduction to you Mary that it is great to have my own mailbox as I have been having that at my PO Box in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey when I first had my own mailbox back on December 1, 1989! I hope to talk to you again tomorrow!
Sincerely,
Jonathan
I just wrote a postcard to a favorite writer in Wisconsin (David Rhodes, author of Driftless, a truly wonderful novel). Sending notes to writers is a long-time commitment but I mean to send more of them this month. & I’m excited about using some of my postcard collection, and using old stamps in new and exciting combinations since none in my stamp box reflect the current rates.
What a great idea. I’ve started writing more fan mail by post, myself.
What a wonderful idea. Of course, several of my authors who have had the most powerful influence on me as a person, a rabbi, a writer, etc. are no longer at a location serviced by any earthly postal service…
Sent my first one today – to my sister! Tomorrow, I send out a long-delayed gift that should have gone out a while ago.
Thank you for starting this, Mary! This is wonderful!
Val
I announced my participation on my blog and pushed it to twitter and facebook, asking those who wanted a written missive to provide his or her snail mail addy. Most folks who have responded are people I already know, but I’m getting a few who are asking me to send a note not to them, but to so-n-so because ____________ . I’m excited!
I am so excited to hear the reaction of those who receive my letters. I’m using this as a great opportunity to reconnect with friends with whom I’ve fallen out of touch.
I mailed my first missive today; we’ll see if it gets answered. I think it will!
It is 7.30pm on Tuesday February 2nd here in Queanbeyan Australia. Found this wonderful idea on Knitter’s Review and as I used to have 35 international pen pals letter writing was always something I loved to do. I shall put pen to paper this evening to a friend in Queensland who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer – it will be mailed in the morning. I have mailed two letters already this month one to my parents in Adelaide and the other to a pen pal in Scotland. This is a lovely idea and will certainly keep me motivated to use my fountain pen and new hard to find blotting paper!
Great idea – thanks for getting it rolling!
This is great idea. I’ve gotten behind in my postcrossing so this will be a great way to get going again
Day1 – I mailed a card to New Zealand to an online friend who dealing with cancer. I met her when I lived in California.
Day 2 – I mailed a post card to Canada to an online friend. She and I traveled together from Idaho to California in 2008. The postcard was from a place we visited on that trip.
Yesterday I had sent out some postcards to people in Postcrossings and I hadn’t even found this yet.
I signed up today (2/2/12). What a fun challenge!! Karen in VA Beach, VA
Day 1: I mailed a note to a nephew in Portland, Oregon.
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Day 1: sent a silly card to my brother-in-law, to cheer him up (hopefully) a little, since he’s been going through a rough patch. Even though we’ve chatted on facebook, and I’ve talked to him on the phone, there’s something about getting REAL mail. Also, I recently bought a bunch of Valentine’s cards for people in my family who are far away. So I’ll be sending them out in the world, too, very soon. My nephew’s birthday is this week, and my dad’s birthday is next week … too often the last few years, I just call or email, but this year, I’ll send fun, nice, REAL paper mail. Can’t wait!
Didn’t even know about this when I did it, but I send a card to my daughter at college. She is a freshman and I make a point of sending her something every week via snail mail. There is a lot to be said to getting something with a stamp on it!
Only day four and it’s been interesting. First letter went to you since you started the party, you get first honors. I am hand writing my letters to get back into the practice of writing. I made three typos in that sentence. Easy, peasy to go back and correct them electronically, but handwriting takes skill, a skill that is quickly being lost amid all the blinking, keyboards- and, ‘SEND’ buttons.
Hello, I knew this site yesterday,
and today(8th February) is my first day of The Month of Letters. I will write a postcard for my young friend(3years old) through “Post Pals.”
Because I write in poor-english, so mainly I will write to my friend in Japan.
from Japan