FAQ

1. Does it have to be handwritten?
2. Can it be a postcard?
3. May I use the Month of Letters image?
4. Do I have to write to 23 different people?
5. What if I don't have my friends' mailing addresses?
6. What if you don't have a PO Box, but would welcome a few strangers (or new pen pals)? Advice?
7. What is your address?
8. Is there a twitter hashtag for Month of Letters?
9. Is the Month of Letters on Facebook?
10. I have to drive to the post office. What if you don't have outgoing mail?
11. Is the point to send a letter a day? Or to write a letter a day? If I write a letter today and wait until Wednesday to send it, does that count or is that cheating?
12. Does it count if I slip a letter under my roommate/spouse/child's door instead of mailing it?
13. If the recipient may not be able, or willing, to write back, do you feel that this could count?
14. If I'd like to write a thanks-for-your-work note to a favorite author who hasn't offered snail mail contact info on his or her Web site, will writing care of the publisher work? (I understand the letter might take some time to reach its final destination.)
15. I didn't find out about this until after February had begun; if I write 23 letters over the rest of the month, does that count?
16. I just found out about the Month of Letters challenge but it's now March. Will the challenge be happening again, either during another month this year or in February next year?
17. Is there a definitve reason for signing up on your site to participate? I couldn't figure out if I have to or not.
18. I'm a member of Postcrossing and get cards in the mail from that frequently. What are the rules on replying to all of those? Most people don't put return addresses on their postcards. Thanks!
19. One of the rules is that you must answer all the letters you receive...does the answering also have to be in February?
20. I'm having trouble signing up and/or logging in and/or activating my account.
21. What happens if I should have won a badge but it didn't get awarded?

1. Rating: +2

   

   Does it have to be handwritten?

   Not at all. You can send a leaf in a typed envelope, if you wanted.

   Though I will venture to say that my handwriting improved over the course of my initial experiment. Give it a try. You might be surprised.

2. Rating: +2

   

   Can it be a postcard?

   Absolutely. The goal is to remember the joy of getting something in the post. What that item is matters less than thinking of someone and mailing them something.

3. Rating: +1

   

   May I use the Month of Letters image?

   Yes, please. That's a web badge for you to post on your site, if you are participating.

4. Rating: +4

   

   Do I have to write to 23 different people?

   Oh, no. Not at all. You could send 23 love notes to your best beloved and that would totally count. Valentine's Day is this month, after all, so you can afford to be romantic.

   (Just, um... make sure it's someone who loves you back, or it could get creepy.)

5. Rating: +2

   

   What if I don't have my friends' mailing addresses?

   You could just ask. Or... you could throw it open on social networking sites that you want friend's postal mailing addresses, don't tell them why and then send them letters in the order they respond as a reward for their adventurousness. (Thanks to Dave Slusher for suggesting that part of the game.)

6. Rating: +0

   

   What if you don't have a PO Box, but would welcome a few strangers (or new pen pals)? Advice?

   Here are few options:
   1. Put up a post on your website, facebook, or other media and tell people that you are participating in the Month of Letters. Ask folks to drop you a line if they would like you to mail them a letter.
   2. There is also the interesting site http://www.postcrossing.com/ which allows you to exchange postcards with people around the world.
   3. Do you have a landline? If so, then your address is already in the phone book and on the internet. It's probably safe to just post it. (Insert standard disclaimer here absolving all liability if an ax murderer comes to your house.)
   4. Ask a friend who is participating to pass your address along, privately, to their friends who are also participating.

7. Rating: +3

   

   What is your address?

   Thanks for asking but... I'm asking folks not to write to me this year because I get a ton of mail while other folks have empty mailboxes. Why not hit the forums and find a penpal there?

   (Just as a side note because I know it is confusing: Robinette is my middle name, not my maiden name. Addressing me by any of these variants is fine: Mary, Mary Robinette, or Mrs. Kowal but never Mrs. Robinette Kowal.)

8. Rating: +2

   

   Is there a twitter hashtag for Month of Letters?

   Yes. It's #LetterMo You can also follow @LetterMonth

9. Rating: +1

   

   Is the Month of Letters on Facebook?

   Yes. There's a page at https://www.facebook.com/LetterMo

10. Rating: +2

    

    I have to drive to the post office. What if you don't have outgoing mail?

    First, don't make yourself crazy. Write every day and go to the post office when you can. Aim for at least once a week.

11. Rating: +2

    

    Is the point to send a letter a day? Or to write a letter a day? If I write a letter today and wait until Wednesday to send it, does that count or is that cheating?

    The overall goal is to write AND mail every day. The rhythm of doing that is part of the fun. So yes, writing 23 postcards today and then posting them one a day would totally be cheating UNLESS don't have home mail pickup.

12. Rating: +2

    

    Does it count if I slip a letter under my roommate/spouse/child's door instead of mailing it?

    No, but let me explain why I think it doesn't count. Part of the challenge is about corresponding with other people, so if you started a written correspondence that was hand delivered, that would be cool, but the other part is about making the trip to the mailbox fun again.

    I sometimes mail letters to my husband, even though I know that he will get them faster if I just hand him the letter, because that way when he goes through the stack of bills there is a treat waiting for him. The delay of sending the letter and the pause between responses gives time for reflection. While I think that exchanging handwritten notes at home is a lovely idea, it is different from mailing something.

13. Rating: +0

    

    If the recipient may not be able, or willing, to write back, do you feel that this could count?

    Yes, that absolutely counts. The challenge is about you taking time to sit down and write a letter. It's not about receiving them. (Though that's often a nice side benefit.)

14. Rating: +1

    

    If I'd like to write a thanks-for-your-work note to a favorite author who hasn't offered snail mail contact info on his or her Web site, will writing care of the publisher work? (I understand the letter might take some time to reach its final destination.)

    Yes, that will definitely work. Writing to the author's agent, if you know who that is, will also work.

15. Rating: +3

    

    I didn't find out about this until after February had begun; if I write 23 letters over the rest of the month, does that count?

    Yes, there are two ways to play if you start late.
    1. Since part of the goal is to get back into the habit of writing daily, use the non-mail days, such as Sunday, to catch up.
    2. Alternatively, you can write for twenty-three days, starting today and ending on March 1.

16. Rating: +0

    

    I just found out about the Month of Letters challenge but it's now March. Will the challenge be happening again, either during another month this year or in February next year?

    The challenge will definitely happen again each February, but there's no reason you can't give it a try right now if you want to.

17. Rating: +3

    

    Is there a definitve reason for signing up on your site to participate? I couldn't figure out if I have to or not.

    Signing up is not required, but it does give you access to private areas of the forums only available to participants. Among other things, these allow you to exchange mailing addresses with other participants.

    Oh! And badges.

18. Rating: +0

    

    I'm a member of Postcrossing and get cards in the mail from that frequently. What are the rules on replying to all of those? Most people don't put return addresses on their postcards. Thanks!

    A standard rule is that if there is no return address, you don't have to reply. Otherwise, in February, you do.

19. Rating: +0

    

    One of the rules is that you must answer all the letters you receive...does the answering also have to be in February?

    If you receive a letter in February, do try to answer it as quickly as possible. Letters that are post-marked in February and arrive in March are entirely your discretion.

20. Rating: +1

    

    I'm having trouble signing up and/or logging in and/or activating my account.

    Please use the contact form to send me your username and email address.

21. Rating: +0

    

    What happens if I should have won a badge but it didn't get awarded?

    The site throws glitches sometimes. If you use the contact form to send me your username and address, I can manually award the badge. Sorry about that.

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