A Month of Letters

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. I am going to try this... I am so excited that I want to start writing right away. 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. I heard about this challenge from my housemate, does it count if I slip a letter under her door instead of mailing it?
13. I've been a letter-writer for Amnesty International, and am considering starting up, again. Though 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 Feb 2; 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 2013?
17. I don't see my profile information. Is there any information being transfered to this years site (profile..friends etc.) from last year? How do you update your profile if you didn't newly register but maintain the same username from last year?
18. Is there a definitve reason for signing up on your site to participate? I couldn't figure out if I have to or not.
19. 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!
20. One of the rules seems to be answering all the letters you get...has the answering also has to be in February?
21. Now I've signed in and shall do my best to meet the challenge. Am I supposed to report if I succed or not?
22. I'm having trouble signing up and/or logging in and/or activating my account.
23. When taking pictures do I take pictures of the card/letter, or just the addressed & stamped envelope?

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: +2

   

   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: +3

   

   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?

   My address is:
   Mary Robinette Kowal
   P.O. Box 221298
   Chicago, IL 60622

   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: +1

    

    I am going to try this... I am so excited that I want to start writing right away. 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.

    What would NOT be cheating is to write letters now to "prime" your mailbox by warming up your letter writing muscles.
    It is also not cheating to write a letter every day but wait to mail them if you don't have home mail pickup.

12. Rating: +2

    

    I heard about this challenge from my housemate, does it count if I slip a letter under her 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. 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

    

    I've been a letter-writer for Amnesty International, and am considering starting up, again. Though the recipient may not be able, or willing, to write back, do you feel that this could count?

    Yes, that absolutely counts.

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: +2

    

    I didn't find out about this until Feb 2; 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: +1

    

    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 2013?

    The challenge will definitely happen again in February 2013, but there's no reason you can't give it a try right now if you want to.

17. Rating: +1

    

    I don't see my profile information. Is there any information being transfered to this years site (profile..friends etc.) from last year? How do you update your profile if you didn't newly register but maintain the same username from last year?

    We moved to new forum software and are working on transferring information from last year. Your user profile should still be in place, even if it's not currently on the list of participants. Simply login using the username from last year and you should then show up on the list.

18. Rating: +1

    

    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.

19. 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.

20. Rating: +0

    

    One of the rules seems to be answering all the letters you get...has the answering also has 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.

21. Rating: +0

    

    Now I've signed in and shall do my best to meet the challenge. Am I supposed to report if I succed or not?

    That is at your discretion. We are, however, going to have some nifty badges for people who report in.

22. Rating: +0

    

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

    Please email admin@lettermo.com with your username and email address.

23. Rating: -2

    

    When taking pictures do I take pictures of the card/letter, or just the addressed & stamped envelope?

More questions? Ask away.