What if … we encouraged letter writing?

Photo by MF 

I love letters, writing them and receiving them.  I’ve got two penpals – proper pen pals, those who write old-fashioned letters with pen and ink and go to the post office, buy a stamp, stick it on the envelope and send their letters to me.  Thank you penpals; it’s very much appreciated.  Long live letter writing of the old fashioned kind.

What I like about letter writing is the way a person writes, how they express themselves and share news and ‘goings-on’ of family and friends.  I enjoy hearing stories about nieces and nephews particularly as I don’t see them regularly. I enjoy hearing of how events turn out, who was there and what happened.  It’s lovely to be able to read a newsy letter again and again. Often, we don’t provide such detail and description in the speedy email or the 40 character tweet.  Too busy, busy, busy.  Not enough time.  Busy being busy.

I particularly enjoy letters from my travelling penpals, describing new countries in depth and detail.  I enjoy hearing about the various exploits planned and unplanned!  Journaling, while travelling is a pastime of mine.  It is an ideal way to recall enjoyable times and places.  I have been known to write long letters ‘home’ on my travels and read them years later!

For me, letter writing is an excellent form of communication.  I’m planning a ‘Bring Back Letter Writing Campaign’.  Care to join me? No requirement to tick the boxes just a simple note to start the process and it goes something like this:

            Dear Maire Rua

            I’m happy to support your ‘Bring Back Letter Writing Campaign’

because …

Now, over to you.   I invite you to make someone’s day and write a letter.  You never know where it might lead!

                                                                                                                                    

How do you kick-start your writing process?

Keep writing ..keep writing ..keep writing. Photo by Maire Rua

Sometimes I just sit and think and sometimes I just sit …

As a student many years ago, long before Internet and social media, I used to write a lot.  Writing included essays, course work, exams and the occasional letter home requesting a cash advance to see me through the academic term. I recall a wonderful poetic reply from my father waxing lyrically about how almost every cheque stub in his chequebook had my name inscribed next to it!  Today’s parents and students will no doubt applaud the speed and efficiency of smart cards.

Although communication methods were different back then, there were benefits too.  These included taking time to write letters, formal and informal.  Penmanship, the use of grammar and spelling were encouraged.  There was enough time to construct proper sentences and give some original thought to creative writing.  For me, the process of writing provided time for reflection too.  As a student that included editing letters ensuring my parents learned that I had a fair balance of academic work and play. I believed it was important for their financial support to be invested wisely!

 Today, I continue to write however; my biggest challenge is … getting started.  Once I start writing it’s fine, usually I can write for ages.  I find it easier to write in pen and ink and then proceed to word processing.  For me there is something about the movement of the pen or pencil that allows my thinking to flow alongside my writing.  I’m interested to know what is it that helps you kick start your writing process?  My latest idea is to use the timer on my mobile phone.  I set it for 10 mins and write.  Some of you may recognise this as ‘tumble writing’.  It’s great fun and helps to get over the procrastination hurdle.  Just write - no agenda, no structure and no judgment.  It’s very liberating just to write whatever comes and in my experience it’s quite surprising what comes from tumble writing.  If you are struggling this week to write something for business or pleasure, kick-start your writing process by setting a timer for 10 minutes and writing whatever comes.  You will find that by the end of the process, you will have generated a source for ideas for future articles or blog posts.

Sometimes I just sit and think and sometimes I just … set my timer for 10 minutes and write!

The letter I wish I'd written

Last week our local library organised an evening event and invited us book lovers and writers along to listen to three new authors. For the princely sum of £4 a great evening was had by all. Lots of people turned up. There were several book clubs, people from neighbouring libraries and people like me an avid reader and collector of books. Who knows maybe one day I’ll have my own library! The Man does despair at times about the ever increasing ‘I’ll get round to reading that one day’ collection, but I will. One of my friends confessed recently that he has to sneak books into the house for fear of upsetting his wife about his ever increasing book collection. He does release a few books into the wild and to charity shops. However, he often returns home with one or two books that hurl themselves at him from the bookshelves! Strange that, isn’t it? I do love books; a girl can never have too many books or chocolate!

Anyway, back to the book evening, a fun event with glasses of wine, homemade cakes, book quizzes, author interviews and stories. I really enjoyed the evening and I was delighted with the ‘goodie bag’ which contained not one but three new books!

I particularly enjoyed reading a delightful publication from the Booktrust charity called ‘The Letter I wish I'd written,' – A selection of entries from the Bookbite writing competition. The competition ran in the spring of 2010 and encouraged older writers to write about life experiences and letters they wished they had written about said experiences. They were indeed 'Letters from the heart’.  As a keen letter writer, I found the letters in this publication inspiring, thought provoking, amusing and occasionally sad. I encourage you to stop by and read a few.  In light of my previous post about letter writing, I think this would make a good writing project for the long autumnal evenings.

If there was a letter you wish you’d written, what might it say?