Letter Writing: A Lost Art

   I laughed over this picture the first time I saw it, but the more I look at it, the more I see how truthful it is; which, I suppose, is what makes it so funny. I remember when I got my first email account- I was 16. My cousin and I thought it was the coolest thing and would sit in front of the computer all day talking via email. Now I have 3 email accounts; one for work, one was for school, and one for junk mail, and she and I text when we have time to talk.

   It seems that life has lost something with the invention of all these technological communication devices- Text, Facebook, Tweet, Tumbler, Skype and more. Our lives revolve around our computers and I wonder if we have become less because of it.
 People may label me romantic or old-fashioned, and I surely don't mind that, but I think there is something to be said for letter writing. It improves one's ability to think clearly and concisely, and also strengthens relationships between the sender and the receiver. I love finding letters in my mailbox; there's something about it that connects me to it's sender more deeply than a text message would.

   

What's so appealing about a hand written letter?

 
   There are people out there who don't like the idea of letters- it's a waste of time, paper, trees, and whatnot- but most people that I have dealt with say that they love receiving letters in the mail, even if they are horrible letter writers themselves. Why do we want that? With all the instant communication that we get from technology, why do we still want a piece of scrap paper in our mailbox?   

  People still desire that tangible reminder that there is someone out there who is thinking about them. Someone who took the time out of their day to pull out some paper, write a note, address the envelope, stamp it and put it out for the mailman. To me there is also something precious about coming home to a letter and knowing that it doesn't have to be answered right away as it seems everything else in this fast-paced country does. I have time to make dinner (or at least a cup of tea), get changed into comfy clothes, and sit down in my butterfly chair to sip and read to my hearts content.
   I now want to be on the other side of the letter- the sending side. I started writing letters again at the beginning of this year as one of my resolutions, and found it very hard! My letters were either too short, or had to be erased multiple times because I worded something incorrectly, or I would ramble and my words would become a jumbled mess because I couldn't stick with one topic. If I were texting, shorter would be better. Messaging, spell check would fix my mistakes. Emailing, I could just delete and insert what I wanted. Letter writing, no can do! But since I started writing, I have found it much easier the more I do it and it has strengthened/improved a few aspects in my life.

Pros to Letter Writing

1. It strengthens your memory and vocabulary.
      Before I start writing- and I write in pen, so no erasing- I like to do a quick mental review of who I'm writing to, what was the last thing I heard from or about them, the last thing I told them, has anything happened recently that they would particularly like, and how I can encourage them. The more I write, the more I realize how empty my vocabulary library is, for I can never seem to find the  right word to get the meaning across clearly. Once that happens, I find myself explaining something in a rambling way that could probably be said in one word. And so the dictionary or the computer gets pulled out to see if I can find a more concise and accurate word.
2. It improves your ability communicate clearly.
      The larger your vocabulary, the better you can be at communicating. With all of these words mulling about in your head, you now have to find a way to form a cohesive, poignant letter that the person you are writing to will be able to comprehend and enjoy. If you do not have a vast vocabulary to draw from, you still need to be able to write well and clear enough to produce a letter so that the person receiving it will be able to follow your thought process, let alone your handwriting! 
3. It broadens your creativity and imagination.
      These first two points make it sound like you're in school and need to follow this outline in order to write a true letter. Not so. In some ways you have to have the mindset as if you were writing an essay, but it offers the opportunity for so much more creativity and imagination! There is no grading, except by the person receiving it, and if you know them well enough then you have the freedom to take the letter wherever you wish! When I write to my cousin, I like to describe the scene, not only drawing it from my memory, but now I have to put that memory into words and am able to write specifically for her. If I were writing to an old college professor, I would not take as much liberty. 

Cons to Letter Writing

1. No one writes back.
      Sad but true. Very few people I have written to have ever written back. Now, let me say that the most likely reason why they don't write back is because they sometimes call, email, or Facebook me instead. So in a way they do get back to me, but it's not the same and opening your mailbox and pulling out a letter with someone's handwriting on the envelope.
2. Cost.
      Stamp prices were raised this January (now 45cents) which is not that much if you only send out a few letters a month. Still, some people would rather save that money and use free technology instead- which is perfectly fine and wonderful. I certainly wouldn't want to do all my communicating via snail mail!
3. Time consuming.
      This is the biggest con to me. Writing a letter can be very time consuming in the beginning or if you write to quite a few people. I usually mail out 20 letters a month- 5 a wee- and the best thing I've found that works for me is to dedicate an hour of a day to writing them. That day and time has now become Sunday afternoon, sitting out in the backyard with sweet mint tea.

I do believe the pros outweigh the cons substantially, so I shall continue with my letter writing once a month, wait expectantly by my mailbox for when it comes my time to receive, and leave you with a quote from Phyllis Theroux:

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere
without moving anything but your heart.

Extra Reading (if you are still in front of your computer and not writing letters)

• Digital Natives and Digital Nomads: Al Mohler "'Snail Mail' addresses may be less important...
  digital generations assume that if an organization has insignificant Web  presence, it must be an insignificant organization."
• Owning Your Social Media Habit: Tim Challies "Do you own your technology or does it own you? It's an important question and one we would all do well to wrestle with when it comes to our social media."
• How to Write a Letter: Patricia Dragisic "All successful people are effective communicators. This series forms a complete set of how-to-references that gives young people a solid grounding and practical pointers in all areas of spoken and written communications."
• Life and Letters: Roger Angell "The author comments on the use of letter writing during the Civil War and the inability of email to capture the pleasures of letter writing"