Write a letter to a friend by hand

To write a letter to a friend by hand is unusual enough now that the act carries most of the message. Nobody expects post that is not a bill, and the effort is legible in a way a message never is. The content matters less than people fear, which is fortunate, because worrying about content is what stops most letters being written.

Why write a letter to a friend by hand is worth an hour

Handwriting is slower than typing, and the slowness changes what you write. There is time to think between sentences and no ability to delete, which produces something more considered and less edited than a message. The physical object then persists: letters get kept in drawers for decades, which is not true of anything sent electronically.

How to write a letter to a friend by hand step by step

1. 1

   Choose one person and one reason

   Something specific prompted this. Say so in the first line and the letter writes itself from there.

2. 2

   Write about the ordinary

   What your week looked like, what you have been reading, what is outside the window. Specifics are what make it personal.

3. 3

   Ask two real questions

   It gives them something to answer and makes a reply considerably more likely.

4. 4

   Do not restart for mistakes

   Cross it out and continue. A perfect letter reads like a document; an honest one reads like a person.

5. 5

   Post it the same day

   A finished letter left on the desk is the commonest failure. Address and stamp it before you put the pen down.

Tips to get more out of it

• One side of paper is plenty. Length is not what makes a letter valuable.
• Add something flat: a photograph, a ticket stub, a pressed leaf. It costs nothing and is disproportionately memorable.
• Keep stamps and envelopes in the house. Not having them is why written letters go unposted.

Ways to mix it up

If handwriting is difficult or painful, type it and sign it by hand; the posted object still carries most of the effect. If you want to make it a habit, write one on the first Sunday of each month, which is twelve letters a year and very little time.

Write a letter to a friend by hand: frequently asked questions