An Adventure in Correspondence
07.11.10 | 11:54 AM
I know, I know, the design and content aren’t finished around here; but that’s a lot more time-consuming than writing a blog post. I’m just going to push ahead while continuing to work on things in the background steadily, with a full announcement when everything’s done!
I’ve spent this whole weekend entrenched in paper, colored pencils, stickers, and notecards – my goal being to write letters to about 15 friends, to be mailed out on my day off when I take my bike to the post office. What has bothered me more than anything about this process is how hard it is to decide what to say even in the letters being written to my very best friends. These are people I can write a Facebook message to that’s eons long – so why is this so hard?
Some time ago, I read this article in TIME magazine about the loss of handwriting skills. I pride myself on my handwriting. “I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN,” I thought, and yet here I sit unable to write a letter. I used to love sending and getting mail, and did it constantly – when I was 8. Now I’m hindered with, “Maybe they won’t enjoy this story. Maybe they’ll have found it out on Facebook already, or tumblr or Twitter, and will think I’m being ridiculous and repetitive!” In this day and age where people know every move we make instantaneously, it’s hard to tell people what they don’t already know.
I keep telling myself to just write. My friends will appreciate the effort I put in – look, I’ve even done colored pencil headers! – no matter what I say. Yet it’s still difficult! I found myself wanting to actually type them out first and then copy them down. Am I so dependent on my computer for assistance with communication that I seriously can’t just straight up write something with a real live pen?!
In any case, I will prevail. These letters will be sent out on Wednesday, and I know that my friends will be happy to receive them and I, in turn, will feel accomplished and happy that I made them happy. Maybe it’ll even turn in to a habit.
So how about you? We know everyone loves to receive snail mail, but do you have difficulty writing it? Or does it come to you easily and you send letters regularly?
July 11th, 2010 at 12:09 PM
I’m the same as you. I can write a ridiculously long email or Facebook message, but when it comes to writing a letter, with a pen on real paper, I go blank. It’s the same when I try to write fiction, the words just dry up. I don’t know why exactly, possibly I don’t want to make a mistake? Whenever I cross out a word, I’m tempted to rewrite the whole page to make it look neater. I don’t like pencil for the same reason, it gets all smudgy and makes the page look a mess. That, and my hand writing looks like a 3rd grader’s.
Good luck on your letters.