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Slenderman - Doctor 07-30-2010 07:05 AM

Oldskool Handwritten Letters
 
Does anyone write letters anymore?

Today's world is so wrapped up in Facebook and text that old-hat ways of communicating are being left behind. Being a lover of English with a passion for writing, I decided to change my ways a little. I recently wrote a long letter to one of my closest friends and she recieved it today. She was so excited to get it and now she's writing a letter back. And I've already planned a reply to her reply. So hopefully the ball will keep rolling and a chain of letters will build up.

I love the wait. It can be irritating but, because we live so close, we post the letter and it arrives the next day.

I love the personal touch. In a Facebook chat/message, how is it personal? It's always one generic font. Sure, you have smilies, but that's about it. In handwritten letters, there's space for anything. Doodle, draw, sign your name, be creative. It's also a lot more personal in that it's had care and attention. Anyone can knock together an email or text and knock it through spell-check and send it. But handwritten stuff is often more carefully thought out.

Yes, it takes more time. But isn't that sometimes the idea of communicating? We love instant chat these days. But, sometimes, it may take you a few days to recieve an email if you can't log on or whatever. So it's the same as writing a letter. Also, with letters, yes, you have to pay for stamps. But, again, that's part of the love. You've gone out of your way to buy stamps (which aren't expensive) in order to write to someone. Not just logged into an account and typed up a few words.

Woah. Rambling. But yeah. What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you have a penpal? Did you have one?

And if you answered "no", maybe you should set aside half an hour or an hour and write a letter to a friend. Surprise them. Don't tell them. Just write something and send it. A page, two pages, five pages, whatever. I guarantee it'll make them smile more than a message on Facebook will.

Discuss :)

Ninjota 07-30-2010 07:08 AM

Haha a penpal would be neat, i agree the digital world has "Homogenized" communications, and handwritten letters are awesome to get :rolleyes:


But alas, no i do not have a penpal hehe, im a computer junkie ;)

Slenderman - Doctor 07-30-2010 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninjota (Post 310260)
Haha a penpal would be neat, i agree the digital world has "Homogenized" communications, and handwritten letters are awesome to get :rolleyes:


But alas, no i do not have a penpal hehe, im a computer junkie ;)

Don't get me wrong - nothing wrong with Facebook chat/messages/email etc. But I think people miss out when they don't send a letter. It's nothing exciting, sure, but it can make a difference and, as I've found, it can be fun.

Instant chat is just that. Instant. There in a minute. Whereas I've sent a letter to my friend, she's read it and I have no idea what she'll write back. So I'll be waiting til, maybe, Monday and it's just something to look forward to.

Might just be me being old though xD

Ribbit101 07-30-2010 08:56 AM

A girl I quite like sent me a letter once :)

I'll ask her to write me another, and then i'll hopefully write one back :)

I use emoticons in letters....

Seriously.

slaveblondie 07-30-2010 10:01 AM

I write to my Grandma, she doesn't have facebook for obvious reasons and she is a writing diva, she will write about 4 pages in literally about 10 minutes! And it does mean so much to her when I write in reply to her letters :) Though she is beginning to get the hand of texting :P

SB xx

CollaredBlondie 07-30-2010 01:43 PM

I recently posted a short blog about this elsewhere on the net, and one of my followers sent me her address, so now we're writing to each other. I love writing and sending letters. :)

sweetsong 07-30-2010 05:09 PM

I ♥ handwritten letters.

Nobody writes back though. :
(

Ribbit101 07-30-2010 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetsong (Post 310470)
I ♥ handwritten letters.

Nobody writes back though. :
(

If only you were in the UK!

sweetsong 07-30-2010 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ribbit101 (Post 310482)
If only you were in the UK!

It only costs like 80 cents to mail a letter to Europeland. :cool:

Arthur Dent 07-30-2010 10:57 PM

When I was around 13ish (back in the 70's!) I used to have a pen friend that I met on holiday once. At that time the only other way to communicate was the landline 'phone (we only had that installed when I was 12) and we only had one which was in the hallway where everyone walked passed - so not exactly private. And my parents would never let me use it for long because it cost too much!

But I enjoyed reading the letters and writing them, and I kept them for ages in a box and found them years later and enjoyed reading them again (you can't do that with facebook). Letters gave you a real insight into someone's life and personality becasue you took time over writing them. Instant communication is good in many ways but tends to be only short snippets of information - I don't think it can replace a good letter personally!

Aivey 07-31-2010 12:56 AM

I LOVE handwritten letters :D They seem so much more personal, and thus, more meaningful that a bunch of pixels on a screen. Each letter has been written by hand, and it's just full of the writer's characteristics (eg: handwriting, decorations, etc...) I also love spraying perfume on a handwritten letter :) It makes things much more "you-like" if you know what i mean :P
but sadly, no, i don't have any pen pals because the postal system is so unreliable here in china :(

Anjelen 07-31-2010 03:44 AM

I love hand written letters. And yet, i passionately hate writing. It takes too long - not to mention the fact that i've -always- had terrible hand writing, and that's not likely to change; i just don't have the patience to write. I never learned to clearly express myself through text until i got my hands on a keyboard and i didn't have to mess about with paper and ink anymore...

That said - i will write, if people i write to are very special to me.

CollaredBlondie 07-31-2010 05:43 AM

I used to write to my best friend all the time when I moved away from where I used to live. Sometimes I used to actually hand write, sometimes I used to type a letter (didn't used to have constand internet access then). I know typing a letter isn't quite the same as handwriting one, but sometimes it's a lot easier for all involved. I mean, it might not take as much time, or it might be more readable. I used to insert pictures into these letters so they weren't boring. ^_^

honeyness 07-31-2010 08:23 AM

I LOVE this, I really want to write letters again, just with facebook etc there are only a few people who will actually appreciate it!

I always write thank you letters to family members who have sent me a gift for a birthday or at Christmas, it has always been drummed into me to say thank you and people seem to appreciate receiving the letter.

When i was younger, around 10, I had a penfriend who i met on holiday and we wrote to each other for ages until we gradually grew apart. I recently got back in touch which her by using facebook, so I do like facebook for that ability to reconnect with people! i still have all our letters and cards that we used to make each other, I would love to have that kind of relationship with someone again.

*ponders* I may go and write a letter to my best friend, just to tell her how much she means to me :)

*Goes to find pen and paper* :)

Ribbit101 07-31-2010 10:26 AM

I wrote a letter to accompany a necklace to the first girl I liked....

Wow, repressed memory much?

Officelover 08-01-2010 03:47 PM

I keep thinking that I should write a letter, but then I never get around to it. They're so much more personal than e-mails or other things like that. I love them. :)

Slenderman - Doctor 08-02-2010 02:05 PM

I love my friend.

I wrote a letter to her (6 or 7 pages). She's written a reply (7 pages). Whilst she was writing this reply, I started a second letter to her (called "Before and After" so I'll have part written pre-her reply and part post-her reply) and she's sending me her first letter tomorrow. So when I get that on Wednesday, I'll do my "After" part and knock it up to about 15 pages (I've written 13 already xD) and send it her. Then she's gunna reply straight away so I can write her another letter whilst she's on holiday.

And she's sending me a postcard.

If any of that makes sense xD

CollaredBlondie 08-02-2010 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor (Post 312234)
I'll do my "After" part and knock it up to about 15 pages (I've written 13 already xD) and send it her.

Jealous much? I'd love to receive a letter that long! XD

Stix 08-02-2010 02:37 PM

When I EVENTUALLY find the right girl for me...no doubt I will send old skool letters to her.

It has a much more personal touch to it...so yeah :)

Slenderman - Doctor 08-02-2010 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CollaredBlondie (Post 312251)
Jealous much? I'd love to receive a letter that long! XD

It's all complete shambles and rambles. Fun though :D

444 08-02-2010 03:02 PM

I hate my handwriting and typing is so. much. funner. Also, I'm a very... indecisive person, sometimes I don't make sense even, so I need the option to edit what I write quickly and cleanly so that the 'letter' can turn out as good as i want it.

Slenderman - Doctor 08-02-2010 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 444 (Post 312261)
I hate my handwriting and typing is so. much. funner. Also, I'm a very... indecisive person, sometimes I don't make sense even, so I need the option to edit what I write quickly and cleanly so that the 'letter' can turn out as good as i want it.

I'm like that but I still prefer hand-writing.

My letters are often full of nonsensical ramblings. I never scribble things out too, so I often go off at tangents with brackets and footnotes and stuff xD

CollaredBlondie 08-02-2010 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctor (Post 312294)


I'm like that but I still prefer hand-writing.

My letters are often full of nonsensical ramblings. I never scribble things out too, so I often go off at tangents with brackets and footnotes and stuff xD

That sounds epic tbh XD

nellybell 08-02-2010 08:38 PM

Well, I have never been one to write letters and actually send them. I do, however, write notes in school. ^^ Texting is hard to do when some how you get alphabetically screwed into sitting in the front seat in almost every class, sooooo I write notes for people, and hand it off to them in the hallway when I see them. Some of my notes get long depending on how much I have to write about and how mind numbing the class is. I actually kind of like doing it too, I almost always get a note back and they are usually a lot more creative than mine :p I wish I was a bit more talented in that department xD So, not quite the same thing, but still very fun ^^

Slenderman - Doctor 08-03-2010 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CollaredBlondie (Post 312311)
That sounds epic tbh XD

'Tis indeed :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by nellybell (Post 312409)
Well, I have never been one to write letters and actually send them. I do, however, write notes in school. ^^ Texting is hard to do when some how you get alphabetically screwed into sitting in the front seat in almost every class, sooooo I write notes for people, and hand it off to them in the hallway when I see them. Some of my notes get long depending on how much I have to write about and how mind numbing the class is. I actually kind of like doing it too, I almost always get a note back and they are usually a lot more creative than mine :p I wish I was a bit more talented in that department xD So, not quite the same thing, but still very fun ^^

Notes are always great too! I used to have pockets full of notes, instead of pens and pencils and stuff I needed xD

Slenderman - Doctor 08-03-2010 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CollaredBlondie (Post 312251)
Jealous much? I'd love to receive a letter that long! XD

Update: I'm gunna get hers tomorrow, read it and do the "After" part and, right now, I'm upto page 16. :eek::D

BettyBoop 08-07-2010 04:09 PM

I've had penpals before, I love writing letters, I always write them with coloured pens and stickers and junk. And I love love love getting letters. I find it fun and just more interesting than a text or email.

gazha 08-08-2010 11:04 AM

I love handwritten letters... so much more...... personal.

Lady Dare 08-08-2010 12:10 PM

if I have to write a letter to someone I will handwrite it, I think it's more personal, if it was to the bank I'd probably type it, I also write a lot of music which I always handwrite, that way if anyone robs it they can't read it hahaha
if I had good handwriting I would write everything but my handwriting is very poor so typing is often the best option :)


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