The Letter Snob Manifesto

2008-06-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

In the past, before telephones, fax machines and email, people had to write letters and notes to maintain a connection to friends and family. Today, we have all the modern conveniences of communication that they did not. But are these new ways necessarily better ways? Not really.

Observe the many advantages when one writes a note or letter. First, we are able to express ourselves better on paper because there is no conversation to discompose the flow of our ideas. Yes, this applies equally to email. Nothing gets in the way of what we wish to say. Second, in this age of voice mail and email and texting, a physical note or letter that someone takes the time to write and mail is something uncommon and personal. Correspondence that can be read and reread and saved for later has consequence. A physical letter has more warmth than an email ever could.

So many people put off letter writing because they are uncomfortable expressing themselves or they may feel a little vulnerable in sending something that they have composed to another person. These feelings can be easily overcome by considering a few hints. To start, remember to write conversationally. One doesn’t have to be a great writer to remember someone with a note. Be yourself. Saying what you feel on paper is the same thing as saying what you feel in person. It makes your writing authentic and meaningful. Just imagine yourself talking to this person in real life and then write down what you would say. The great thing about writing a note or letter is that it doesn’t have to be lengthy to be deeply felt.

My friend Brian told about writing a letter and hearing back from the recipient that he was amazed to receive a real, personal letter in the mail. The recipient said that he re-read the mail over and over, and was really encouraged by the personal touch and the tangible connection to the sender that a piece of paper and some handwriting gave to him.

Ann Barlow is a mother of four and a lover of all things literary. After reading the collected Letters of Jane Austen Ann was inspired to find a way to encourage more people to get back into the swing of letter writing. She and her husband, Jon Barlow, started an online service - Email2Postal.com - to make sending real letters easier. Ann is not really a complete letter snob and enjoys receiving email at ann@email2postal.com