Letter Writing Month - Give them something to hold onto

This is how it starts. I gather my supplies: my favorite pen, stationery, and stamps. I'm seated at the desk ready to write and my mind goes blank.

I don't know where to start the letter I want to write.

It doesn't happen every time, but often enough. And I imagine it sometimes happens to you.

I get the letter writing jitters and am afraid I don't have anything interesting to say.

When that happens, I remind myself ...

1) This is not a test.
It's easy to feel like it's some sort of exam on how well you write, or how interesting your stories are ... never mind how neat and legible your the handwriting is.

When this happens, remember, the people you write to will be the most forgiving audience you'll ever find for your writing. They are not concerned about run-on sentences, missing commas, apostrophes, or your handwriting, because ...

2) People love getting mail.
They really do. Don't hold back because you're feeling self conscious ... mail makes people happy. It really does.

3) Tell a story.
And start with a strong opening:

The neighbor's chickens are squawking.

That was the opening line I used when I first discovered the power of storytelling in my letters. It was so much easier (and interesting) to start with a story. Less about me, more about whatever it was I was writing about.

And start with a statement like I did with the chickens. Write something about that delicious meal you cooked last night ... and describe it in detail. What ingredients did you use? Did you have to search for a rare spice? Was the recipe a new one? A family favorite? Start there.

Are you growing a garden? Planting seeds? What does the dirt feel like in your hands? Do you wear gardening gloves? When do you expect your first crop?  Give them the date and tell them what you'll be harvesting.

Write about that concert you went to.

How's that project you're working on is going? What's working, what's not?

People love stories, and you've got some good ones.

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Need more help?

Order your copy of A Snail Mail Guide to Cursive Writing Practice. It has all the encouragement and tips you'll need to get started:

• Who to write to
• What to write about
• How to format a letter and address an envelope
• Tips to improve your handwriting

Order yours today!

Give it as a gift!

p.s. Bonus tips ...
• Your writing will improve. Writing is like any other skill. You need to practice. The more you write, the easier it will get. And you may even get a letter or two in return!
 
• Visit without traveling. Social media, texts, and phone calls are convenient, but there's something different about a letter. It gives people something to hold onto. The people you write to can be near or far. Either way, if you write, you'll make their day a good mail day.