Do You Save Your Letters?

[Bexinthecity247]

I have about 8 steady penpals at the moment - that I have been writing to for about 2-3 years and I have amassed dozens, upon dozens of their letters that are taking up, now, a considerable amount of space.

Would you keep them or scrap the oldest ones?

I'm always wary of future blackmail scandals (how many times have we seen in films and TV about people who keep old incriminating bundles of letters hm?).

In all seriousness, I just don't see the point of hanging onto the more plainer ones (the ones written in plain biro, on plain paper etc) but feel a bit mean if I chuck them.

[PaganArcher]

I keep letters for one year and one day, at which point they are shredded and burned. This is the same span that I usually keep my journals for, then they too find their way to the fire.

[Studio97]

Letters are saved depending on who wrote them. I found a couple of letters from my mother written some years before she died. These are keepsakes now. I never get a letter anymore except one at Christmas. I dont keep it. Everyone texts or is on facebook. And I rarely post anything on facebook.

 

Have to comment about keeping journals. I have filled over 60. Only one destroyed. They are more than just about me personally but are events local, national and international. They are illustrated with drawings, photos and ephemera. It would be a shame to destroy them.

[CraigR]

For many years, I keep all correspondence, personal and business. Pen pal letters were filed by name and in chronological order. This all ended when we sold our home, moved into a motorhome, and started travelling full-time. That was 5 1/2 years ago. Now that we are back in a much smaller home, I have started to collect letter again but I am seriously thinking that I need to destroy them after a year.

[TSherbs]

I keep letters in a slot on my desk. For each letter in, I remove one at the back end and throw it out. There's about a 6-month span of letters. But my discard rate is determined by my receiving rate.

[Chrissy]

I had to start only keeping the last one and now shred the earlier ones.

[AlohaLani787]

I have kept selected letters from a deceased parent. All others are discarded after no more than a year, usually far less unless the content has special meaning or the stationery is unusual.

[inkstainedruth]

My mother used to save the letters she got from a fellow writer (they started out being really silly and she wondered what the mailman thought about mail addressed to "Princess Becky" and "His Holiness Keith I"). But she ended up burning all the correspondence in the fireplace after the guy turned on her. Not so much about what he said to/about her, but about what he'd said about other people (particularly about the people who dropped everything to help him when he'd had a stroke). My mother NEVER wanted the awful things he said about them getting back to them. Ever.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ParramattaPaul]

There should be a very short book about saving letters, and similar things.

 

The suggested title is "The Idiot's Guide To Becoming A Hoarder"

As I said, it would be very short reading. The entire content would be one simple sentence - "Save things."

[amberleadavis]

Hmm.... well I have a lots of letters ABOUT ink. My serious stuff isn't really in letters. But the Inky letters get made into fade tests, collages, art projects... all sorts of stuff.

[Madeline]

I've saved quite a few letters--no doubt more than I should--but I'm very glad that I still have some of the oldest ones and especially those from my parents. Over time I sort and toss but keep the special ones. Even if I cannot find them in my house, I remember specific letters--the one that made me laugh reading it on the street as I walked to class (decades ago!) And the one illustrated with pirates. And letters from close friends. And my grandmother's, which always contained funny stories. But I do keep too many and so I love the introduction of this topic. It's great to hear all of these differing perspectives (and advice on how to reduce the tonnage!)

[alexander_k]

One of the things that have attracted me to pens and paper is the ephemeral, vulnerable character of the product. In contrast to digital messages and files, they can disappear by themselves, leaving no trace behind. Consequently, I make no effort to preserve or destroy them; I just let it happen with no regrets either way.

[fpwriter]

Have been writing and receiving letters for just over a year and half now. Must have received about 50 letters now. They do take some space up but not so much to create any serious problems. Even if it comes to that I would choose to get more space than discard any of them. I feel like far too much effort has gone into each letter reaching me than it will take me to arrange for some space to store them.

[WaskiSquirrel]

My letters last until I write a response. There have been times that I wished I had kept the letters so I could refer back. But then I realize that I really won't refer back.

 

I live in a small house. Letters don't take up lots of space, but I also don't have lots of space.

 

I have considered saving letters on something like Evernote, but, really, why? I've been preserving my notes on School Board meetings on Evernote, and I just don't see why.

[Bexinthecity247]

Interesting array of responses - thank you.

I might start throwing some of the older ones. Particularly penpals I no longer write to as well.

 

I was already on the path to being a hoarder with other things like magazines etc but now I'm decluttering and this was the only thing I wasn't sure what to do with.

I don't write journals per say - but I have dozens of notebooks full of short stories, long stories, story ideas, poetry etc that I won't throw (not until I've typed them up anyway) as I threw one away once when I thought I was done with the story then a few years later I kicked myself and wanted to finish it, but couldn't.

[sangrisano]

I haven't discarded any letters so far, but I need to take a decision soon (running out of space) - I will probably invest one or two days to scan them and save them on a hard drive.
One step towards a paperless office...

[Tas]

All of them. I even have an FPN folder treasuring them . . .

[drv1913]

As a general rule, yes, I do save all letters, postcards, and even short notes. For many years, I just kept them all in a giant box. There was a long period in my life when I had a lot of pen pals and partcipated in various mail, art, and postcard swaps, so it really added up.

 

A few years ago, I finally decided to tackle the project of getting the letters and cards out of boxes and into scrapbooks. I got most of them done. But then one day, I sat down and looked at a pile of correspondence that still didn't seem to have the slighest dent in it. So, I separated them into two piles: ones from family and friends and people I actually know; ones from virtual strangers. I kept the ones from the first pile and shredded the rest. Looking back, I'm still glad that I did it, but then another part of me wishes that I still had them. Why, I don't know.

 

These days, I try to be dilligent about putting correspondence and notes into my notebook right away, so that they at least are organized and not just randomly thrown in a box. And I'm back to saving almost everything. I can't help it. I really like written correspondence and ephemera (I even save the colorful contents cards that come with the subscription boxes that I get). These days, however, so few people write or send even birthday cards, so I don't have to worry as much about being overwhelmed by them.

 

It's really too bad that it's unlikely that I will ever be famous. Between my notebooks and saved letters, my biographer would have a field day.

[Studio97]

I am glad these were never tossed: i have box of postcards my grandfather received and some he,sent that made their way back to him. The comments and notes on them have a great deal of info about my ancestoral relatves. Most are postmarked about 1910.

[Misfit]

I didn’t save Fountain pen pal letters at first, but I do now. Maybe one day I’ll recycle them, but that’s some time away.

 

Letters from family (when you can actually get such) are saved period.