Who Do You Write To?

[Fabienne]

Being a jerk, don't your mean "To Whom Do You Write?" I am so very well paid to correct other people's grammar that I bubble over on the topic.

[Glen1981]

Being a bigger jerk, don't you mean 'don't you mean?'

[UkuleleClaire]

I love writing letters, and a few months ago I started delving into letter-writing blogs and associations on the internet - there's a whole world out there! I started my own wee postal chronicle: epistolarynovel.tumblr.com.

 

I write a lot to my grandpa (90), and am also sending him etegami (painted postcards). He often responds to my mail by calling to tell me about it, or one time when I was at work he left me an extremely long voicemail responding to everything in my last letter. I think it's a bit funny, but at the same time I'm glad that since he's 90 years old he can (and does) respond at all. I know that he likes receiving the letters and postcards and I like brightening his days.

 

I have a few friends that I regularly correspond with who live in other parts of the world. My friend Steve (Arizona) and I have been doing "captured monk" letters recently to practice calligraphy. It started with him sending me a beautiful letter in Gothic hand where he joked that he'd captured a monk to write his letter for him. My reply was from a monk who knew bad italic.

My friend Jason (Canada) and I send each other a lot of recipes or short stories.

 

I have a couple of pen pals from Steepster (a tea website).

 

I recently joined a group called the Etegami Fun Club and I have a couple of postcards going out to members tomorrow - one to Washington, DC, and the other to southern California.

 

And finally, there are friends I write to just to make them smile. Some of them write me back sporadically, others I've never gotten a letter back from. I really don't care if they do, I hope it just doesn't make them feel obligated to write. I know it can feel difficult in our society to sit down and make some time to write a letter, but I know when I receive them I feel like someone cared enough to take that time for me, and I hope the people I write to feel that way as well.

[Vendome]

I write to anyone and everyone, to keep my re-discovered penmanship skills up to a reasonable standard.

 

I've found that when using a fountain pen in business correspondence, I receive more favourable replies from the "Big Cheeses" of the companies I've written to.

[doggonecarl]

My friend Steve (Arizona) and I have been doing "captured monk" letters recently to practice calligraphy. It started with him sending me a beautiful letter in Gothic hand where he joked that he'd captured a monk to write his letter for him. My reply was from a monk who knew bad italic.

 

Now that is unique.

 

I've wanted to do Etegami too. But I understand you are supposed to be spontaneous in the creation of the postcard. I'm not spontaneous, especially with drawing or painting. I've even taken to drafting my letters.

[PAKMAN]

Despite my best intentions, I rarely write to anyone! I have a sister that will often send me a card but I rarely respond. Year before last I hand lettered and addressed a huge number of Christmas cards but this year zilch. I did address thank you's for my daughters shower gifts. I'm always looking for a way to use my pens more but never seem to find the time or desire to write letters to those I know would love to get one.

[yomero]

I've lived and worked in every weather and region in Mexico; then in the US, France and Germany before returning to Mexico. A written letter seems like the only way to kindle the bonds of friendship with the people that will forever hold a dear place in my life. Those whom without I'll be a different person.

 

Six months ago, my fiancée moved 400 miles away. Distance is hard, and every way I can found of letting her know how nothing in the world will separate us is important. That means of course self made envelopes and playing with stamps, inks, etc. to regularily send the corniest of stuff via snail mail. I disgust myself

 

The last five years I've settled down. I miss moving every couple of months to re-invent myself, get a new job and a new life. Reaching out to find new penpals helps me hold my ground and avoiding a bail-out, I feel able to knock at adventure's door without throwing everything away.

 

All This circumstances led me to joining the "A month of letters challenge" and, incidentally joining the FPN.

 

Regards,

[UkuleleClaire]

My friend Steve (Arizona) and I have been doing "captured monk" letters recently to practice calligraphy. It started with him sending me a beautiful letter in Gothic hand where he joked that he'd captured a monk to write his letter for him. My reply was from a monk who knew bad italic.

 

Now that is unique.

 

I've wanted to do Etegami too. But I understand you are supposed to be spontaneous in the creation of the postcard. I'm not spontaneous, especially with drawing or painting. I've even taken to drafting my letters.

 

I've found most people in the etegami community just care about having fun, and not the rules or "supposed to's". I say give it a try! For myself, I can have a tendency to be a control freak, and I've found it to be good for me to surrender to making etegami with a lack of control. Sometimes I'm even pleased with the results.

[ridiculopathy]

My cousin and I have been best friends practically since we were born (we're a couple of weeks apart). As kids, we sent letters to each other because we lived on almost opposite sides of the US, and it was cheaper than long-distance telephone calls. When home internet became commonplace, we wrote e-mails constantly. As we moved up in school and homework/studies took up more of our time, we wrote to each other less frequently. At some point, we decided to go back to writing physical letters because it suited our schedules better, and we could add our own doodles and illustrations. And of course, the joy of receiving in the mailbox that wasn't junk mail!

[Vendome]

I was writing a couple of letters last night, and whilst searching for some envelopes, I found some old Dr Who postcards. So I sent those to a couple of mates as well.

[Vendome]

Just finished writing a letter to a mate who lives on th' wrong side of th' Pennines.

 

I couldn't remember if the correct Yorkshire dialect for the introduction was thee, thou or thar. So I settled for "Alreet?"

 

He'll probably write back to me with my letter covered in red ink markings (especially the Hovis reference) and use a second class stamp.

 

Typical Yorkshire bl##dy-mindedness!

[TSherbs]

I write to anyone and everyone, to keep my re-discovered penmanship skills up to a reasonable standard.....

+1 Same. I have stopped writing emails whenever possible, which has turned out a whole lot more often than I guessed. I write several letters a week now, and many more than I receive. But that is fine.

[jrm27]

As a followup to a previous post:

 

I had mentioned that this thread inspired me to write to a favoritie author of mine who had been ailing. I found out a few days ago that he passed only a few weeks after my letter would have arrived. I'm glad to have written, though I have no idea if the letter was received. I'm glad to have added my thanks for his long, illustrious, and fascinating career. Thanks for this thread inspiring me to write!

 

-jon

Edited June 15, 2013 by jrm27

[Vendome]

Writing to Private Eye, to see if I can at last make it on their letters page.

[GabrielleDuVent]

Wrote two that's addressed across the Atlantic, one across the Pacific, one across the channel.

 

Also wrote a note "need more milk" to my mate. Does that count?

[Vendome]

Also wrote a note "need more milk" to my mate. Does that count?

 

That note only counts if your mate is a milkman.

[Redonna]

I don't write to anyone, but I want to. Yes, I know people I could write to, but I don't cotton to the idea of writing to people I know will not write back. I have from time to time searched the internet for pen-pal sites, but then I back away because I find myself wishing to narrow the search to a specific potential pen pal . . . a grandmother from Europe - someone close to my age who could [hopefully] relate to some of what I would have to write about. I did recently join postcrossings and I have mailed my first five postcards. But those were mailed so recently that my name has not been distributed, so i have no postcards in my incoming mail and I have no response from anyone I sent to, although I don't think I expect to hear from any of them because that's not exactly how the project works. I would not be opposed to any of them picking up a correspondence with me. but I did not tick the checkbox that asks if interested in receiving requests for direct swaps from other postcrossers. I may tick that box later though.

[johnmetta]

Writing is an exercise that gives me pleasure from the doing. Most people I write to will never write me back, and that's fine, because I'm not actually writing for them, I am writing for myself. When I write, it gives me a chance to slow down and consider myself, my place in the world, and my relationship to that person. This is a positive experience for me regardless of whether the person writes me back or not. I have gotten a few responses from people who, strange as it may be, emphatically do not appreciate a letter. If someone tells me they do not want me to write to them, then I won't. But I write to people all the time who may or may not write back because it's not an exchange to me, nor is it a gift to the other person. It really is a gift to myself that I am allowing them to read.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I don't write to anyone, but I want to. Yes, I know people I could write to, but I don't cotton to the idea of writing to people I know will not write back. I have from time to time searched the internet for pen-pal sites, but then I back away because I find myself wishing to narrow the search to a specific potential pen pal . . . a grandmother from Europe - someone close to my age who could [hopefully] relate to some of what I would have to write about. I did recently join postcrossings and I have mailed my first five postcards. But those were mailed so recently that my name has not been distributed, so i have no postcards in my incoming mail and I have no response from anyone I sent to, although I don't think I expect to hear from any of them because that's not exactly how the project works. I would not be opposed to any of them picking up a correspondence with me. but I did not tick the checkbox that asks if interested in receiving requests for direct swaps from other postcrossers. I may tick that box later though.

How 'bout the pen pal thread here?

[Redonna]

How 'bout the pen pal thread here?

 

I considered it but thought my preferences might be too limiting and others might wonder why I bothered if I was looking for only European grandmother people of my age. I also worry that if I put my name in the pen-pal thread and I get requests from someone I don't feel comfortable corresponding with based on what I may have seen of their forms posts then I may anger them or hurt their feeling and I don't want to do either . . . so I just avoid it.