Writing Letters

I was reading a thread here yesterday about epistolary books and I realised that in the last 18 months or so, I have written just one real pen-on-paper letter. It was an experience that made me really think about how email and instant messaging has impacted on communication. My handwriting was abysmal, I used the expression ' lol' at one point and even worse, found myself actually drawing an emoticon - how bad is that?!

What has happened to letter writing? Is it dead in the water these days or is there still a contingent of people out there enjoying an exchange of letters? Obviously the convenience and speed of email can't be argued with, but together with instant messaging and sms texting (how r u - hate it, hate it) is it eroding the use of language?

Or do I need to let go of the 18th century?

No, I don't think you do. If someone states that you need to go back to the 18th Century, I may have to come along for the trip.

I really, really, really dislike using emails to communicate with people. I find that it's okay for short, quick messages. However, for something of importance and length, I despise email and all of this . . . technology. I think it's turning us into a bunch of idiots. I'm going to go insane if I see one more post or note of something that goes like this:

How R U? I'm Gr8!

URGH!! Does this drive anyone else crazy??

I have pen pals from around the world because I enjoy learning about different cultures. I also enjoy the friendship and letter writing. There's something about receiving a hand written letter--especially in this day and age. I find, in this pen pal group, the majority of people still enjoy doing things the old fashioned way.

Caelda said:

No, I don't think you do. If someone states that you need to go back to the 18th Century, I may have to come along for the trip.

I really, really, really dislike using emails to communicate with people. I find that it's okay for short, quick messages. However, for something of importance and length, I despise email and all of this . . . technology. I think it's turning us into a bunch of idiots. I'm going to go insane if I see one more post or note of something that goes like this:

How R U? I'm Gr8!

URGH!! Does this drive anyone else crazy??

.

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Oh Yes!

This is one of my pet peeves of all time. I just hate it if someone writes or messages me like that, how hard is it to write 'How are you?' or even ' I see'
This whole horrible language has sprung up and it's incredibly limiting, along with expressions like 'cool', 'it sucks' and my particular nemesis 'whatever' .
Email has its place for quickness, although sometimes it can be a little too quick imo, by the time an overhasty reaction to something has been reconsidered, its too late, the mail has been sent.

I'm really cheered up by your post Caelda, its good to know penpals still exist and are going strong. And isn't it nice to actually see something written by hand - makes you feel closer to someone I think.

I think email is fine for everything short of a formal letter or invitation.

This is a good thread.

I have the same feelings about writing letters as you both do. It is a lost art.

My difficulty with letter writing is that when I have written letters to people, they find me weird for doing it. Then, over time, they continue to joke, make sarcasms and totally bash me for living in the past and wasting my time with some pointless thing like writing a letter. I doubt these people ever did read my letter and it has left me quite embittered. Anyway, I am disappointed to say that I haven't written a letter for awhile now but I still think it is a much more personal way of communicating to someone rather than using the monotonic e-mail services.

To me, letters represent thoughtfulness and respect for others - two characteristics that are taking a back seat in the general living of North Americans I find. There are many today who can't even express themselves in a grammatical format because they spend their day on ICQ, MSN messenger etc. and when they do need to write in proper structure, they are lost. This brings about your point on the internet slang which I'm sure most people here find extremely aggravating.

As for the 18th century, make me a bosun's mate, stick me on a ship somewhere between Spain and China, stick a cup o' grog in me hands and I'd be content - at least for a time.

I've written more letters then I can count, and I think it’s probably an art best left in the past. Snail mail is slower and it’s a pain if you want a copy of the letter to go to multiple addresses.

i love email. i put as much thought and emotion into a letter written through email as i would written on paper. it takes just as much time for me to sit at the computer and put my thoughts down. and then the person gets the letter immediately. email has also given me a means to have relationships that normally i would not be able to have.
maybe the letter writers are to blame, not the way in which they are written.

I have to say that I come down squarely on the side of the old-fashioned snail mailers. I have been a compulsive letter writer for the last 21 years. I used to think that getting a computer would cause my correspondence to greatly increase, but it's been just the opposite. I thought that all my friends, who are too busy to write letters, would be able to e-mail instead, but they don't do much of that either.
I don't hold it against them, I just have to accept the fact that I approach things a little differently, and have a lot of free time.
At any rate, I'm a dyed in the wool snail-mailer and mean to stay that way.

I still like writing letters and have a few people I write to. I like buying nice stationary, I have some really pretty, thick hand made stationary right now. I have very nice handwriting and I like to use different colors of ink. I often doodle in the margin and on the envelope. Depending on who I'm writing I've put pressed flowers or a fall leaf in too. I just like the feel of sitting and writing a letter better, than typing. I also keep all my letters that others send me

I'm pretty much like you Ronny in letter writing Well... apart from the flowers and stuff. Bit too girly for me

I really like writing letters. I do find myself drawing emoticons though and "lol" in the letters!

When I make a letter, I enjoy the chance to get creative. So I will buy special paper such as parchment, doodle drawings in the margin and also above and below what I have written, I will use rubber stamps and differnt colours of ink.

Hey, I said it depends on who I write my Granny loves that kind of stuff and she would be really upset if I didn't put her flowers in, I'm not a girly girl, really, I'm not

OK, well you don't want to displease your granny

No, you don't, it's amazing how fast she goes from sweet to scary and besides it's not like I put on pink lip gloss and leave little kiss marks all over my letters Well not anymore

I haven't written a letter to anyone in years, but I still keep a pen and paper journal even though I also have a journal online. I still know a lot of people that actually take the time to use capitalization, punctuation, and care whether or not they write an intelligible and well structured sentences and paragraphs. I have used internet slang on the rare occasion but only to be silly.

All is not lost.

Dont get me wrong, Im not knocking email because, like Jenn, I do take as much time and care in writing emails as I would with a paper letter, and yes it enables us to keep in touch wherever we are in the world.

I think it does depend on the writers as much as anything..Im currently writing to someone who I haven't been in contact with for 30 years, via email as she now lives in the US, and her letters are as witty and vital as they were on paper years ago, and without the internet slang. She would never have found me if it hadn't been for the internet so it isn't all bad.

On the other hand that was a great point about lovely writing paper - I still buy it but rarely use it. I have started keeping a notebook / journal though, just for lists, random thoughts, ideas etc, just so I don't forget how to hold a pen and do joined-up writing!

I'm waiting for the day I receive a handwritten letter in the mail like the spoof below. No one takes letters seriously anymore, and e-mail is turning into one giant pool of chat-shorthand.


lust4nuthin9938,

hey how r u? had some gr8 times w/ u & frogger_dill t/o day. IMO he was tight w/ u.

lol. anyway cya l8r,

99bottles_o'beer

What has happened to letter writing?

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It is deceased-I can't remember the last time I received a personal hand-written letter, or sent one out myself.

Is it dead in the water these days or is there still a contingent of people out there enjoying an exchange of letters?

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Personally, I know exactly what you are talking about. I have found that when I use pen and paper, that my mind is constantly working to re-word or re-phrase lines to sound better. I also have an internal dialogue going on about how to make better points or ideas in it. When I'm online, this dialogue if you will, is largely non-existant. Not only that, but I feel "rushed" in that I'm taking way too long to write. In this regard, yes, writing is dying.

Obviously the convenience and speed of email can't be argued with, but together with instant messaging and sms texting (how r u - hate it, hate it) is it eroding the use of language?

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Yes, I believe the quality of language is eroding with greater use of the net and instant messaging. As a history teacher, it amazes me how hard working farmers and ranchers with little to no formal education in the late 19 century, wrote using complex words of four or five syllables. If you want something today that is equally "upt to par" so to speak, you have to read a William F. Buckley jr. column.

Or do I need to let go of the 18th century?

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The most that you can do is to try and increase the amount of time in which you write a letter. Heck, be subversive and write a relative or two. They might be confused and say: "What the h#(( is this?" but maybe they'll respond in kind due to the nice gesture.

SFG75 said:

The most that you can do is to try and increase the amount of time in which you write a letter. Heck, be subversive and write a relative or two. They might be confused and say: "What the h#(( is this?" but maybe they'll respond in kind due to the nice gesture.

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I think this will be my Autumn project, mornings of attending to my letter writing. My letters will never be preserved for posterity, but I thank goodness email wasnt around in Jane Austen's day.

And Sirmyk, that took me a minute or two to decipher.....

I miss letter writing. My emails are usually rushed and the infrequent AIM or MSN conversation rarely involves capitalization or punctuation. I had a friend I wrote to every month or so, but his wife doesn't care for it (I don't really understand why) so we've reverted back to email. SFG79 has a good suggestion about writing to relatives. I wrote to my grandparents all through college. I saw them every month or so, but they really loved getting the letters in the mail. It let them know that I was thinking of them enough to sit down and write rather than pounding out a quickie email.

When I was little, I would write these chipper, chatty letters to older relatives. I thought everyone loved to get cute letters from kids. I gradually understood that most of my relatives were virtually illiterate, that they never read, and that my letters were intimidating to them.

Now I know literate people, but I still don't send letters anymore. I'm not very patient, so I would always be asking people if they got my letter. So what's really the point, if I'm going to talk to them anyway?

I do send lots of emails, but I put effort into them as if they were traditional letters. I even like to start with Dear.