Who doesn't love getting mail? I mean, real mail...not bills or credit card offers. We're talking bona fide snail mail!
Hearing from an old friend or a distant relative is always refreshing. It takes us out of the busyness of our days to think about someone else...someone who was thoughtful enough to take time out of the busyness of his or her day to write to us.
Have you ever considered the stories that are told through writing personal letters?
- A love story between a soldier and his wife
- A kindling of a love affair
- Generational tales between a grandparent and grandchild or parent and child
- Childhood friends separated by a parent's job relocation
- Lifetime search to locate a birth parent or a long-lost cousin
Letter writing is a dying art, but it doesn't have to be. Start reaching out and touching the lives of others today by writing a personal letter!
Grab a piece of paper or open your word processor or email client and write/type the following:
Dear [insert name]:
We have known each other for [insert quantity of time], and I truly value our relationship.
Then, complete one of these sentences:
- You have inspired me by…
- You have taught me…
- My favorite memory with you was when...
And see if you don't get a response! You have just begun to tell a story through your correspondence.
Make copies of the letters you write and save the letters you receive in response, and you will undoubtedly tell a dynamic story from your life through dialogue. It’s easy!
If maintaining correspondence interests you, check out this step-by-step Letter-Writing Action Plan.
If you haven’t finished the letter above yet, I urge you to do that right now. Your story is worth telling and maintaining correspondence is a fantastic way to do it!
Have you considered starting a scrapbook to further enhance your memoir-writing project?