Monday, January 4, 2010
New Letter Writing Blog
There's a new letter writing blog out there that you might be interested in: A Year of Letters. Angelia has started a project to write a letter every day in 2010. Visit her blog and offer some support!
Letter #4
Letter writing topic for January 4, 2010:
Is there a holiday gift that you still need to write a thank you letter for? Today, write a thank you letter, if not for a holiday gift, then for something else. Say "thank you for the wedding present you sent a year ago"; say "thank you for not yelling at me when I messed up last week"; say "thank you for being you." You don't have to have a special thank you card, just write a letter that expresses your appreciation for something someone has done for you or given to you. Then, be sure to mail it!
Is there a holiday gift that you still need to write a thank you letter for? Today, write a thank you letter, if not for a holiday gift, then for something else. Say "thank you for the wedding present you sent a year ago"; say "thank you for not yelling at me when I messed up last week"; say "thank you for being you." You don't have to have a special thank you card, just write a letter that expresses your appreciation for something someone has done for you or given to you. Then, be sure to mail it!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Letter # 3
Letter writing topic for January 3, 2010:
On Jan. 3, 1888, Marvin C. Stone patented the drinking straw. He didn't invent the concept of the straw, but he improved on a basic thing (straws made out of grass) and started the movement toward the straws we know now, including bendy straws, crazy straws, even candy straws and special spoon straws for both drinking the Coke and eating the ice cream in a Coke Float. Straws can be convenient (you won't get a chocolate mustache if you drink your chocolate milk with a straw) and beneficial (studies show that drinking with a straw can reduce tooth decay). Today, in honor of Marvin C. Stone, write a letter to the most innovative person you know, someone who gets things started and opens doors for the rest of the world. Tell he or she what it is you admire about them, but don't forget to include a little bit about yourself and your life, too. Make it a real letter. Ask some questions, so they'll have something to answer.
On Jan. 3, 1888, Marvin C. Stone patented the drinking straw. He didn't invent the concept of the straw, but he improved on a basic thing (straws made out of grass) and started the movement toward the straws we know now, including bendy straws, crazy straws, even candy straws and special spoon straws for both drinking the Coke and eating the ice cream in a Coke Float. Straws can be convenient (you won't get a chocolate mustache if you drink your chocolate milk with a straw) and beneficial (studies show that drinking with a straw can reduce tooth decay). Today, in honor of Marvin C. Stone, write a letter to the most innovative person you know, someone who gets things started and opens doors for the rest of the world. Tell he or she what it is you admire about them, but don't forget to include a little bit about yourself and your life, too. Make it a real letter. Ask some questions, so they'll have something to answer.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Letter #2
Letter writing topic for January 2, 2010:
As this is the season for "Auld Lang Syne" of "Old Long Since," write a letter today to an old teacher who influenced you in life. Maybe she was the elementary teacher who taught you to read or the high school teacher who made history come to life. Maybe he was the college professor who encouraged you to go to graduate school. Of course, it doesn't have to be a school teacher...consider writing to a yoga teacher or the life coach who helped you find a new career. Tell this person how he or she influenced your life and include some information about what you're doing now, what you're plans for the future are.
Alternative: Write to anyone who influenced your life, a next door neighbor, a former co-worker, the man who sells newspapers on the corner and greets you with a cheery "Good morning" every day, even though you don't buy a paper. Let them know what they mean to you.
As this is the season for "Auld Lang Syne" of "Old Long Since," write a letter today to an old teacher who influenced you in life. Maybe she was the elementary teacher who taught you to read or the high school teacher who made history come to life. Maybe he was the college professor who encouraged you to go to graduate school. Of course, it doesn't have to be a school teacher...consider writing to a yoga teacher or the life coach who helped you find a new career. Tell this person how he or she influenced your life and include some information about what you're doing now, what you're plans for the future are.
Alternative: Write to anyone who influenced your life, a next door neighbor, a former co-worker, the man who sells newspapers on the corner and greets you with a cheery "Good morning" every day, even though you don't buy a paper. Let them know what they mean to you.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Letter # 1
Letter writing topic for January 1, 2010:
Write a letter to yourself, to be opened on December 31, 2010. What could you tell yourself? Maybe you could set some goals (that you'll want to keep a copy of to refer to throughout the year), maybe mention some hopes and dreams. You might want to be inspiring, encouraging, forgiving of your 2009 self, as well as the person you might be at the end of 2010. Mention some long-term goals so that when you're getting ready to enter 2011, you'll remember the direction you're supposed to be heading. Of course, in a year, you may read what you wrote, laugh and say, "Yeah, that didn't work out, now did it?" On the other hand, you might say, "Wow! That was a great idea I had! What a wonderful year it's been!" Either way, you'll have something to read on Dec. 31. Now, you can decide...do you mail it to yourself or not. As far as I know, the technology or power doesn't exist to drop a letter in the mailbox tomorrow and have it delivered to your mailbox on Dec. 31. (Although, there might be a service that would handle it for you, I'm not sure.) But, you can mail it to yourself, and when you get it in a day or two, hide it away in your sock drawer or a jewelry box for safekeeping (oh! how about in a safe deposit box at the bank!) until the end of the year. Or, you can forego the stamp, mailbox and postal service and just put the letter straight into your hiding place.
In almost a year, I'll remind you to go look for that letter and see what you wrote!
Write a letter to yourself, to be opened on December 31, 2010. What could you tell yourself? Maybe you could set some goals (that you'll want to keep a copy of to refer to throughout the year), maybe mention some hopes and dreams. You might want to be inspiring, encouraging, forgiving of your 2009 self, as well as the person you might be at the end of 2010. Mention some long-term goals so that when you're getting ready to enter 2011, you'll remember the direction you're supposed to be heading. Of course, in a year, you may read what you wrote, laugh and say, "Yeah, that didn't work out, now did it?" On the other hand, you might say, "Wow! That was a great idea I had! What a wonderful year it's been!" Either way, you'll have something to read on Dec. 31. Now, you can decide...do you mail it to yourself or not. As far as I know, the technology or power doesn't exist to drop a letter in the mailbox tomorrow and have it delivered to your mailbox on Dec. 31. (Although, there might be a service that would handle it for you, I'm not sure.) But, you can mail it to yourself, and when you get it in a day or two, hide it away in your sock drawer or a jewelry box for safekeeping (oh! how about in a safe deposit box at the bank!) until the end of the year. Or, you can forego the stamp, mailbox and postal service and just put the letter straight into your hiding place.
In almost a year, I'll remind you to go look for that letter and see what you wrote!
365 Letters in 2010
I mentioned in my last blog post that I have a new plan for 365 Letters in 2010. I will continue to blog about letter writing, sharing information about other blogs and Web sites, museums, exhibits, postal news and history, as well as fun stuff, like quotes, songs, etc. that mention letters. And, I'll continue to write letters. But, I'm not going to commit to writing a letter every day. We'll just say I'll write "a lot" of letters in 2010, how's that? But, for a daily activity (that's what the "365" implies, isn't it?), I'll post a daily letter writing topic.
Of course, no one needs to feel the pressure to write a letter every day, but if you're inclined to write a letter on any given day, you can check in here and see what I suggest. On days that the topic doesn't suit you, look to see if I've made an alternative suggestion. Or, just pick another day, maybe there'll be a topic somewhere along the way that will inspire you to put pen to paper.
Now, if you'll notice, I didn't say that I'll come up with 365 unique letter writing ideas. I'm sure somewhere along the way, I'll have duplicates, maybe even more than that. But, I'll try to have some time lapse between duplicated topics.
Since there are bloggers and blog readers all over the world, I'll try to have each letter writing topic post right after midnight Central Standard (or Daylight) Time, because that's my time zone. I guess that makes sense. It may take me a few days to get everything settled, though.
Happy New Year's! Best of luck in 2010!
Of course, no one needs to feel the pressure to write a letter every day, but if you're inclined to write a letter on any given day, you can check in here and see what I suggest. On days that the topic doesn't suit you, look to see if I've made an alternative suggestion. Or, just pick another day, maybe there'll be a topic somewhere along the way that will inspire you to put pen to paper.
Now, if you'll notice, I didn't say that I'll come up with 365 unique letter writing ideas. I'm sure somewhere along the way, I'll have duplicates, maybe even more than that. But, I'll try to have some time lapse between duplicated topics.
Since there are bloggers and blog readers all over the world, I'll try to have each letter writing topic post right after midnight Central Standard (or Daylight) Time, because that's my time zone. I guess that makes sense. It may take me a few days to get everything settled, though.
Happy New Year's! Best of luck in 2010!
I did it!
I must say, this was a very strenuous project at times. Oh, sure. Writing letters is fun, but 365 of them was a big task!
Now, I will admit that I included "notecards" and some oversized postcards that I could get an awful lot of writing on. But, I've always considered notecards to be letters. One time, several years ago, my mom asked my grandmother if she had gotten a letter from me. Granny said no she hadn't. Then, my mom saw my notecard letter on the counter. "I thought you said you didn't get a letter from Carla," she said. "Oh, that's not a letter, that's a card." "It's a letter, Mother," my mom assured her.
This was a very rewarding project, and I'm glad I tackled it. Here are some of the things I learned and/or gained during the past 365 days:
* Many new friends all over the world. As soon as I started connecting with other letter writers, we began writing to each other and sharing information about letter writing blogs, Web sites, books, etc. I haven't had so many penpals since I was in high school. And, they are all the nicest people in the world!
* Great blogs and Web sites to visit. I mention most of them in my blog at one point or another. Or, if you're looking for more letter-writing blogs to visit, go to my Profile and check out the blogs that I follow. There are some great links there!
* Knowledge. Oh, my! I've learned so much...about letter writing, fountain pens, stationery, stamps, postal history, and the list just goes on and on. If you haven't already, browse through the archives and see what's there.
* Lightened my load. I used up a lot of "old" stationery that I've had for years. Throughout this project, I took great delight in picking out the paper or card to send to each penpal.
* Gained some stationery. Oh, well, you give some, you get some I guess. Maybe the previous entry should say "Tried to lighten my load." I did get some new stationery in the past year. First of all, I received a nice box of paper, cards and envelopes from Peter Hopkins at Crane & Co. Then, as time went on, I started seeing notecards and paper that I "just had to have." So, I bought some here and there. But, I did use most of the new stationery up, too. Like I said, 365 letters is a lot of mail!
* Reconnected with some old friends. One of my goals when I first started this project was to use "365 Letters" as an excuse to write to people I hadn't seen or heard from in years. I hope no one thought I was a crazy stalker when a letter showed up in their mailbox after 30 or more years. In some cases, I had to figure out married names of old school pals and then try to find out where they live now. In most cases, I didn't even know what state they were living in. Sometimes I felt like a private detective, tracking people down.
* Now you can decide if this one is a good thing or not...after being on the blog for a little while and connecting with a few old friends, I finally signed up on Facebook. I found even more old friends there, some of whom I've written to. It's been fun. I think I'll make a 365 Letters page there this year.
* Found other mail-related projects. Through this project and blog, I discovered Postcrossing, Sendsomething, swaps and more. What fun it's been going to the mailbox and finding a stack of postcards from all over the world!
* Rediscovering typewriters. Somewhere along the way, talking and writing about letter writing leads to discussions about pens and inks and other methods of "writing," including the typewriter. I dug out my old electric typewriter, that still works nicely, and my husband and I found a couple of nice old manual typewriters at garage sales. Such nostalgia!
* Mail Art. Well, actually, I had seen some mail art on Etsy before I started this project, but once I started making connections, I discovered more and more mail art. I even participated in a couple of mail art swaps.
* Found another topic on which to connect with my 9-year-old daughter. Once she saw me mailing and receiving letters, she couldn't help but join in. Of course, most 9-year-olds don't write letters, so she hasn't received many responses to letters she's written to friends, but it's still fun. And, she made her own set of mail art envelopes for the last swap. Additionally, she now thinks of writing letters as a way of communicating. Her math teacher confided in me that once after my daughter had forgotten her homework at home and had delayed the class in getting a homework reward, she wrote a (hand-delivered) letter to the teacher, apologizing for the incident. I was a rather proud mama (for the letter and apology...not for the missing homework assignment).
* Mail! My mailbox is rarely empty anymore. The picture at the top of the blog entry is just a sampling of the mail I've received in the past year. It doesn't get any better than that!
Wow! Thats's a lot! Who knew all that would happen when I set out to write some letters.
Now, I will tell you that I'm going to continue writing letters in 2010, but I'm not going to promise to write one a day. I'll bet that I write more than I did in 2008 but probably not as many as I did in 2009.
But, I plan to keep this blog going with letter writing news and information. And, I have a new angle on the "365 Letters" concept, which I will share with you in my next blog post, coming soon.
Thank you for your support this year! I have so enjoyed it all!
Happy Letter Writing!
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