April is National Letter Writing Month

April is National Letter Writing Month

Let’s just say it. The thought of writing a letter can be daunting. The effort, the time, not to mention a blank page staring you in the face. April is National Letter Writing Month and it is the perfect time to take a stab at this thing called ‘snail mail.’  I’m going to break it down and make it easy for you.

Today, let’s tackle what to actually put down on that blank page.

What to write?

The easiest two parts of any letter are the beginning and the end.  But what to say in the middle? Keep reading for some ideas.

♦The salutation (to get all formal for a sec) is where you say hello.  I often open with “Dear Jess” or “Hi Olivia.”

♦In the middle, or the body of your letter, is where you chat. Consider it just that; a chat with a friend. Albeit a one sided conversation (at least in the first letter) think about the person you are writing and what you would say if you were having a coffee with them.

But let’s get specific with some real ideas, shall we?

-share where you are physically when writing the letter, describe what you see around you. Or maybe you smell cookies in the oven. All these sensory things can give you things to write about.

-Next you can write about the circumstances that led you to write. A special occasion maybe, or because you always wanted a pen pal, or maybe you wanted to take a break from digital for a bit etc.

-Tell them something about yourself; what you did yesterday, what you ‘do’ and whether you like it or not, where you would like to travel to, when you last received a letter and from whom, any family/pet details you feel like sharing.

♦The ‘end’ of your letter is a chance for you to wrap things up and offer ‘well wishes’ before signing your name. I will sometimes use ‘talk soon’ or ‘warm regards’  or ‘lovely chatting.’

♦Signature.  Don’t forget to sign your name.  Sometimes I see people include a little doodle or something cute they’ve drawn by their name. I’m not that artistic so my name it is.

There you go!  You just wrote your first letter.  Well done!!  I am your biggest fan, you know this right?!

For more tips on writing letters for National Letter Writing Month I’m doing a weekly (on Mondays) series of videos on Instagram on letter writing.

Any suggestions for topics?

p.s Here are  five ways to participate in National Letter Writing Month.