Writing (and Reading) Letters

Handwritten letters, although occasionally illegible, suggest age, mood, degrees of elegance and care. And the envelopes themselves convey fragrance, for better or worse, bringing us, olfactorily, into the rooms where the letters are written. The paper crafts, photos, dried flowers, and other enclosures would otherwise come to us as mere one-dimens... See more

I suggest writing emails to your friends. Writing with an audience in mind makes the writing better, and writing to a friend means you won’t get hung up on how you sound. You’ll become closer, too, to whoever you share your thoughts with, and odds are you’ll draw the same thoughtfulness out of them. Your inbox will become less of a place for coupon

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Writing needn’t be a formal enterprise to have this effect. You don’t have to write well . You don’t even have to “write,” exactly — you can just talk onto the page.

I suggest writing emails to your friends. Writing with an audience in mind makes the writing better, and writing to a friend means you won’t get hung up on how you sound. You’ll become ... See more