How To Write A Handwritten Letter
Letter writing is one of the most personal ways to communicate with someone. Writing letters has been an important part of history for thousands of years. The first handwritten letter was thought to have been sent in 500 BC by the Queen of Persia. As people became literate, their popularity grew.
Writing a letter thousands of years ago was essential for communicating important information and a great way to send a message to someone faraway. Nowadays it is so much easier to just pick up a phone and send a text message or an email. In this world of technology the need for writing a letter hasn’t gone away, it has just changed.
Sending a letter these days is a way of showing someone you care. That you are thinking of them. That you have time for them. Receiving a handwritten note through the post is a thoughtful and unexpected gesture. Nestled on the doormat amongst bills and junk mail is a gem which is bound to make the recipient smile.
Not only is it a lovely surprise for the receiver but it is a pleasurable experience for the letter writer. It gives them a chance to sit back, reflect and take time out of their fast paced life as they think about what they want to write about. Often reminiscing about fond memories and future dreams, writing a letter can be very therapeutic.
We plan to take away the fear of letter writing and show you how enjoyable it can be! Let’s start at the very beginning!
- If you wish to write a formal letter, you need to write your name and your address in the top left hand corner. This is not necessary if you know the recipient well and wish to come across more friendly.
- Next you can skip a line and write the date the letter is being written. This is often a nice step to do, whether it is a formal or informal letter as it creates a time stamp for your letter. That way if the letter is kept by the recipient, they will always know the date the letter was sent.
- Now you can insert your initial greeting. This is actually called a salutation! For an informal letter you can use the person’s name followed by a comma or you could start with the word ‘Dear’ if you would prefer. For example, “Dear Evelyn,”.
- Now for the fun part! The body of the letter. Make sure to separate your thoughts and feelings into paragraphs so that it is easy for the recipient to read. For each new set of thoughts, begin a new paragraph by leaving a blank line between your text. If you are unsure on what to write in the body of your letter, try breaking it up into sections. Firstly start with the reason why you are writing this letter. Follow on from this with a new paragraph stating more details about that reason. Finally finish off your letter with a closing statement. This gives your letter a well rounded structure.
- Now it is time to finish your letter by signing off. You will need to leave a small space, followed by a complimentary close. You have many options for a complimentary close depending on how formal or informal you wish your letter to be. Some examples are, “Sincerely”, “Love from”, “Yours truly” or “Regards”.
- After choosing your complimentary close, don't forget to sign off with your name. For a formal letter you would use your full name. However, for a handwritten letter to a friend or a loved one, you could use your first name or even your nickname.
We hope we have helped you to get started with letter writing. Of course you don’t have to follow these rules exactly.
Feel free to have fun with your format and don’t take it too seriously! The important part is you have fun writing your letters and the recipient enjoys reading them!
Making Meadows x
