The Art of Letter-Writing

It has always been a special practice of mine to write letters to people when strong emotions are evoked in association to them. In return, I can usually see how touched my friends are when they receive my letters of gratitude or good wishes. Yet, I hardly receive letters of the same emotional depth in which I give out to others. I realised that most letters between people my age barely scratch the surface of the feelings that they are trying to convey. 

It is no easy feat to express the wave of emotions that one might feel from time to time – as it cannot be denied how hard it must be to put them into words. 

So here I am, ready to share this gift of letter writing to the world—to allow each and every one of you with the intentions of writing letters to successfully pull at the heartstrings of your receivers.

Dear Reader, 

You can take these into consideration in your writing: 

1. Staring with recalling a memorable event between you and the receiver

It has always felt the most natural to me to start off the letter this way after “Dear __” has been written at the top left hand corner of the piece of paper. My mind would immediately recall the fond moments I had with the particular individual and I would just describe and write out how I felt at that moment in time when so and so, helped me, or how grateful I am for the way they showed me kindness. 

Eg. (When writing to your partner) “I recall the time when we met in the coffee shop where instead of the typical dynamic of a guy treating the girl to coffee – it ended up with me buying us both our drinks first, while you were still entranced with reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, at the Popular next door”. 

2. Prepare tissues!

As you are writing out the memorable event(s), it will, I kid you not, sometimes bring tears to your eyes, as you recall and unearth the emotions which were long forgotten in the depths of your memories! It’s a bit like journaling, really!

3. Always keep the end in mind

As you are happily writing away you might at times lose focus on what initially made you write the letter—is it a birthday letter, a letter of congratulations for the recent success, marriage, or graduation of your dear friend/family? So make sure to link back at the end or at the start of your letter and wish the receiver a “Happy Birthday” (in the case of writing a birthday letter).

4. Always try to describe the events as closely to the way you remembered in your mind’s eye!

This is essentially 5W1H (who, what, when, why, how). Describe the sights and sounds that you experienced. It can be things like the taste and smell of the air that lingered.

Eg. (To a best friend) “I will always recall being thankful to you for being kind enough to share the lunch that was always lovingly prepared by your mom from the night before,back when we were in primary school. My grumbling stomach could not be any happier at the time—for the relief from hunger, even if it was just a simple meal of ABC soup over rice”.

5. Spell out your feelings!

The trick is also to find the right vocabulary to pinpoint the exact emotion. At the point in time that you are writing the letter, as well as the relevant events of the past that were mentioned in it.

With that, I’m sure you would reach the hearts of your dear receiver and induce nostalgia that might have been lost.

All in all, I hope that this information can serve as a guide for you in your letter-writing journey. 

Love, 

Aline

• letter writing
• penpals