How to Write a Letter?
Many years ago, after a very formal greeting, the first line of most personal letters was “I take my pen in hand.” We never see that anymore, but the idea behind that saying is still true. When you pick up the average letter, you can’t help but notice that the writer has grimly picked up his pen and attacked the paper with one thought in mind. One thought is to finish the letters.
And maybe this attitude of writing as quickly as possible isn’t so bad after all. Some people are sad that the formal, polite letter is no longer with us, and others are sad that the “literary” letter, which could be published, is no longer with us. But the old letter of the ceremony is about as useful to a modern man as a powdered wig, and the kind of letter that warms the heart and makes the writer’s job easier is still being written by the right kind of person. It’s better for someone to write a letter because they have something to say than because they want to show off their culture.
The Purpose of the Letter
No matter what kind of letter you’re writing, you can’t go too far wrong if you start by being clear about what you want to say. A letter is always about something, or else why would you write it? But somehow, and especially in a letter that was read out loud, the point often gets lost in the words. It’s not good to write a long letter by hand because it would take too much time and effort.
But a person who is dictating may go on and on about what they want to say, especially if they are interrupted by phone calls. In the end, they may have used two pages to say what they should have said in three lines. On the other hand, letters can be so short that they give the impression of being rude and rudely abrupt. Rarely can a writer say everything that needs to be said in one line without coming off as rude? But it is possible.
Share Your Thoughts
The only reason to write a letter is to share your thoughts. That thought might be based on facts, and the other goal might be for that thought to make you do something. But it’s clear that the action will depend only on how well the thought is communicated in the letter. Thoughts are put into words in a letter, but not every word is a thought vehicle because it may not be the kind of word that takes your thought where you want it to go. Or, to put it another way, there are many different ways to understand words.
For a well-educated person, a perfectly worded letter might say exactly what they want to say. But for someone who doesn’t understand complex words as well, the same letter might not make any sense at all. So, it’s not a good idea to use strange words when writing letters in general.
Letters Should Be Elegant
There’s a sense that letters should be elegant, that if you want to say something simply and clearly, you’re not sophisticated enough, and that real sophistication comes out in long, deep words and complicated constructions. No bigger mistake could be made. If someone really knows the language, they will write in an easy way. A person who doesn’t know the language well and is changing something he thinks is culture has a sense of linguistic insecurity, which is similar to a sense of social insecurity. Sometimes you meet someone who is afraid of making a mistake in public. He worries that he will pick up the wrong fork in a restaurant or do something else that is rude. They don’t like it, but people who are used to following social rules don’t notice. The same is true for writing a letter.
If the purpose of the letter is not clear, there is no reason to write it. It’s like shooting at a target when you write a letter. It’s possible to hit the target by accident, but it’s more likely to be hit if the shot is carefully aimed.
Kids and Writing Letters
In this age of email and text messages, it’s getting harder and harder to sit down and write a letter by hand. It’s sad to think that today’s young children may never have to write a letter by hand. Why not encourage them to sit down and write to grandparents and family members who may not have a computer or even know how to send a text message? These letters will be read with great joy and love, and they will often be kept for a long time.
Before you know it, you’ll even be able to write a letter to Santa on a word processor. How much more fun is it to write a letter to Santa if you can use paper, a pen, and colorful crayons to make it?
The book writing solution is a great place to find information, so why don’t you look up some pen pal sites that help kids in different countries talk to each other using pen and paper? What could be better than the feeling of anticipation that comes with waiting for the next letter from a friend in another country?
Credit By: Techcrams
