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Post by ladytiger7647 on Dec 5, 2016 2:08:38 GMT
Have you ever thought about replying to letters, but your thoughts never got down on paper? Then you pick that letter back up to reply to it but you thought about your reply so much that it seems like you actually wrote it? I think it just happened to me, or a replied letter got into the wrote pile. My letters have messy organization.
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mskafka
Crayons
Posts: 40
Looking for Penpals?: Yes. Global penpals welcome
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Post by mskafka on Dec 5, 2016 7:01:58 GMT
Have you ever thought about replying to letters, but your thoughts never got down on paper? Then you pick that letter back up to reply to it but you thought about your reply so much that it seems like you actually wrote it? I think it just happened to me, or a replied letter got into the wrote pile. My letters have messy organization. It's funny, the same happened to me a few times! I spend the whole day thinking about the letter, my reply... and when I sit down I can't put my thoughts on paper because I feel I already did. I don't have many pen pals at the moment because most people switched to emails, but ten years ago I used to write to 22 people. And what happened to you happened to me often.
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Post by sails on Dec 5, 2016 17:05:33 GMT
Have you ever thought about replying to letters, but your thoughts never got down on paper? Then you pick that letter back up to reply to it but you thought about your reply so much that it seems like you actually wrote it? I think it just happened to me, or a replied letter got into the wrote pile. My letters have messy organization. Just letters? My whole life is like that!
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Post by distractedmom on Dec 5, 2016 17:38:56 GMT
I often do that with conversation: "Did I tell you that or do I just think that I told you that?"
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Post by stormymorning on Dec 6, 2016 16:47:27 GMT
Happens to me a lot too!
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Post by Steph Walford on Dec 8, 2016 23:59:24 GMT
Have you ever thought about replying to letters, but your thoughts never got down on paper? Then you pick that letter back up to reply to it but you thought about your reply so much that it seems like you actually wrote it? I think it just happened to me, or a replied letter got into the wrote pile. My letters have messy organization. All the time!! Worse if it epic thoughts too!!
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Post by radellaf on Dec 9, 2016 1:32:03 GMT
I don't think I've ever thought I wrote stuff that I'd only ever thought about, but I've certainly spent more time re-reading parts of letters and thinking about a reply than it would take to just write a sufficient number of those thoughts to make a good reply.
What I forget is who I've written to about a particular thing. That's part of the reason I scan the outgoing. It's not searchable, but usually looking at the last letter or maybe two is enough to not repeat myself.
Not wanting to use the same pen & ink combo twice to the same person is another, less rational, reason.
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Post by distractedmom on Dec 9, 2016 23:21:04 GMT
Not wanting to use the same pen & ink combo twice to the same person is another, less rational, reason. Now I am going to be all paranoid about that!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2016 15:08:49 GMT
Most of the responses to this thread have raised interesting common challenges when replying via letter. When I initially started to increase my pen pal numbers, I used to photocopy each of the letters I wrote as a record of what I had told each individual correspondent. But once the numbers grew further, that proved to be very cumbersome.
From observing my partner's methodology for the same issue, I started a hand written journal for the purpose. Starting from the back and working inwards I record the date that a letter is received, the name of the sender, and leave a column to record the date that my return letter is posted. When I record the date of posting, I make an entry from the front of the journal recording the posting date, the recipient's name, the number of pages, size and type of writing paper, a note of any tuck-ins, and then a summary of content in bullet form.
In practice this works quite well and avoids the situation where I might repeat myself. When I am writing to over 20 people it is beyond me to remember precisely what I have told each and every individual. When writing I find it very easy to refer to the last couple of letters sent to that person and to read what I have written. You could tailor the information you record to suit yourself. The hand written journal has an added bonus in that it has given me another good reason to use a fountain pen, one of my basic joys in life.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2016 18:59:44 GMT
you thought about your reply so much that it seems like you actually wrote it That sounds very familiar to me. But since I'm rather organized and all the letters I receive just stay on my desk until I've answered them, I have not yet "managed" to fail to reply to any unconsciously. Sometimes I write to different penpals about the same subject - something I mull over, for example, something difficult -, but as time advances I tell "the story" in a different way. Sometimes I become aware how my thoughts progress and mature. It's somewhat therapeutic. Do you know that?
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Post by distractedmom on Dec 15, 2016 19:05:00 GMT
Most of the responses to this thread have raised interesting common challenges when replying via letter. When I initially started to increase my pen pal numbers, I used to photocopy each of the letters I wrote as a record of what I had told each individual correspondent. But once the numbers grew further, that proved to be very cumbersome.
From observing my partner's methodology for the same issue, I started a hand written journal for the purpose. Starting from the back and working inwards I record the date that a letter is received, the name of the sender, and leave a column to record the date that my return letter is posted. When I record the date of posting, I make an entry from the front of the journal recording the posting date, the recipient's name, the number of pages, size and type of writing paper, a note of any tuck-ins, and then a summary of content in bullet form.
In practice this works quite well and avoids the situation where I might repeat myself. When I am writing to over 20 people it is beyond me to remember precisely what I have told each and every individual. When writing I find it very easy to refer to the last couple of letters sent to that person and to read what I have written. You could tailor the information you record to suit yourself. The hand written journal has an added bonus in that it has given me another good reason to use a fountain pen, one of my basic joys in life. I do something similar, but not as detailed. And then I seal my letters before I write anything down and forget what I wrote about. I'm a mess! But I agree about finding another time to use the pens. Such joy!
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Post by distractedmom on Dec 15, 2016 19:05:46 GMT
you thought about your reply so much that it seems like you actually wrote it That sounds very familiar to me. But since I'm rather organized and all the letters I receive just stay on my desk until I've answered them, I have not yet "managed" to fail to reply to any unconsciously. Sometimes I write to different penpals about the same subject - something I mull over, for example, something difficult -, but as time advances I tell "the story" in a different way. Sometimes I become aware how my thoughts progress and mature. It's somewhat therapeutic. Do you know that? Letter writing is absolutely therapeutic!
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Post by Mia on Dec 16, 2016 18:15:29 GMT
I've found something I want to mention in a letter to one penfriend, but my letter to her has only just gone out. So, I've noted something down on a memo for next time.
For some of the things written, I cannot imagine saying all of that aloud to them - real-time conversation is different. The process of writing down thoughts, be it in a letter or diary/journal is very therapeutic.
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Post by DJW1066 on Dec 17, 2016 3:39:42 GMT
My "system" is very similar to Murfie's, for letters received and sent. Early this year I upgraded the journal to an A5 from an A6, and it works nicely.
Now I'm slowly developing a process to remember ideas or topics or stories that may be of interest to a given penpal, for whom a letter may not go out for some time. I really dislike starting to write a letter and trying, unsuccessfully, to recall what I wanted to write about. It's especially irksome when I finally remember -- after I mail the letter.
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Post by Pukka-J on Dec 23, 2016 19:24:13 GMT
Great systems, all of them! I used to photograph/scan my letters before I sealed the envelope, but I tend to be easily distracted and very forgetful. So I'm afraid I may repeat myself on more than one occasion, but then again: so I do in real life 😊 Since I do keep a daily journal I might try and use that to document what subjects I touched in which letter. Only I then still have to remember when I sent a particular letter, so I can actually find it back in my diary...
My solution now is that I both reply to subjects touched upon in the received letter and write about stuff that happened / occupied me last week or two, three. That way every letter is bound to be unique, more or less (some things however can occupy my thoughts for weeks on end 🤓).
I might try dedicated the diary thing...
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