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Post by MKB on Jan 17, 2016 5:40:11 GMT
I honestly don't mind receiving a shorter letter, especially if it has something of interest or I see some effort in other ways, like a creative envelope. For example, I have sent a single sheet "period" letter that is folded into it's own paper-locked triangular package. For that i use a tighter ruling and tighter prose. In my wife's case, she likes the idea of writing others, but writes infrequently and brief notes as her health makes it difficult. She lets her pen pals know what's up, so they know what to expect. BUT, it sounds like the OP's short letter writer isn't trying. That would get old very quickly.
I typically write 2-3 pages on A4 over long lunches at work. Also, I switched to writing with my non-dominant right hand early last year, so it takes longer. My limit is about 4-5 pages which is a loooong lunch. If I am responding on the weekend and have a story to relate, or am answering interesting questions, then it could be more.
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Post by annavalerious on Jan 19, 2016 12:14:51 GMT
I write very long letters (15-20 A4 pages). When I meet someone new and he/she sends me just a couple of pages written on a small paper, I tell them honestly that I can't build a friendship with such short letters. I agree that prices for stamps are very high (here it's almost 2 Euro to send a 20 g letter overseas)and I'm very picky about this. That's quite a lot. (Is is narrow ruled?) Still, if someone writes me a long letter I'd reciprocate as long as it's not a lot of pages about nothing. If I'm just starting out it's likely 2 pg A5 (or B5 if I have it). I think the most I've written was 10 pg A5 and I felt guilty about that - she already was underwater with her backlog of letters and I felt like I might just be piling on. I have known my pen pals for years and we always have a lot to talk about. I don't talk about the weather or the colour of the walls of my house They write back the same amount full of questions. It's a real conversation. I used to have a pen pal who wrote several pages about nothing and I replied with just 4 or 5 A4 pages, as there was nothing to talk about. Of course, if it's a new pen pal I'm not capable of writing so much.
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Post by erin on Jan 19, 2016 16:42:52 GMT
This topic actually made me feel guilty. I'm sure I've written superficial letters, sometimes its easier to ramble on about the weather than talk about whatever might be really going on. I know I don't write letters like that all the time, but they have been written. Quiet, comfortable (yes, superficial) letters have made *me* feel better. I guess I didn't consider how much they could be a chore to the reader. This will be thoughtfully considered.
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Post by MKB on Jan 19, 2016 16:53:45 GMT
This topic actually made me feel guilty. I'm sure I've written superficial letters, sometimes its easier to ramble on about the weather than talk about whatever might be really going on. I know I don't write letters like that all the time, but they have been written. Quiet, comfortable (yes, superficial) letters have made *me* feel better. I guess I didn't consider how much they could be a chore to the reader. This will be thoughtfully considered. I'm sure there's a wide range of recipients out there. If it's working for both of you, who's to say their preference should guide your experience. That said, we can all learn from these discussions.
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Post by Mia on Jan 19, 2016 17:19:53 GMT
This topic actually made me feel guilty. I'm sure I've written superficial letters, sometimes its easier to ramble on about the weather than talk about whatever might be really going on. I know I don't write letters like that all the time, but they have been written. Quiet, comfortable (yes, superficial) letters have made *me* feel better. I guess I didn't consider how much they could be a chore to the reader. This will be thoughtfully considered. I sometimes do talk about the weather. It has been big news for the last couple of months. You only have to read www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35235502 to see how bad it was in December. Where I am, it hasn't been too bad, but a couple of miles away, there was flooding.
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Post by DJW1066 on Jan 19, 2016 18:39:30 GMT
"I sometimes do talk about the weather".
If I'm sitting at my kitchen table looking out the window at a scene worthy of an Oscar for special effects for weather, (howling winds, pummeling rain, science fiction cloud formations, and so forth), then I would have trouble not telling my pen friends about it. But even calm, serene days have their charm. So for me, it isn't so much that weather is an iffy topic to write about, but rather, it's my limited & clumsy ability to do it justice in my writing.
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Post by thatauthor on Jan 23, 2016 15:52:37 GMT
That's quite a lot. (Is is narrow ruled?) Still, if someone writes me a long letter I'd reciprocate as long as it's not a lot of pages about nothing. If I'm just starting out it's likely 2 pg A5 (or B5 if I have it). I think the most I've written was 10 pg A5 and I felt guilty about that - she already was underwater with her backlog of letters and I felt like I might just be piling on. I have known my pen pals for years and we always have a lot to talk about. I don't talk about the weather or the colour of the walls of my house They write back the same amount full of questions. It's a real conversation. I used to have a pen pal who wrote several pages about nothing and I replied with just 4 or 5 A4 pages, as there was nothing to talk about. Of course, if it's a new pen pal I'm not capable of writing so much. Ah ok. I've only been corresponding for about a year with my pen pals, so I don't know them that well to write that much of a letter. Incidentally I'm snowed in with this East Coast blizzard. No Philly Pen Show for me.
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