|
|
Post by vicvacc on Apr 15, 2017 19:52:36 GMT
This is such an excellent post for a newbie like myself. I can certainly appreciate that a letter which doesn't feel like communication can be quite boring. It conjures up the image of being stuck next to someone a bit awkward at a dinner party.
I presume people's letter writing improves though- I hope that's the cas at least!
I've been reading a few books with letters in them, and a well written letter is such a piece of art isn't it!?
|
|
|
|
Post by thatauthor on Feb 23, 2018 0:35:28 GMT
I have to confess that my first letters to folks during my first incowrimo (3 years ago?) we're practically form letters. It was hard to come up with something new and that was my first time corresponding. Subsequent first letters were a bit less like form letters since I got the knack and they tended to be spread over time. Still first letters can be tough... Striking the balance of TMI or overly lengthy and enough to be personable is tricky especially when you have yet to hear from the other person.
|
|
|
|
Post by christyotwisty on Feb 23, 2018 5:25:51 GMT
What makes a great first letter that compels you to reply (more than just a thank you) and want to continue the correspondence? I ask this, because I've received from previous InCoWriMo and other places, exceptionally boring first letters I found it difficult to respond to. The February projects are great for reaching out, for finding people to write that first letter to. First / intro letters may be hard to write so perhaps some find it easy to just write about themselves only.. Today I received a postcard, not from InCoWriMo but from a parallel site with a monthlong project, with two sans-serif computer printed address labels a label each for the sender's post office box (no last name, only an initial) and a formula-one-size-fits-all paragraph about how she likes to give and receive formulaic message on postcards, for "the friendly touch" the label with my name and address had a serif typeface. It has all the warmth, intimacy and liveliness of a robocall. I do try to write the kinds of letters I'd reply to. I do get some sort of vibe or energy from the ink a handheld pen pressed upon the paper, as woo as that sounds, if the person writes from the heart, as some penpals do. Sometimes I wonder if I expect too much and give too little. A great InCoWriMo surprise letter explained the reason of writing to me, some description of the writer, a day in his life, and that was enough for me to enthusiastically write a response. Notecards that are beautiful or funny and indicative of the writer's personality can enhance an intro letter, and make me want to continue the correspondence. Unless I'm answering a 5Q letter, I do like to ask questions rather than write about myself, and once in a while aim for an "out of the blue" question. I like invitations to challenges and joint projects, or calls for swaps like poems and recipes. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2018 6:11:57 GMT
Striking the balance of TMI ... What does TMI mean? |
|
|
|
Post by MKB on Feb 23, 2018 8:18:59 GMT
Too Much Information
|
|
|
|
Post by katiel on Feb 23, 2018 11:34:13 GMT
What makes a great first letter that compels you to reply (more than just a thank you) and want to continue the correspondence? I ask this, because I've received from previous InCoWriMo and other places, exceptionally boring first letters I found it difficult to respond to. The February projects are great for reaching out, for finding people to write that first letter to. First / intro letters may be hard to write so perhaps some find it easy to just write about themselves only.. Today I received a postcard, not from InCoWriMo but from a parallel site with a monthlong project, with two sans-serif computer printed address labels a label each for the sender's post office box (no last name, only an initial) and a formula-one-size-fits-all paragraph about how she likes to give and receive formulaic message on postcards, for "the friendly touch" the label with my name and address had a serif typeface. It has all the warmth, intimacy and liveliness of a robocall. I do try to write the kinds of letters I'd reply to. I do get some sort of vibe or energy from the ink a handheld pen pressed upon the paper, as woo as that sounds, if the person writes from the heart, as some penpals do. Sometimes I wonder if I expect too much and give too little. A great InCoWriMo surprise letter explained the reason of writing to me, some description of the writer, a day in his life. Notecards that are beautiful or funny and indicative of the writer's personality can enhance an intro letter. Unless I'm answering a 5Q letter, I do like to ask questions rather than write about myself, and once in a while aim for an "out of the blue" question. I like invitations to challenges and joint projects, or calls for swaps like poems and recipes. I got an identical postcard from the same person and was equally uninspired. It was the first time I felt like not bothering to reply to a piece of correspondence. She hadn’t even taken the time to place the labels on straight. They were really slapdashedly crooked. It was these crooked labels that got me. I’m not a perfectionist by any means (sometimes my own return address labels don’t go on straight as you’ve probably all noticed at one point or another), but these were badly crooked. It almost made me wonder if the writer suffered some sort of motor impairment, and if so, maybe this is the only way she could participate. So, I sent out a postcard as a reply. I’m just shrugging my shoulders on this one and hoping my card brightens her day, whatever her situation is. ...At least the postcard she sent me was really pretty. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2018 11:42:54 GMT
Actually I've got one penpal who as intro sent me an e-mail that - printed out - was at least 20 pages long. (I can't count it now since I'm not at home.) We continued using snail mail after that. In any case, that was really extraordinary, especially since she hardly knew me at the time. We're still in touch. So, I like longer intro letters. At least I feel that a letter consisting of two pages is more attractive than a (superficial) one-pager. |
|
|
|
Post by christyotwisty on Feb 23, 2018 16:44:50 GMT
I got an identical postcard from the same person and was equally uninspired. It was the first time I felt like not bothering to reply to a piece of correspondence. She hadn’t even taken the time to place the labels on straight. They were really slapdashedly crooked. It was these crooked labels that got me. I’m not a perfectionist by any means (sometimes my own return address labels don’t go on straight as you’ve probably all noticed at one point or another), but these were badly crooked. It almost made me wonder if the writer suffered some sort of motor impairment, and if so, maybe this is the only way she could participate. The thought of significant motor impairment occurred to me too. But people reliant on keyboards of the 'touch talker' and word-processing kinds who can produce address labels and preferences of postcards can type 'How goes your month?' and 'What are your highlights so far?' Even mass-produced generic questions are closer to compelling a reply. |
|
|
|
Post by radellaf on Feb 23, 2018 23:28:11 GMT
Today I received a postcard, not from InCoWriMo but from a parallel site with a monthlong project...has all the warmth, intimacy and liveliness of a robocall. From "rural Maine"? If so, got that one too. Have a couple of postcards, and little inclination to send postcards, so I replied; but, yeah, pretty uninspired and about as far from fountain pen-y as you can get. Of course, choices for postcard FP inks if you want any sort of durability are a bit limited. I used a purple Uni 207 to write the reply, which packed about as much text as you can get on a postcard and still be able to read it with 20/20. I'm pretty far behind on InCo, and done with my 2016 replies that I kept short for lack of knowing if the address was still good, so happy to have an opportunity to knock something out in less than an hour. |
|
|
|
Post by jamberrychoux on Feb 24, 2018 4:53:45 GMT
Today, I received a very brief notecard reply from someone who was answering my Incowrimo surprise letter. I wrote on 2 sides of an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper (which I think is a decent length for an intro letter). The person who wrote back to me only wrote a very short note back to me saying that she enjoyed my letter and couldn't wait to get another letter from me so that she could hear from me again and get to know me further and to find out more about my life! Well, it was strange because she didn't say much in her note, and I had already written a fair amount in my intro letter. Very lopsided. I could already tell right away that there is no potential for this going anywhere further. She wanted another letter from me, but I don't feel I even got a reply letter back in return.  |
|
|
|
Post by erin on Feb 25, 2018 4:11:59 GMT
I also received the stickered Maine postcard.
I sent a postcard back wishing her a Happy Month of Letters. I don't know... I write a lot of postcards. Always handwritten. What's the point otherwise?
|
|
|
|
Post by radellaf on Feb 25, 2018 18:18:51 GMT
I guess if you want to collect postcards a few sentences on a sticker will do, but that's _so_ far from my interest in all this. Only thing I might like to "collect" is a particularly cool stamp, usually international, though I never did buy the Star Trek domestic ones so I kept one of those.
|
|
|
|
Post by christyotwisty on Feb 26, 2018 0:59:04 GMT
"and want to continue the correspondence?"
I apologize for derailing this thread by mentioning a postcard when the subject is 'great first letter' and overlooking this second part of the question. I reciprocated with a very brief message to rural Maine because my MoL status indicates that I reply, but the singular aim to accumulate postcards doesn't invite enthusiasm for continuing correspondence.
I wrote upthread "warmth, intimacy and liveliness" and as each of these three adjectives has a spectrum I'll try to be specific: I like the warmth on the level of "I'm eager to write to you today, every letter is an outstretched hand of friendship", intimacy on the level of "inside me there's a 80-year-old and a 11-year-old both fighting each other over whether I eat licorice or Parma Violets" and liveliness like rare or regional expressions, example: "not my circus, not my monkey."
|
|
|
|
Post by Gary S on Feb 26, 2018 3:21:18 GMT
I think it's good to get a few of the generalized pet peeves that most writers have out in the open. If some new writer reads this and doesn't type out a two or three line "Happy Incowrimo! Please write to me!" bunch of first letters then it might actually save them from some major disappointment when 99% of people they sent letters to never respond.
I try to keep first letters right around one side of a page but as those of you who have squinted at my handwriting know I can pack a lot onto one side of the page. I stick to a lot of V-mail and Airmail reproductions to keep myself honest about that one page limit. I also have no problem with typed letters whether they be on a computer or a typewriter. Nothing about the ink choice a letter is written in speaks to me, or if it does I'm too hard of hearing to pick up on it, content is everything. So try to include something personal or some hobbies to help make a slight connection with a total stranger. I (try to) use humor as a connection but that can be hard to convey in written form so I'm sure I've scared off more than my share of new contacts talking about armadillo trapping schemes and boxes showing up at the person's post office that jump around and just needs to have the packaging string cut before the recipient runs away.
People don't always hit it off when they meet in person and the same is definitely true about first exchanges of letters. Enough generalized sharing of information can often lead to some shared interest that blossoms into true friendship. I'd say that the best first letters that I've received cover a very wide range of topics and some of the worst (forgive me folks) have been page long descriptions of the pens and inks being used to write each and every line. I still reply but usually so far off the wall that I'll drive them away or they'll write me back something equally off the wall in retaliation which hopefully contains at least one topic that can be seized on for a return letter.
|
|
|
|
Post by jamberrychoux on Feb 26, 2018 4:19:24 GMT
People don't always hit it off when they meet in person and the same is definitely true about first exchanges of letters. Enough generalized sharing of information can often lead to some shared interest that blossoms into true friendship. I'd say that the best first letters that I've received cover a very wide range of topics and some of the worst (forgive me folks) have been page long descriptions of the pens and inks being used to write each and every line. I still reply but usually so far off the wall that I'll drive them away or they'll write me back something equally off the wall in retaliation which hopefully contains at least one topic that can be seized on for a return letter. I totally agree with that! It's very similar to what happens in real life! You either hit it off or you don't. Just like in real life, I hit it off with people who share thoughts, ideas, and stories. We also like to laugh at the same things and/or have the same off-beat kind of humour. They also tend to be well-read and have a very curious mind. It's possible that we could talk for hours. When all of these things at a minimum are conveyed in a first letter, I'm pretty sure that we will get along just fine. When I get a first letter where there is no resonance whatsoever, I find that it will never change no matter how many follow-up letters we exchange between each other to give it another chance. Sadly, I find that I am continuing the correspondence just to be "nice", even though I am not benefiting in any way from the correspondence. |
|
