Modern Communications Will Be History's Loss: The Importance of Letters

A handwritten or typed letter takes time, creativity and thought. That is one reason people like to text, email, or just jot down a short note, etc. it does not always require there full attention. There are times when all you want to say is "meet me at 8" and then a text or a short note is perfect. The only problem comes when you are required to put together a proposal letter for a business, a cover letter for an open job position or even when you want to journal some things so that you read it at a later date. It is with those opportunities that we find our skills have been reduced to LOL, k, brb, k, c ya.

If you ever read letters that people wrote more than 50 years ago, some are very nondescript and some are so eloquent in speech and thought you would think there would have been a movie made just from this one letter. You just know that the person had put a lot of time in sorting out how to say each word and sentence in order to get their points across and in order the reader to pick up a tone in the letter.

Most writers have a knack for this talent and creativity; that is why they write. And most individuals either find it daunting or would like to be better at it because they have some area in their life that needs this kind of attention. It's easier said than done and when you sit down with a blank document or sheet of paper; suddenly you feel that chasm between what you want to write in your letter and how it actually comes out. It is funny sometimes to write whatever comes to mind first; then let the document sit a few days or preferably longer and come back and read it again. Usually what you meant to say was too rushed or is vague enough to be a totally different letter than you intended. Then you also have to think about how the person that is reading this is going to understand my tone and message.

You usually have 2 sides to this concept; the people who are good at letter writing and can do it without much effort; and the ones who find it difficult to do so they say why bother, just get it done with as little words and characters as possible. Both are right of course, because in today's hectic world not everyone has time to read a 650 letter stating that your coming to visit for 3 days next month. But also, we get sick of trying to decipher all of the missing letters and tones of speech and actual information when everyone is hurried and writing 3 character sentences.