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“The Month of Letters Challenge”

January 29, 2012 By Carol

Mon 23 Jan ’12 (posted  January 29, 2012)

The Month of Letters Challenge

Mary Robinette Kowal


Last September, I took a month off  from the internet. During my vacation, I told people that they could correspond with me by paper letter. Some people did. Some people still are. Every letter delights me.

When I write back, I find that I slow down and write differently than I do with an email. Email is all about the now. Letters are different, because whatever I write needs to be something that will be relevant a week later to the person to whom I am writing. In some ways it forces me to think about time more because postal mail is slower. “By the time you get this…” It is relaxing. It is intimate. It is both lasting and ephemeral.

How so? I find that I will often read the letters that I receive twice. Once when I get them and again as I write back. So, that makes it more lasting. It is more ephemeral because I don’t have copies of the letters that I write and I am the only one who has copies of the letters that my correspondents write. So, more ephemeral.

When was the last time you got a letter in the mail? December sees a lot of mail and you remember that sense of delight when the first card arrives. You can have that more often.

I have a simple challenge for you.

1.  In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs.  Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch.

2.  Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items.

All you are committing to is to mail 24 items. Why 24? There are four Sundays and one US holiday. In fact, you might send more than 24 items. You might develop a correspondence that extends beyond the month. You might enjoy going to the mail box again.

Feeling intimidated? It’s fewer words than NaNoWriMo and I know how many of you do that.

Join me in The Month of Letters Challenge. -M.R.K.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Carol says, “I’m in!”  And I hope you will join me.  I had a very bad head cold last month and didn’t get a high score on my holiday correspondito.  I’m still plugging along at it, but I feel rejuvenated by the momentum of this “Challenge.”  Another boost is that “Valentine’s Day” is two short weeks away.  So I can literally “send the love” and catch up on my belated greetings.  Delicious! Wouldn’t you agree?  xxoo,  cc

Filed Under: Guest Author Tagged With: "By the time you get this...", "send the love", belated greetings, correspondito, delicious!, ephemeral, internet vacation, intimate, Mary Robinette Kowal, Month of Letters Challenge, newspaper cutting, paper letter, postal mail is slower, postcard, relaxing, relevant, slow down, swatch of fabric, Valentine's Day

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