The Lost Art of Letter Writing

Perhaps this topic comes to mind since Valentine’s Day is on its way and one of the many things associated with it is the written message—either the message card accompanying a bouquet of flowers, or a valentine emblazoned with heartfelt words of undying devotion, or even, rarely these days I’ll posit, a good old-fashioned love letter.

Emailing, text messaging and IMing have metamorphosed norms of written correspondence. In many ways, it’s fabulous—fast, easy, and convenient. But in other ways, these instantaneous forms of communication that make our social worlds go ‘round produce a nostalgic pining in me for those rosy days when writing to a friend or significant other was a labor of love, not a tap-n-zap.

I’m a stationery freak. A blank note card aficionado. I’m a stalwart believer in preserving the nearly extinct art of letter writing. Since the art form is increasingly rare, the act of sitting down to write is that much more meaningful (and don’t get me started on how the importance of penmanship has plummeted—no one cares until they have to grade the handwritten papers of kids who cut their teeth on cell phones), and by the receiver, the missive is that much more cherished.

There is something weightier, more permanent about letters. Emails and text messages are a dime a dozen and they are easily disposed of from existence. Not so with letters. They must be torn, crumpled, or burned to be destroyed. The process of getting rid of them is so much more emotionally involved than hitting “delete.”

Call me a hopeless romantic, but think about it: Some of our most treasured keepsakes are handwritten cards and letters. It’s hard to deny that there’s something special about them. I can’t say that I have a cherished trove of emails saved in a special folder or any special text messages that I just can’t bring myself to delete. Am I alone in saying that there is something inexplicably more satisfying about having a tangible letter and reading words formed by a pen-pushing human hand?

This Valentine’s Day, send one of your loved ones a handwritten labor of love. Do your part to preserve the nearly lost art of letter writing!

Currently reading: Iberia by James Michener