Few people actually exchange letters via snail mail anymore. Nowadays we’re all about quick e-mails, Facebook wall posts and Tweets. But the handwritten letter is personal because it requires more thought, more time, and some creativity.
I started pen-palling when I was six years old. My grandmother referred me to a local publication where kids my age advertised for pen-pals within the province. I placed my ad, and waited.
A few weeks later, dozens of letters started showing up in my mailbox. I was beyond thrilled. The first was from a girl named Mandy, who wrote her letter on hot-pink cardboard Barbie stationery. I still have it somewhere.
Unfortunately, Mandy was a lousy pen-pal who barely wrote more than a few lines per letter and then eventually ignored me entirely. If you’re a newbie to the snail mail world, there’s a few things to keep in mind.