Write_On Campaign 2017

Posted on by Reema
Writing letters is making a definite comeback in society.  As technology advances, the art of letterwriting seems to wither away.  It’s understandable in a way – social media has made it easier than ever to contact someone, anywhere in the world.  It’s a lot faster.  But there’s some advantages to writing that cannot be achieved in other methods of written communication.  And there’s a few of us that don’t want to see it wither away.  That few of us that seem to be growing in strength and numbers.  With several months, weeks and days dedicated to writing, letters are becoming popular again – and for good reasons!

In February, we saw InCoWriMo, which stands for International Correspondence Writing Month (run by the organisers of NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month).  But that’s just the beginning.  The start of April marked the start of the Write_On challenge.  This challenge encourages you to write 30 letters in 30 days but since we’re already started, you could aim to write 12 – one of each of the remaining days.  At the very least, aim to write one!

I particularly like that National Stationery Week, here in the UK, also falls in this month.  Two major campaigns to get people writing more.  I found out about the challenge last year, where I shared over 30 letters you could write, in case you didn’t know who to send them to.  This year, I thought I would take a moment to share over 30 reasons why you should write in the first place.

There’s something satisfying about writing things down by hand.  It helps me remember things that I didn’t think I would.  In fact, I’m pretty sure the only reason I passed my degree was because I would handwrite my notes when revising, which helped me to recall them during the final exams.  Writing my to do list or upcoming events into my planner often seems to help me remember them without actually even having to look at it.

Sometimes you just don’t know what to write, where to start.  And honestly?  Just starting is often the hardest part.  I’ve sat by my desk with a blank piece of paper and no idea what to start with.  However words just flowed out of me once I started to write.  At that point, the two pages of paper I had weren’t enough.  I ended up having to take more out and by the time I had finished, I had written a letter far longer than I ever even imagined writing.

Reasons to write –
  1. To wish someone a happy birthday.
  2. To congratulate someone on a recent achievement.
  3. To wish someone good luck with something stressful (like moving house, exams or new job).
  4. To write to a loved one who’s recently moved to a new area (i.e. to study or for a job). This way, they can carry a piece of their home with them.
  5. To invite someone to an event – or RSVP to events by writing a reply.
  6. To thank someone – like an old teacher, colleague or anyone else who has helped you.
  7. To send someone a gift along with the letter, like a gift card or some sweets.
  8. To share a recipe you like.
  9. To rekindle with a friend you’ve lost touch with.
  10. To write a letter to someone serving in the military.
  11. To write to someone in hospital or someone who’s feeling unwell, like you could “post a smile on a sick child’s face” (see Post Pals).
  12. To share photos with loved ones.
  13. To use up your stationery (or have an excuse to buy some more!).
  14. To apologise for something – like forgetting about someone’s birthday.
  15. To keep the jobs in the postal service – and help keep it running.
  16. To give praise for a company’s customer service.
  17. To see how long it takes to get a reply back from another country.
  18. To “be” with someone who you can’t physically be with – a long distance relative or friend, for example.
  19. To give someone a letter or card they can cherish.
  20. To share memories with a loved one and help them remember the good times you’ve had together.
  21. To create a written “time capsule” for the future.
  22. To see if you can send a letter to someone in every city/state in your country, or every country or continent in the world.
  23. To be creative or artistic.  You could include a sketch you did – or decorate the envelope.
  24. To tell someone you miss them.
  25. To send a postcard on your travels.
10 things writing can do for you personally:
  1. It helps you to remember things.
  2. It gives you something to do that can make others happy too – a random act of kindness, for example.
  3. It can be quite calming, giving you some time to yourself in our busy schedules.
  4. It can help you understand your own feelings sometimes.
  5. Sometimes, you write about things you forgot about, like a funny incident.  It helps you relieve some of those memories.
  6. It gives you clarity on what’s important in life.
  7. It’s bit like journaling and often can share it’s therapeutic values.
  8. It can help you to feel good, knowing you’ll be making someone smile.
  9. It can let you capture something important for the future.  Texts or emails are often deleted or lost… People usually keep their letters though.
  10. It is sometimes easier to say something you want to say in a letter, than in person.

This is just the start of the list!  There’s plenty of different reasons to write – so what are you waiting for?  You don’t need that many reasons, just one is enough.  Just writing all of these reasons has made me want to write a letter to someone.  So I’m going to end this post now and head off to start writing a letter or two.

Note: I have no affiliation with Write_On, InCoWriMo, Post Pals or any other company mentioned.  I simply just love the work they all do.  If you do write a letter or send a card, let me know!  I would love to hear what you decided to do – feel free to comment or drop me an email.

If you’re not sure who you could write these letters to, check out my post from last year that contains a list of ideas!

2 thoughts on “Write_On Campaign 2017”

  1. Anna Liza Razon says:

    Nice! I am recently into writing nowadays when i joined planner community. I always write something on my planner, i do washi swap which i squeeze in a small note, etc. I love writing eversince when i was still studying. I always write notes on my notebook and books. I think for me its fun to communicate the old days style.

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