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letters

edited October 2005 in - Writing Tales

Comments

  • Today I received a letter from a friend written by hand. I'd almost forgotten what a handwritten letter looked like. When did you last write rather than type a letter?
  • Which is why it's appalling of course - just like mine!!
  • Well, I sent a letter into school this week to say my daughter should not do PE as she was not feeling well! Does that count? Apart from that I do not write letters by hand I'm ashamed to say. Sign of the times I guess.
  • You are so right Stan - makes me feel ashamed.  Everything I do is either e-mailed, texted, or typed.  I have worn away several letters on keyboard.
  • I hand write most weeks for thank you letters, replies to other hand writes and editors letters.  I find it much quicker, especially when I tend to have notebooks, envelopes and stamps everywhere. This is also because I love writing and receiving letters.
  • Have to admit it's rare but I do enjoy the "personal" feel of holding a fountain pen and making words on paper.

    Usually used for memos around the office or thank you notes, I reserve actual letter writing for people of special importance to me.
  • What's a fountain pen??!!!
  • I usually write my letters, mainly because I don't know where the switch is to turn on my computer. 
  • Neil!

    The fountain pen was a magical development of the quill with a reservoir of ink to save continual dipping of nib into inkwell.

    I realise there must be many words, in the foregoing, foreign to your eyes. You, obviously, never had primary school lessons practising to neatly write with scratchy nibs. There have been many refinements and "inventions" over the years. Sadly, convenience has lead to laziness and few now bother to hone handwriting skills.

    End of reminisce.
  • Dora, I am pleased you found the switch to turn on the computer to write on this posting. I received no handwritten letters today. Some days all I receive is junk mail.
  • Cheer up Stanners, atleast sometimes you probably find a free pen in one of those junk mail envelopes. 
  • Ah the fountain pen!  I never did buy one where the reservoir leaked ink through the nib in a steady flow.  It usually came out a blob at a time so it wasn't much better than the dip-pen.  But I did love using it after my primary school experience of being desk monitor and having to mix ink powder with water and pour it into all the desk inkwells.  Can you still buy blotting paper, by the way? Today's kids would have a riotous time, I imagine!  I keep promising myself to buy a Parker for the small jobs – signing Christmas cards etc. because although the ballpoint is so handy it does nothing for my old-fashioned copperplate handwriting.  However, it would never be used for writing letters.  What happens if you write something you need to change or misspell a word?  Who's got the time to re-write?  The pen inhibits my thought flow because I hate crossing out and therefore tend to agonize over my sentences.  The computer will win hands down every time.  Ciao from Rita
  • Well, Christmas is coming. Why not ask Father Christmas for a really nice (expensive) fountain pen? I have a great Sheaffer and I can certainly recommend it. Makes writing more fun as it just glides across the paper. I use it for my journal and writer's notebook. I would write a lot less without it.
  • Ah, ink pens.  Those were the days.  Remember the boys throwing ink pellets-paper dipped in ink- at the girls and the teachers?
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