the written word

Adagio · 18-08-06 14:05:47

In today’s technological society it seems that the art of handwritten letters has become virtually (pun intended) extinct. There’s something about giving and/or receiving a handwritten letter.

I’ve been racking my brain to remember the last time I wrote a letter and mailed it. I’ve done plenty of therapeutic letter writing – the ones you write with absolutely no intent on mailing. For now the last one I remember was when I was overseas one summer during college. I wrote my parents to let them know that I was still alive. (we had very limited phone availability) What is your experience with handwritten letters?

wow. what's happening to me. i'm actually starting a thread! AND writing in color!

Will · 18-08-06 14:13:25

Most of the handwritten letters I have are from ex's. Most are nice, whether in the form of letters or cards. A few are quite hard reading, coming from a rather traumatic break-up I went through three years ago. However, I would never get rid of them, good or bad, and I do at times enjoy getting out the box where I keep them and having a read through. It brings back a flood of memories, and the fact that they are handwritten do put more of a heartfelt emphasis on them. Both for the writer and the reader. An email (for example) simply does not have the same impact.

The_Elfman · 18-08-06 14:40:29

I haven't written a personal letter in years. When I was twenty I was seeing a girl who lived about 60 miles away. We only got to see each other at the weekends. Neither of us had phones (This was England in 1970. Not everyone had them then) so we exchanged long, deeply emotional love letters instead. I kept all hers for years and would take them out and read them from time to time. The beautiful, perfumed stationary all added to the piquancy. Your right Will an email just doesn't have the same intamacy.

To deviate just a little if you'll forgive me these days I hate having to write anything by hand. Everything is word processed, texted or emailed so that I have practicaly forgotten how to write.

Elfman

Last edited by The_Elfman (18-08-06 14:42:25)

Burlesque · 18-08-06 19:11:04

Oh ye victims of the machine age! I've never used anything but handwriting when writing a letter. Anything else I write (except, hrm, forum posts and emails) I write by hand to get a first draft, before typing it.

Burlesque.

blissed · 18-08-06 20:14:18

Handwritten letters usually meant a whole waistpaper basket of failed drafts. My mum always made me write thankyou letters for any presents I recieved and I used to hate it so much, I often wondered if it was worth getting the presents in the first place Note in all of this how a little boy is both totally lacking any apreciation of other people and that any empathy or gratitude is totally missing I have changed, at least I bloody well hope I have ................... Burlesque, I've asked that Richard deletes any comments you make about that

.

Last edited by blissed (18-08-06 20:15:34)

Burlesque · 18-08-06 21:03:54

I think that's a charming story, Blissed, and it's great that you have grown beyond childishness and become a more thoughtful, appreciative human being. If that were only true of all of us!

(Go ahead, Richard, delete away!)

Burlesque.

frankie · 21-08-06 03:12:07

The_Elfman wrote:

Everything is word processed, texted or emailed so that I have practicaly forgotten how to write.
Elfman

I know what you mean Elfman. It's not that I have forgotten how to write exactly but it sure does hurt my hand when ever I do. I have a stash of paper that I reserve for the few occasions I choose to handwrite. If I am overseas for an extended period I will handwrite to those I love the most. Call me old fashioned. I also find it very difficult to write poetry electronically.

I wonder....when writing first evolved did the oral traditionalists ponder the decline of oral communication?

Adagio · 21-08-06 04:10:16

Liandra wrote:

I remember my literature teacher telling me to write by hand when attempting creative writing, as the mind is supposedly more connected to the act through the proximity of hand to paper. All I could think was, but then I would just have to type it all up afterwards!

I definitely find it to be true that there is a greater sense of connection with what I'm writing when it's by hand. I'm speaking of journaling my thoughts and feelings when I need to get out of my head. Of course with this I don't have to, nor would I dream of, typing it up and turning it in. It's FMEO - for my eyes only!

The_Elfman · 21-08-06 19:44:18

frankie wrote:

Call me old fashioned. I also find it very difficult to write poetry electronically.

I used to be the same frankie. At one time I couldn't use the PC for any form of creative writing. Perhaps it was because I was used to writing cold, formal letters and legal opinions on a PC at work and that formed some kind of block. There is certainly something much more human and immediate about writing by hand. I don’t do much creative writing now and what little I do is word processed. (My spelling is atrocious and I usually need a lot of copies). I can’t remember the last time I wrote a poem.

Elfman.

Last edited by The_Elfman (21-08-06 19:45:40)

Warmtouch · 21-08-06 19:54:50

I used to write poetry. Hand-written, typed on a typewriter, or entered on a keyboard, they were all unspeakably, cringe-makingly awful.

I eventually discovered that just because you feel like shit and have a desperate need to express it doesn't make you a poet.

The_Elfman · 21-08-06 20:17:36

Warmtouch wrote:

I eventually discovered that just because you feel like shit and have a desperate need to express it doesn't make you a poet.

Agreed but it has reminded me of a great line I once heard. "Not all drunks are poets. Some of us drink because we are not".

Elfman.

The_Elfman · 22-08-06 08:24:30

Are you going to tell us what it is about or will we have to wait until it is published Li?

Warmtouch wrote:

I used to write poetry. Hand-written, typed on a typewriter, or entered on a keyboard, they were all unspeakably, cringe-makingly awful.

I see nothing wrong with people writing for their own pleasure even if it isn't particularly good. You can enjoy playing a round of golf without feeling that you have to be able to play like Tiger Woods to justify it. Writing purely for its own sake can be a wonderful emotional release. Also many great poets started off as indifferent ones. Look at Wilfred Owen. OK I admit that the circumstances were rather unusual there.

Elfman.

Boundary_rider · 22-08-06 12:43:11

I received my first hand-written, personal letter I'd received in years the other day - it was an absolute joy in ways an email never can be, and I will reply in kind!

blissed · 22-08-06 14:47:52

Liandra wrote:

I can't write poetry, I used to write it often, I had one published as a young teenager, but it was pretty dire. I wouldn't even try these days.
On the topic of creative writing though I've been trying to write a book, it hasn't been going as well as I hoped, in fact I was starting to believe I was completely incompetant and unimaginative. However, last night I fell asleep at about 9pm on the sofa, I awoke again at 2am after a lucid dream (which I never have) where I actually met one of the characters in my story and we went swimming together. So I got up to write and I thought I would do so by hand because then I could be in bed. I'm pretty happy with the result and I carried on writing till 7am when I had to wake the little sprog for school.

J.K Rowling was exactly in your position when she wrote HP.
I think this could be the start of something big.......

frankie · 23-08-06 03:13:33

When I was living alone overseas I opened a fortune cookie with my new housemate I'd known for two days. The fortune cookie said that I would receive a handwritten letter from a friend within a week. I was feeling very lonely and sorry for myself as I had left a partner back home and I retorted self-indulgently that it was utter rubbish, I didn't have any friends yet, how could I possibly receive a letter. 4 days later a handwritten letter arrived from my new housemate telling me that she looked forward to becoming friends. And so we did.

How feel good was that?

Burlesque · 23-08-06 05:13:00

On the other hand, if Sophocles had done it the easy way, he might not have been quite as well remembered today. "Sophocles, the author of Oedipus" has a slightly better ring to it than "Sophocles, the guy with the fortune cookies" .

Frankie's story is beautiful, though, and brought a tear to my eye. That's a good friend indeed.

Burlesque.

The_Elfman · 23-08-06 07:59:33

Liandra wrote:

Actually that's hilarious, smart girl, and to think Sophocles went to all the trouble to write Oedipus when the concept of self fullfilling prophecies could have been dealt with by a fortune cookie and a good friend.

Of course if frankie's friend had been called Cassandra it might not have turned out so well.

The_West_Wind · 23-08-06 11:39:57

I wrote Liandra's dream reading out for her by hand. I hope she is able to read what I have come to call me hyper-active chicken scratch.

Handwriting is difficult for me sometimes. It dosent stop me from doing it though. I had a really strict teacher in my first year of school who used to grind my knuckles under a pencil because I had such bad handwriting, that in turn made my writing worse, which ment I got my knuckles ground again (where is the logic in that, I ask you?).
To this day I can probebly write up to a page and a half before my hand cramps up on me.

I may not have neat writing, but at least I can spell

Last edited by The_West_Wind (23-08-06 11:42:10)

The_West_Wind · 23-08-06 11:41:17

Have you ever noticed that a girls handwriting is neater than a boys handwriting?

I wonder why.

Warmtouch · 23-08-06 13:14:31

The_West_Wind wrote:

Have you ever noticed that a girls handwriting is neater than a boys handwriting?
I wonder why.

This is of course not true of all girls and all boys everywhere, but as a statistical generality, women have better dexterity and fine motor control than men do.

If it weren't for rank sexism in the medical profession, there would be a lot more female surgeons than there are.

Burlesque · 23-08-06 15:06:53

I can write about ten or twelve pages before my hand starts to make its opinions painfully obvious.

Come on! Give me a break! It's so rare that I do have anything to brag about!

Burlesque.

Will · 23-08-06 15:53:07

Well I've just gone and hand delivered a letter I wrote out earlier today. It's quite a heartfelt letter, and I hope it's recieved well. I certainly hope the effort (as compared to an email or text) is appreciated.

I wait to find out......

Will · 25-08-06 19:02:35

Clearly the power of the written word isn't as strong as hoped. Now it's one thing to completely ignore a text, or even an email, but to have a handwritten letter, one that takes some time and effort, completely ignored, now that's ignorant!

Burlesque · 25-08-06 19:04:33

It's ignorant, and also highly uncivilised and callous. If this is what happened to you and your letter, I'm really sorry.

Burlesque.

The_Elfman · 25-08-06 19:15:17

Will wrote:

Clearly the power of the written word isn't as strong as hoped. Now it's one thing to completely ignore a text, or even an email, but to have a handwritten letter, one that takes some time and effort, completely ignored, now that's ignorant!

I'm sorry Will. You're right that is inexcusable.

Elfman

Last edited by The_Elfman (25-08-06 19:15:45)

#1 18-08-06 14:05:47

the written word

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