February is just around the corner… which means it’s time for another Month of Letters challenge! Are you joining this year?
On September 2011, Mary Robinette Kowal decided it was time for a break. She spent the entire month offline, and asked her friends to communicate with her through letters. The results of this personal challenge were a revelation:
When I write back, I find that I slow down and write differently than I do with an email. Email is all about the now. Letters are different, because whatever I write needs to be something that will be relevant a week later to the person to whom I am writing. In some ways it forces me to think about time more because postal mail is slower. “By the time you get this…” It is relaxing. It is intimate. It is both lasting and ephemeral.
How so? I find that I will often read the letters that I receive twice. Once when I get them and again as I write back. So, that makes it more lasting. It is more ephemeral because I don’t have copies of the letters that I write and I am the only one who has copies of the letters that my correspondents write. So, more ephemeral.
I know a lot of postcrossers share these feelings — this is part of the reason why Postcrossing exists!
Mary decided to turn February into a Month of Letters, in which she challenges herself and everyone who decides to join to write and send at least a piece of postal mail every day. Here are the rules:
- Mail at least one item through the post every day it runs. Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture or a cutting from a newspaper… anything goes!
- Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items.
We can’t help but feel that postcrossers have their work cut out for them in this challenge… Nevertheless, we wanted to encourage you all to do it! Write postcards, letters or aerograms or surprise a friend with an unexpected package. Maybe even pick a Facebook/Twitter friend and send them an offline “hello!” or catch up on those “thank you” notes you’ve been meaning to send.
Are you up to Mary’s challenge? Grab your stationery and stamps and start writing! 😊
PS. – Don’t forget that February 4th is Mail Carrier Appreciation Day!
41 comments so far
Seems fun, I think I'll try it!
I'm joining in! My mail queue is a mile long and I still have Christmas cards I haven't replied to... 😱
Hi there. Sounds like a lovely idea as there is nothing more special that personalised post - be it a postcard , notelet or handwritten letter. I hope to be able to complete the challenge!
Greate idea!
Great! Let's try!
Nope. Too many letters for such few responses last year.
I am joining in, too! It was fun last year. Will there be a Forum again?
My Goodness! I do this already!!!! Especially the Elders ..... !
Very inspiring stories and i am glad to joint these movement. If there's some one want to make correspondence with me, please send me your address by email.
I'm in :)
There is also InCoWriMo. I got more responses through InCoWriMo in 2015 than I did in MoL 2016. Both great ideas though....
I did an experiment a few years ago writing thank you notes each day for a time - perhaps for a month or so. It made me look for something to be thankful to/for each day - for example, one day it was the host of a favorite radio program that I had listened to for years, others were more personal. Perhaps I'll do that again amidst this challenge. It was very inspiring and nurturing.
This is quite a challenge.
Thanks for charing this. I will definetly give it a try :)
My best friend and I are going to do it!
What a great idea! I love it!
I've been participating every year since it started, and have always managed to complete the challenge. So, yes, I'm in!
I'm in too. In fact, I should go write a letter right now!
I tried but the activation doesn't work
Hi, I mailed my first letter today! Jippie hoerah!
I agree!
@Futureshrink I'm not sure why it asks for an activation key, but in the end it doesn't seem to be necessary. If you've completed the sign up form, received the email and clicked on the link, just try to sign in next. It should let you in!
I'm in, if someone want's have a card or letter, pls mail me thur PC with your address
but most of post crossers do not show their address. i alwaays send my address in the card.
I'm in, let's start!
I'm in too. Welcome everyone!
I'm in. It seems interesting :)
I'm in!! What a great idea:)
What a great idea and I will share, as a previous commentator said, what I am grateful for each day. I hand make cards for a charity in New Zealand and I can easily turn one into a notelet and it can be pretty or interesting. I will start with those I have already sent cards to.
Oh, that's a good idea!
Whoa! I'm in!
I`ve just reg me. It's the first tome I join this. But I love to write and done that for so many years.
Just sent me a line thru PC if you want a line from Sweden. :-)
That's an outstanding idea. I'm in! I'll write to some friends with whom I've lost touch.
I'd like to be involved will there be a forum created for it :)
I am in, too. But where to get adresses to write? Or it means just to write to anybody you know? Where it would be counted.
I just can't get the whole idea, but want to take part in!!!!
I'm in!!BUT!!!where to get adresses to write?I can't get the idea~~~~HELP!!
I am innnn!!😊👍🏻
@torreya @rociel0416 There are no rules about that — you can write to anyone you want: friends, family, people you admire, people you want to say thanks to... or even strangers through Postcrossing! :)
I had managed to turn 2016 into a year of letter-writing - thanks to Postcrossing I have lots of penpals to keep me going.
Still I make sure I definitely write in Feb.
I sometimes just get requests out of nowhere - but if you looks for someone to write to just search P.C users...(Best to look for users that also agree to direct swap...)
I thoroughly enjoy the February letter writing madness.
I was ill for 4 days - can someone send me a joker ?? :-)
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