These tips for Getting Started have been distilled from the experience of subscribers to The Letter Exchange. The most important tip is to keep your correspondent in mind while you write.
Lewis Carroll's Eight or Nine Wise Words About Letter Writing is the classic guide. Its five sections cover everything from how to begin a letter to how to track letters sent and received. Carroll's nine rules are both useful and fun to read!
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in response to increased literacy and a sense that letter writing was declining, there was a flood of books on how to write letters. Here are a few typical ones:
- Practical Letter Writing by Henry T. Loomis, 1897.
- Manners, Culture and Dress of the Best American Society by Richard A. Wells, 1891.
Modern Guides
- Letter Writing Guide, an online guide to writing a friendly letter.
- The Art of the Handwritten Note by Margaret Shepherd.
- Gift of a Letter by Alexandra Stoddard.
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