5 Have Fun, Do Good Letter Writing Ideas

Watercolor postcard with rubber stamp

I love letters.  I think the decline of personal letter writing is one of saddest casualties of technological expansion.  Emailing and texting may increase the frequency of communication, but nothing can replace the subtle messages, and beauty, of individual handwriting, the color of ink and the weight of paper.

Here are 5 have fun, do good letter writing ideas:

1. Make your own cards!  I love Strathmore's collection of blank cards.  They have all kinds: cards that go in your printer, cards you can paint on with watercolors, photo frame cards, and  "green" cards made of hemp, bamboo and recycled fiber.  You can also re-use old cards by cutting along the fold and reusing the side with the image, if its backside is blank. For inspiration, check out the book Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art, and its corresponding Good Mail Day Flickr group.

Watercolor postcard with collage

2. Write a letter to yourself.  Jennifer Lee has a wonderful post up on the Right Brain Business Plan blog about writing a letter to your future self as part of a creative goal setting ritual.

3. Write letters to people you love.  Writing letters of gratitude to 40 people for 40 days before my 40th birthday was an incredibly moving experience.  Whether you write to tell someone how much you love them, or just to tell them about something funny that happened to you this week, I promise, they'll appreciate it.  You might also want to make a quick list of people who've gone through big transitions (birth, death, moving, break up, job loss), and send them a note of encouragement, especially after the initial outpouring of support has faded.
  
4. Be a do-good pen pal.  A number of programs facilitate letter writing with people who are sick, lonely, or are in a challenging situation like:

• Amnesty International (although you aren't writing directly to political prisoners, you're making a huge difference in their lives)
• Make a Child Smile
• Soldiers' Angels
• Women for Women International

You could also contact a nearby retirement home, or children's hospital and ask if they have a letter-writing program.  I tried to find a domestic prisoner letter-writing program, but all of the websites looked kinda sketchy.  Any recommendations?

Photo from Secret Agent L

5. Write random act of kindness cards

If you read my interview with Secret Agent L, you know that her affiliated agents leave cards with inspiring quotes and small gifts in public places for people to find.  Check out the photos and stories on her blog from various "missions" for inspiration.

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