Write a proper letter

Harper’s Bazaar (May 2009)

The delight in corresponding through letters, rather than electronically, is the physicality of the deed – the sender touches the same sheet of paper or card as its reader. Curled corners or thumbprints can never be conveyed via the internet. Whether the text is smudged, neat, or almost illegible at the end as the writer hurried to catch the post, it all communicates far more than a virtual message.

From Roger la Borde’s pretty note cards to watermarked pale-pink paper or reproduction telegram forms, there is a style of stationery for everyone. Then there’s the choice of a cartridge pen, ballpoint or a manual typewriter to say yet more about who we are and the message we want to convey.

A polite thank you notes, a tender love letter, a news-packed postcard – they all take time to write. Unlike a text message, which will be deleted, or a telephone conversation to be forgotten, this can be opened, read and re-read, and serves as a record of times past. And the more beautiful the stationery, the more likely you are to want to save it for years.