The 10,000 Letter Challenge was launched yesterday at Totnes Library in Devon. It was the first A Letter Is Better work for adults as well. It was a great day and I’m so thankful for those in attendance. Did we manage to get through all the activities? No. Did we even get to finish writing our letters? No. Did a fire alarm disturb our workshop twice? Yes!
But did that stop us from having a fantastic time? Not at all. Our creative discussion flowed. We brought the excitement we all share about letter writing to the room. We shared memories. Ideas. We discussed the future of letter writing and why the 10,000 Letter Challenge is so important in this modern world.
How to Write a Letter Guide: Living Person Edition.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be creating various workshops aimed at different groups in the community. This Living Person Edition is the first because it covers such a wide range of people and adults and children can access it easily.
What does it mean by Living Person? It basically means anyone living with the capacity to write back if they chose. That could be your favourite celebrity. The author of that amazing book you’ve read several times. An MP or other politician if you’re into that sort of thing. No thanks. And of course the most likely recipient of most of our letters sent will be to our friends and family wherever they may be in the world.
The How to Write a Letter Guide takes you step by step through the letter writing process. It covers all the basics and provides examples on how to bring your letter to life some of the issues that might arise. Such as your confidence in spelling and grammar. Your handwriting skills. We cover this and much more because these are barriers that might prevent us from writing a letter or taking part in the 10,000 Letter Challenge.
Life Is Not Perfect – Our Letters Won’t Be Either
When we engage in new activities, especially creative ones. There is a tendency to be a little hyper critical. A perfectionist attitude creeps in. Eventually this assault on our mind, weirdly, by our brain, can get us down and in the end, it’s easier to quit than it is to keep fighting this inner abuse!
The How to Write a Letter Guide addresses some of these issues by offering a plan. Instead of focusing on the editing side of writing, which writers must constantly learn the skill of, while writing our letters we are going to focus on planning instead. We will embrace imperfection because we are looking for something more important – Connection. Authenticity. Sense of Accomplishment. These are the Three Core Fundamentals of A Letter Is Better.
More on that another day.
Happy Writing.
