Resolving to Write!

The Write_On team isn’t waiting for April to roll around to lean into letter-writing. We’re resolving today to write more letters than ever in 2017. Curious how we’ll tackle the challenge in an increasingly digital, fast paced world? We interviewed a few of Write_On’s key players to uncover the secrets to a life-long practice of meaningful communication via the written word.

SABRINA MOYLE | HELLO!LUCKY

resolution: use letter-writing to express my commitment to being an engaged citizen

Last year, the best letters I wrote expressed love and gratitude to people from all areas of my life, from the crossing guard at my kids’ school to my college adviser.  It felt great to say “thank you” and in some cases it was the beginning of a conversation that continues to this day!This year, I want to continue that effort.  I’m going to use interview questions offered by Story Corps to get inspired about who to write to, and what to say.  For example:

* Who has been the most important person in your life? Can you tell me about him or her?
* Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
* What lessons did that person teach you? Who has been the kindest to you in your life?

I also want to become a more informed and engaged citizen through Write_On this year.  I’m pledging to write thank you notes to non-profit organizations -- for example, groups that are promoting civil discourse such as Bring it to the Table and The Village Square -- encouraging them to keep up the good work.  And, I want to keep an eye on Congress and write letters to my representative to thank them for doing good work, or to let them know about an issue I care about, using this article in The Art of Manliness as my guide!

KARA YANAGAWA | EGG PRESS 

resolution: use letter-writing to rekindle connections with my relatives

I’m a letter writer, and love sending notes throughout the year. I drop a line when I see something that reminds me of a friend, and I try to be on top of birthdays, anniversaries and of course, thank yous. One of the things I most appreciate about the Write_On Challenge is its potency: an entire month dedicated to spreading the love, via letters.

This year, in addition to sending general well-wishes to friends and those close to me, I pledge to focus my practice on writing to my more distant relatives on the regular. It may be lofty, but my aim will be to mail a letter a week to someone in my family who doesn’t hear from me much. My list will include cousins, aunts and uncles, as well as the “Aunties and Uncles” in my life; the friends of the family who have provided mentorship and inspiration to me over the years.  

Beyond reconnecting, my goal comes with another reward - the many surprises that come with the Write_On Challenge – the inevitable boomerang effect - the things that come back. I wonder: Who will write back? Who might I touch? And what might I learn? And all because I engaged in the simple but powerful act of writing letters.

 

MICHAELA YEE | SAKURA OF AMERICA

resolution: use letter-writing to creatively express my appreciation of others' time

Now that Christmas is over you’re probably thinking about thank you notes you need to write for all the gifts you received. But what about saying thank you for someone’s time, energy or kindness? I’m super lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life that enjoy spending time with my son, take time to drop by and visit or just let us know when they are thinking of us. To kick start my letting writing habit for 2017 I’m going to let them know how appreciative I am for those experiences, which happen quite frequently and for which I feel very lucky!

Who says all the color must be on the front of the card? I love making my writing colorful and fun! Working for Sakura sure has its perks – I’m able to combine and coordinate color and special effects across different products to create truly personalized notes and even match my note to the artwork on the front of the cards.

My favorite thing to do is make key words pop off the page in either a more vibrant color or a glittering ink. I started lettering the names in Koi Coloring Brush Pen (seen here in Blue Green Light and Viridian), then wrote the note in Gelly Roll Moonlight in Green and went back over the words I wanted to emphasize with Gelly Roll Stardust in Lime Star. Tip: Choosing like colors from different Gelly Roll lines (all purples for example) makes it easy to use complimentary coordinating colors but with different effects.   

There are so many endless Sakura color combinations, nib widths and textures you can create, it makes note writing a very fun time for you and will make your note recipient feel super special too!

 ARIeL SMULLEN | MOHAWK PAPER

resolution: use letter-writing to rekindle a beloved habit with an old friend

My pledge is to write more letters to my friend Megan who moved to Barcelona this past year. We’ve been friends since childhood and used to write notes to one another as we were growing up. I’ve tucked them all away in a binder that I titled “The ‘Note’ Book,” and it’s a joy to stumble upon it every now and then. We haven’t written a letter to one another since our high school years, though I wish we had, because now there’s a chunk of our young adult life that we can’t fully reflect on since there’s nothing to look back on. My pledge is to write Megan one to two times a month this year. My pledge is my first letter:

Dear Megan, Remember this?

It’s the infamous 3” 3-ring binder that I titled ‘The “Note” Book’ with a metallic gel pen that contains all of the notes we’ve exchanged throughout Middle School and High School. I stopped by my parents and found it tucked away in my old bedroom along with other items that reminded me of my childhood (a corsage from semi-formal, neon orange recorder from elementary school, and my CD collection containing early 2000 classics including 3LW).

Earlier this year, you moved to Barcelona and it’s safe to say I may only see you three times a year. I haven’t thought about writing a letter to you in a while with today’s way of reaching out via social media, texting and video calling. But as I look at this binder and laugh about the truly random things we used to exchange (like the drawings of monkeys performing – odd things you would give me just because you knew I loved that animal), I couldn’t help but question why we stopped exchanging letters.

We’ve had plenty of conversations in our young adult years that we’re not able to look back on because we either texted them to one another or talked over Skype about it. So with that, I’m taking the Write_On Challenge! More info here if you want to join: writeoncampaign.com.

Expect a letter from me once or twice a month. The content? Who knows. The length? Who knows. Just know that I miss you and want to look back on our young adult life 20 years from now the same way I’m looking back at our childhood life now.

Write soon!

Ariel