It seems to me that much of our angst surrounding writing comes from not producing the stuff for public consumption: that novel, short story, screenplay, you name it.
Journals, diaries, even morning pages are easier because we’re pretty confident no one else will ever read them. Those are our private rants, never to be judged.
But how much of our writing life do we devote to projects that are more personal in nature? Specifically, I’m referring to that increasingly rare medium known as personal correspondence, like notes and letters. Remember those?
An Overlooked Part of the Literary Life
In her book Making a Literary Life, Carolyn See champions the practice of writing “charming notes.” Right up there with writing 1,000 words a day – feel free to adjust that number to suit your particular situation – five days a week, for the rest of your life, See also advocates writing one note five days a week to an editor, writer or someone else who inspires your literary life.
For See this practice is a courtship in which aspiring writers reach out to their literary heroes and thank them for their efforts. Similarly, these notes give a voice to the aspiring writer, saying, “I’m here, too, following in your footsteps.”
I see these notes as an opportunity to use our writing to connect with a single individual, whether it’s another writer, a family member or a new acquaintance.
Writing for Change
We all have different reasons for writing. Personally, I write with the goal of changing someone’s life for the better, somehow. Maybe a reader will gain a new bit of knowledge or a different perspective from my words. Perhaps a story will provide a moment of entertainment.
Charming notes, because they’re written for a specific individual, are more targeted. Instead of toiling for hours, weeks, months – in the case of my current novel, years – in hopes of publishing a piece that will touch hundreds or even thousands, I can spend a few minutes and brighten someone’s day in the near future. (Did I mention you have to actually mail these notes? No credit given for notes you hide in a drawer.) Maybe the recipient will never acknowledge the note, but that doesn’t detract from the value of the gift.
I write notes to business contacts, friends and family members. I use fun and funky ink colors, just as with my fiction writing, and quirky stationery, turning each note into its own mini work of art.
Even though my current novel or my next four short stories may not see the light of day, these notes will likely brighten the lives of the recipients, even if for just a moment.
Isn’t that a rewarding goal for one’s writing talents?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Brightening someones day with our words or with a note of thanks or encouragement is probably one of the nicest things we can do.
The act of acknowledging someone takes so little time and has such a huge impact..
Agreed. We should start a movement to revive the lost art of personal correspondence. In today’s world, it stands out so much more.
Have you read Seth Godin’s Linchpin? Great book that discusses the need to bring humanity back into our lives – and the business world.