I mailed 320+ things in February. To say that I did not anticipate the enthusiasm with which the Month of Letters Challenge was accepted, is probably unnecessary.
But here… have an anecdote to get a glimpse of what it was like for me.
Yesterday I went to the post office, as usual, and stopped at the counter to ask a question. There wasn’t a line, astonishingly, so I went up to the front and said, “I have an odd question. I’m an author and told people that they could write to one of my fictional characters. Recently, some of that mail is being returned to the sender. Is there a way to add the character, even though there’s no way I can provide id?”
The young woman nodded, as though she got this sort of request all the time. “No problem. Just write down your box number, the character’s name and your name.” She slid a white sticker and a ballpoint pen across the counter.
I wrote “PO Box 13346
Mrs. David Vincent
Mary Robinette Kowal”
When I finished writing my name. Before I even turned the sticker around to face her, she tapped it. “Oh….” She said again, “Oh. This box has been getting a lot of cards.”
“You recognize it?”
She nodded, with a weird look of awe. I then explained the Month of Letters Challenge to her. No, I don’t know why I didn’t tell my own post office about the challenge. I guess I thought they were busy and didn’t want to bother them. She has promised that Mrs. Vincent’s name will be added to the box.
Meanwhile, I’m stunned that I got enough mail that they, not only noticed, but recognized the box number. I wonder if they noticed the increase in outgoing mail?
What’s been interesting to me is noting the difference in the way I write in a handwritten letter, vs. the way I write here. Here, my editing happens on the page, because I can type almost as fast as I compose sentences. When I write longhand, I am thinking so much faster than my pen can move that the editing happens in my head.
In addition to that, with a letter, I am writing for an audience of one. I tailor my thoughts more to the individual to whom I am writing.
In this post, I’m writing to “you” but that is a plural you. It means I am not as specific in the way I express myself. All in all, a fascinating experiment.
Did you participate? How was it for you?
Oh, and yes. I will do this again next year.
Happy March Mary! I, myself, mailed out 83 letters for the month of February. No matter how many letters you or I mailed out for this month, it was really worth competing in this challenge! I hope to do this again for February 2013 even if it is just one day shorter and I hope to do as many letters as I can. It all depends on what I get through my mailbox. The one thing that I am most proud is that I met the reqirement of the 24 letters mark one week after the challenge started! Mary you do a good job with your personal website and I look forward to any more of your future features and responses!
I mailed out 257 cards promoting my speaking and entertaining services. The card had printed front and back covers, plus a few paragraphs of printed text on the inside, but I hand-wrote a greeting and message to each recipient. I also addressed the last 150 or so envelopes by hand.
Good heavens! But those handwritten notes will make a difference.
I started out with good intentions, but I only sent 6 cards in the end.
I’m betting that those six cards each gave their recipients a smile.
Yay! It sounds like you had a successful month. I’m looking forward to 2013 as well.
I loved participating! I look forward to doing it again next year. And in the meantime, correspondence continues with a couple of my friends.
I loved participating! I look forward to doing it again next year. And in the meantime, correspondence continues with a couple of my friends.
That’s what I wanted to hear!
That’s what I wanted to hear!
I loved participating! I look forward to doing it again next year. And in the meantime, correspondence continues with a couple of my friends.
I did participate, and had a blast with it. I did find it a bit hard to mail something every.single.day. during a couple busy work times, but I only missed a few days and still sent more pieces of mail than there are days in the month. 😉
Thank you very much Mary! Even I hope that I can and be able to do this challenge again for February 2013!
I participated, and it was great. I wrote to people I e-mail on a daily basis (multiple times to most of them) and friends I’ve been out of touch with for years; to authors I admire, care of agents or publishers (one of them wrote a response that nearly brought me to happy tears), and to my favorite folk music group; to three actors and a TV talk show host; to our MoL founder, all praise to her name! and to a fictional character whose letter in return was more satisfying than many I receive from people I actually know. Most days I sent two or more letters or cards out into the world.
I didn’t think my ancient sealing wax would survive modern postal service machinery, but research on the Web brought the revelation that the wax I used in my youth was a brittler kind, more suited for adorning certificates and such, and that a more flexible formulation is available — including in round stick form for use in glue guns, but that seems like it would kill the old-fashioned romance of finishing my letters of with wax and seal. So now I’m happily sealing all my letters, just as I used to in high school.
Our postmistress told the friend I roped into participating that she and I have the most legible handwriting in town. (The legibility of mine falls off a bit when I’m scratching across the envelope with a dip pen and calligraphy ink. I’ll have to spend the next year practicing.)
I’m curious, did everyone write to Jane as a contemporary of hers, as I did, assuming a prior relationship? Or were there time-traveling historians who wrote?
I’m already planning for next year. Thanks so much!
Sorry, sorry…make that “finishing my letters OFF.”
Jane had only one time-traveller who wrote to her from the future. She took it as a joke. The rest wrote as contemporaries and either assumed a prior relationship, or wrote as admirers of her glamural in London.
One person mentioned having just finished Jane’s “biography,” which was one of the hardest to respond to. Fortunately, there was a pamphleteer in Glamour in Glass so Jane was able to respond as though it were that. If she knew about Shades of Milk and Honey I think she would be alarmed.
It has been an amazing experience for me….and I am continuing on this month! I posted about it this morning… http://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/ I sent over 50 cards and letters last month and have sent several in March already. Thank you so much for this challenge. It has changed my life! ?
Just now seeing this entry, so my comment is a bit late.
I wrote and mailed 29 letters in February. Everyone I wrote that has commented to me, was happy to get a letter in the mail. They each saw it as a happy surprise. I had only one letter returned to me, but I should be able to get an up to date address as it was to a cousin. I’ll even be able to catch up with an old friend as she is a bit of a Luddite, having neither a computer or cell phone.
I will definitely be doing this next year!
I’m late to the ball, but…
I mailed off about 14 pieces of correspondence. I used a lot of postcards I had lying around of Superhero’s but also a fair amount that I got from the Hemingway House in Key West. Of course did I mail you anything? No… I’ll send something to the new address in Chi-town!
I’m late to the ball, but…
I mailed off about 14 pieces of correspondence. I used a lot of postcards I had lying around of Superhero’s but also a fair amount that I got from the Hemingway House in Key West. Of course did I mail you anything? No… I’ll send something to the new address in Chi-town!