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Letters

Theory​

Letters are monologues for specific audiences. Authors don't always expect responses from their readers.

The emotional letter is an art form because it's very difficult for most people to grasp emotions and convey them in cohesive and poetic language.

Writing emotional letters can feel like journaling because you express your desires and opinions, reflect on your thoughts and feelings, and ponder about how the future may go. As a result, letters are a mixture of memoir and conversation.

Types​

Each emotional occasion is an opportunity to write a letter. If the occasion is small and there isn't much to say, then a short letter suffices. If the occasion invokes many emotions for you, then you can write a longer letter.

You can categorize letters by your intent in writing the letter and who your audience is. Some examples include:

  • Express thanks or gratitude
  • Celebrate holidays or birthdays
  • Convey opinions and demands

Techniques​

Literary devices and techniques for writing letters:

  • Simile
  • Analogy
  • Repetition
  • Rhyme

Topics​

Some ideas for content:

  • Reflect on the past
  • Hope for the future
  • Stipulations about hypothetical situations
  • Praise
  • General thoughts about love and life
  • Commentary on events, society, and culture
  • Responses to previous expressions if belief by you or them
  • Further clarifications, expansions, or details on past conversations

Tips​

Writing letters is difficult. Some tips for writing emotional letters:

  1. Think about what's important to your reader.
  2. Pour your heart and soul into the writing.
  3. Be kind, generous, and thoughtful.
  4. Be creative, innovative, and artistic.
  5. Draw upon feelings of deep feelings, such as dark sadness, and churn it into art with imagery, analogies, and good sentences.