How to write a human, and lovely, letter

By Kerstin Rao

I just returned from a trip to Spain, Sweden, and Norway, where I met family members that, until just a few months ago, I had never known existed. (I've included photos of us below...)

The trip itself was inspired by letters.

The twist?

Those letters were written from 1911 to 1938.

The envelope from a letter written in December of 1928 from Carl to Augusta. Note: the date added to the envelope is when Augusta replied - she was definitely organized!

My great-grandmother Augusta left her family's farm in Sweden in 1892 and started a new life in America.

But her older brother Carl missed her. He wrote her letters filled with simple news: what family members were doing, how the weather conditions impacted the farm and the lumber mill nearby, feeling squeezed by taxes (sound familiar?) and even the eerie feeling of troop movements nearby.

Carl probably had no idea he was creating a remarkable record that would re-unite his descendants and relatives decades later across the continents.

The lesson here is to write, simply.

Just write.

Write a letter to someone you miss.

Tell them about the ordinary things.

Include your feelings and the ups and downs of life.

Just write.

Here are 5 ideas to get you going:

1. Make a list of people who cross your mind. Maybe they moved away, or you moved away. Or maybe you've just not connected with them in a while.

   
   

2. Set aside a cozy place and time to write. I like to light a candle, make a cup of herbal tea, and pick up a favorite pen (either a fountain pen I found at a vintage shop, or a UniBall Micro pen.) A Vivid Cottage 'Thinking of You' card or a pretty notepad is nice to have, too... (wink)

   
   

3. Before writing, close your eyes and put your hand over your heart. Think of the person you are writing to. What feelings do you want them to have by the end of your letter?

   
   

4. Now, put pen to paper and start in this moment, right now. I often mention a sound I hear outside my window, or describe the tea I'm enjoying, or say how looking at this candle in front of me reminds me of a campfire we sat around years ago.

   
   

5. Give your inner critic a nice vacation while you write. A letter is no place to worry about grammar, or punctuation, or selecting just the right word, or feeling insecure in any way. A letter is a conversation, just between you and your reader. Think of it as a cozy time, with your stocking feet curled under you, leaning in, grabbing another snack, and telling the latest weird thing that happened to you in your own voice.

How does that feel? I hope you feel inspired to put pen to paper and then put that letter in the mail.

Bonus - here are photos of me with the family members I met in Madrid (Spain), Stockholm and Uppsala (Sweden), and Kongsvinger (Norway.)