Essential Items To Start Letter-Writing

Let’s talk about the base ingredients needed to create a letter.

• PEN
  You don’t need to have a fancy and expensive pen. Anything that writes will do. Of course, that sounds like a Rookie, huh? It’s all about preferences in the end. What makes you feel happier doing every stroke of your penmanship? What pen works smoothly for your rhythm? What ink does not bleed nor smear? So many weird questions, probably, but those are important to know. I have pen pals who are into ballpoint pens only, but I also have pen pals who are hardcore fountain pen users. I have to admit, I can only enjoy letter-writing with the use of my fountain pens and fountain pen inks. The regular ballpoint does not give me joy anymore. Again, your experience may vary.

• PAPER
  When it comes to paper, anything goes, really. Many of my pen pals use loose-leaf ruled paper. Some use unlined printer paper. Some print out their own stationery design on white paper. Then there’s me. I buy letterhead paper with printed designs on them. Not all of them are fountain pen friendly, so I have to ask questions to the seller about how many pounds it is or if it is glossy or matte, etc. My intent is variety. I like diverse types of paper; the more colorful, the better. In the past, I had this cute paper design, but the fountain pen bled through. I had to change pens to keep the whole stack of paper. I won’t say that I prioritize paper over pen. I believe they are equal.

• ENVELOPES
  You must have envelopes. They carry your letters to your pen pals. It’s the vehicle that transports your written thoughts to your pen pals. Some pen pals of mine create their own envelopes. They have a lot of time on their hands. I, on the other hand, buy my envelopes in bulk. Sometimes, I buy decorated envelopes, but if I don’t see anything I like, I buy blank ones. The blank envelope gives you a chance to express your creativity. You can draw on it, put stickers on it, paint it, or stamp it. Lately, I’ve been rubberstamping my heart’s delight on my envelopes before I start writing a reply. It gives your hand a break from cursive. Decorating envelopes is therapeutic for me.

• POSTAGE STAMPS
  You have your pen, paper, and envelope. You finished writing a letter, and it’s sealed in the envelope. Now what? You need to put postage stamps on the envelope. Postage stamps are the fuel of the envelope. When you drive your vehicle to go from point A to point B, you need gas in your vehicle’s tank for it to function. Unless you’re on a bicycle. You need legs. I digress. Back to postage stamps… They differ in cost, design, and it needs research to know which one to use on your envelope. The fun thing I do is go to the post office and give all my envelopes to the cashier. I get to chat with them and learn post office stuff. HaHa! On a serious note, it is for your benefit to know more about postage stamps. Pen pal letters are not the only ones in need of stamps. You might be doing legal or real estate papers. Not everything is digital.

Are you ready to write a letter now?