Sunday 22 July 2012

Writing Letters

I am a big fan of CBC radio.  If you aren't a Canadian, this is our national radio station where you can hear anything and everything from jazz to opera, radio plays to news shows.  I previously mentioned my appreciation for Stuart McLean, who has a weekly radio show called The Vinyl Cafe.  If you have never heard of it, google it and listen to an episode immediately!  Especially if you can find an episode featuring a Dave and Morley story.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Today, I had the pleasure of hearing two writers talk about their "relapse" into letter writing.  They spoke of how writing a letter by hand forces them to live in the moment.  They can't write nearly as fast as they type and so they have time to process what they are writing.  They also have the opportunity to write about things that they would edit if they knew their writing could be accessed by unknown readers - as I do when I write my blogs, tweets and Facebook updates.  I was inspired.

And, I couldn't help but think about my book, Suspiciously Reserved.  In this book, Jane Fairfax frequently communicates to Frank Churchill by letter.  She also emails and texts when necessary, but she trusts a hand-written letter.  This theme of trust runs throughout the book and I'm afraid even I am uncertain of Frank Churchill's trustworthiness.  In our fast-paced, self-centred modern era, who can we trust and how long does it take to build this faith?  Can a hand-written letter reveal more about its author than a text or email?  I plan to try.  Just as soon as I can find a pen and some paper.  What do you think?

Click here to read about Mary Robinette Kowal's letter-writing challenge.The Month of Letters


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