#letterwriting — Public Fediverse posts

I’ve started listening to Rachel Syme’s book, Syme’s Letter Writing, on audio. And not only is she a charming narrator, but I do believe she’s written a sort of “manifesto” that I can get behind!

https://bookshop.org/p/books/syme-s-letter-writer-a-collection-of-musings-on-writers-letters-upon-almost-every-imaginable-subject-of-daily-life-with-odes-to-desktop-rachel-syme/21313798?ean=9780593235102&next=t

“But letters still serve a vital purpose, which is that they exist to mock the very idea of efficiency. They require slow, gear-crunching effort on both ends, for the writer and for the reader and for the many hands responsible for transporting the envelope in between the two. Letter writing is a time consuming rebuke to a world that tries to optimize every activity into a seamless slipstream, and there is joy to be had once you fully embrace the medium’s outdated extravagance.”

and

“The truth is, nobody has to write letters anymore. We are all hilariously reachable, and yet the last place anyone thinks to find us is inside our mailboxes. Snail mail’s reputation has become that of an intrusive junky nuisance at worst and, at best, a cringy affectation for people who think they are Jane Austen. But what if we just decided to do it anyway?”

This book is speaking to my soul. We’re inundated with “faster & more efficient” all the time, creating “tools" to cram in more and more stuff.

But slow living, unplugging to reconnect… Those are things experiencing a renaissance. People are leaving social media in droves. Maybe it’s okay to sometimes enjoy the process of communication instead of its expediency?

#letterwriting #postage #snailmail #artistlife #artlife

I just want to put out there that there are real strong virtues to writing letters and sending greeting cards that aren’t necessarily “present” in emails.

• They get you off line.

• They help you craft thoughts carefully and purposefully in ways email can’t because you have to manually write it without “deleting” it.

• They’re fun to receive.

• They physically exist and will continue to do so if collected and cared for even after you’re dead.

• They can be pretty if that’s your intent.

• They’re more personal and meaningful than email because you took the time to engage in the process of penmanship on paper instead of typing it out.

I highly suggest trying the art of correspondence someday. Because it can be just that if you let it. Try unplugging and decompressing with a nice pot of tea and your favorite pen & stationery. Try contemplating a rough outline of what you want to say or include. Then simplify.

Maybe do some fun doodling on the paper. Make it an extension of yourself that you’re sharing.

Enjoy it.

#writing #letters #correspondence #GreetingCards #postal #mail #postage #LetterWriting

Hello loves, latest My Love Letter Time Machine podcast episode out now. CW - Victorian alcohol abuse. Janie’s delight at at the family seaside day out is tempered by Emma’s increasingly unkind behaviour. This week Janie takes us to Cleepthorpes, then as now, probably the nearest bit of sandcastle sand to Sheffield. Absolutely love putting this episode together. Link: https://mylovelettertimemachine.buzzsprout.com/ (you should prob unfollow me if you don't want me bleating on about the pod).

#Podcast #HistoryPodcast #PodcastHistory #Handsworth #Cleethorpes #Cleethorpeshistory #Sheffield #SheffieldHistory #Yorkshire #YorkshireHistory #ironworks #loveletters #1870s #1880s #19thcentury #1800s #victorianera #victorianhistory #victorian #letterwriting #history #historica #womenshistory #familyhistory #industrialhistory #industrialheritage #TrueStory #Middlesbrough #teeside #letterwriting