Author Archives: Reed Sandridge

Sending a handwritten letter is becoming such an anomaly. It’s disappearing. My mom is the only one who still writes me letters. And there’s something visceral about opening a letter – I see her on the page. I see her in her handwriting.- Steve Carell

Letter-writing is a lost art – especially handwritten letters. I haven’t penned a handwritten letter to a friend in years. It’s all email or the occasional letter that is neatly formatted in Word and printed on a laser printer now. And while there is tremendous value in digital letters, there is something alluring about how handwriting looks on paper. And it’s just as much about the paper as it is the words and the penmanship.

Like Steve Carell, I can identify my mother’s handwritting easily. Mine, not so much. I mean, mine is not consistent enough to be identifiable. And on top of that, it’s terribly illegible.

So my challenge to myself, and to any of you who want to join me, is to start writing more real letters. Get a decent pen that moves across the paper well. Pay attention to the pen strokes, spacing and personality of your letters. Who will you write? I’m making my list of 365 people to write this year. Have a good idea of someone interesting that I should reach out to?  Drop me a note – handwritten is preferred, but I accept emails as well!