Mature Long Letter Penpals!

IDEAS/prompts for things to write about in your letter:

• a list of things that make you happy
• random facts about yourself
• what simple pleasures make you smile?
• what items could you not live without?
• what hobbies/crafts do you have?
• dreams/goals and aspirations
• travel! where have you been? where do you want to go?
• what is it like where you live?

I'm very interested in this swap as I love to write long letters. Can you clarify whether the length requirement is 3 sheets both sides or just 3 single sides? (I hope my question is clear) I also like your prompts - great ideas!

I think the swap is a great idea! :)

I, too, like writing long letters, although I do prefer writing them on my computer so that I can decorate them with photographs and interesting clip art which relate to what I'm writing about.

I also was wonderig the same thing DaftDabbler is: Is the minimum length of the letter 3 sides of a sheet of paper or 3 pages, both sides?

Happy writing everyone! Karen aka CraftyTweetie :)

I'd love to do this, as long as I could type it out, I love to hand-write, but I have arthritis and after about 1 page it starts to hurt. Unless I wrote some one day and some the next, I suppose. And clipart is a gret idea, CraftyTweetie! :) I'd love to continue to write, say, once per month?

I seem unable to write short letters -- but my handwriting is really awful -- my daughter says that when I travel and send a postcard, it takes the whole family to decipher what I wrote. Mutliply that by about 10 and you're got the problem a penpal would have. I understand the niceness of a longhand letter but I don't think I'll join unless I could type. I'll put this on the watchlist and see if you decide to edit it to let us type if we had a good reason like shabbypink123 & I do not to write longhand.

@craftytweetie @shabbypink123 @junemoon I'll change the description to "preferably handwritten unless there are extenuating circumstances which make it hard for you to write.", is that ok?

Also as for @daftdabblers question, I was thinking 3 pages one sided (8.5x11), but if you're using smaller stationery, a few more than that. My personal LONG letters are usually about 4-5 pages front and back and I write fairly small.

Will edit the description with both of these now. The masses have spoken :D

I'm glad this description changed - I too prefer to type (and you get a LOT more info on a page when it's typed, I think).

I would prefer handwritten, I only type if I feel like nothing else works anymore. I LOVE to see others handwriting, no matter how "good" or "bad" it is. :)

I agree @500DaysOfSummer Handwritten letters are amazing things. I do understand the need for some people to type though.

er, that should be @50DaysOfSummer .. oops! Silly typing!

I definitely agree, typed just isn't the same. Handwritten is what makes these snail mail letters so special. :)

Thanks for amending the swap for those of us who are handwriting challenged. Honestly, I sometimes can't read my own grocery lists. I have typed so long that I no longer feel that special thing about handwriting. I have a couple of penpals who write in long hand and that's nice but I like the typewritten letters from other pen pals just as much, it's what you have to say. And I very much agree, you get a lot more words on a page of typing unless your handwriting is much small than usual.

Thanks for the clarifications, kataish! I love receiving handwritten letters and I love to write them, but I understand not everyone likes to handwrite and wouldn't mind at all receiving a typed letter. I'm in!

it's not that I am in general against typed letters. It's just, a typed first letter always gives me a funny feeling :/

@50DaysofSummer I had problems with a typer who was a copy/paster. They'd answer questions that I somehow never asked! Its just rude not to write original letters to penpals! Whats the point of having one if you don't want to take the time to write to them?

I would love to join, guess to me long letters are even bigger than 3-5 pages ^.^

I would prefer a handwritten letter as I always handwrite mine, even if they are dozens of sheets long, I always write them. I don't are to get a typed letter if some of my pals have a problem, as I'd not care if someone here as a problem, like a healthy problem and can't handwrite it, but I would be very sad if I see that the letter is a copy of other, since there are people who type letter and make copies, especially of first letters and then change the name. So I would much more prefer an handwritten letter.

I'd like to ask that if someone is going to send a TYPED letter in this swap, that all content be 100% original in that letter, and also please take the time to PM your partner to let them know their letter will be typed and WHY (ie if you have a health problem that prevents you from writing very much by hand or if your writing is chicken scratch-like). Please don't send a typed letter merely because you're lazy and don't feel like writing. If that is the case, this is not the swap for you. This is about taking the time out of your life to get to knwo someone potentially across the world, and build a friendship with them. Thats what penpalling is all about, its not just about getting mail! If thats what you're looking for there are plenty of other swaps here on swap-bot for you to participate in :)

Thank you for understanding.

@DaftDabbler - I guess that a 3 single sides of paper wouldn't make a long letter, I guess she really meant to say 3- 5 sheets.

By the way can we write more?

I just saw that I answered something that was answered before and which wasn't of my concern, but I just think that 3 single pages aren't a long letter, but a very short one :S

@ellipse you are definitely welcome to write more! Personally I tend to write letters that are about 5 pages front and back, to me that is long. To others that can still be considered short (with some penpals I can fill an entire notebook!), but the minimum for this swap is 3 pages one-sided.

(If typing, please be sure lines are SINGLE spaced, not double, with a normal sized 12pt font or smaller).

@kataish I agree with you. Actually I already wrote a notebook to a friend ah ah I'm telling the truth! It doesn't mean I do it all the time, there are people who write more or less, and some very much and I try to keep it balanced with my letters, but still I always look for pals who can write very long between 6-10 sheets and then I see what happens, if they write a little less can be okay, as much as the letter is interesting and chatty and they show interest to know me better.

With "one-sided" you mean one side of a sheet, right? Sorry my English can be tricky sometimes.

@ellipse yes, I mean one side of the sheet. And thats ok! I'm here to answer questions! :D

Wow! You all must live very exciting lives to write such long letters! :) I enjoy writing (and receiving) long letters, too, BUT in order to do so, I usually must write over several days' time, adding a bit now and then as I think of something interesting to say. One can only talk for so long about the weather. :) LOL!

Oh, I forgot to add, whoever is given me for a partner can feel free to type or handwrite their letter to me, whichever they're more comfortable doing. I much rather receive a readable, typed letter than a handwritten one which I need a decoder ring to decipher. :) Just as long as the letter is more than just "Hi!" & "Bye!" and interesting to read I'll be a happy camper.

@craftytweetie - the first letter should be the easiest, since you are going to talk about nice things about you, like who you are, where you come from, how is your place, your interested and dislikes,...

My envelope to send is done, handmade :)

This is going on my watch list-- I will have to see how caught up I get with things already pending on my "to-do" list! I understand the appeal of handwritten letters, but I'd honestly rather get a letter that was typed rather than one that is impossible to read. I will be typing mine, if I join, but I do try to personalize the typing by using a handwriting font and signing my name myself. And of COURSE all my letter content is original! Who signs up to write a letter and then plagarizes? What a cheap move.

@shinywren Not really plagarizing, but what I mean is, I've gotten letters in the past where said penpal would type their letter, and copy/paste what they wrote to their other penpals, and nothing was in response to what I wrote to them. Does that makes more sense?

I've had a penpal write out a catch-all update about their life and send it to all of their penpals, which I was okay with because she had gone through a hard time with a few things, and said flat out "I wrote this to send to all my penpals" and then continued her letter handwritten at the end to respond specifically to each penpal's letter.

Oh hey, my first swap and we're currently the number 8 spot in top-swaps of the site. Woohoo! Thanks everyone! I'm really excited to be hosting this!

I'd like to respond to what CraftyTweetie said about "you all must live very exciting lives to write such long letters." For me, a long letter isn't so much about the person's daily life (like some alternate form of a diary) as about their thoughts and feelings, memories and reflections. A long letter is a place to be expansive about whatever strikes your fancy.

@melusina - I agree with you, totally. There are so many things that a long letter may contain, not only what our days are like... not everyone has days where amusing things happens all the time, but there are people who reads a lot, who writes, who have interests in some issues and like to discuss them... to me it a letter, a letter isn't just the description of our daily lives.

I'm wondering if people are paying attention to the "long letters" things and not only yo the "letters" part...

Whew. Joined just in time :D

I totally agree the art of penpals is dying. I can't help but write long letters because I can talk to just about anybody about anything, lol. It's disapointing to send off a 6-8 page letter and get half a page back. But that won't happen to me this time! :]

I too like to write long letters, by hand or typed,, but I actually discontinued writing to a penpal because I could not read her writing. It took the fun out of it for me. Although I hinted a few times that typing was better (I didn't feel comfortable telling her how bad her writing is). Have any of you come across this problem? And did you advise that you can't read the handwriting. I'd like to join, but I'm afraid I'd get her as a partner again...and I can't see the participants unless I join.

@newfie - People should be aware of their own handwritings, shouldn't they? As mine is kind of "slender" but perfectly legible, I give clear spaces between the words and I don't think my writing is big or too small... but I already read letter from people with hard to read writings but I worked to read it. I had one pal with very hard to read writing but our penpalship ended with the time... but I had lots of work to read her letters every time.

If people think to have a very hard to read writing I think they should type the letter, but I don't think it has to be an excuse to everyone, still people can be a little careful and make some pretty writing.. we know that when we write to fast the handwriting sometimes is a little messy, so...

I think you should join, even if the person you talk is here there are a few chances that you get her, still if you feel insecure I guess you can left the swap.

I agree with ellipse. My handwriting is far from being "pretty" but I always make sure it is neat enough to read easily.

I have ended a pen-ship on those terms also. It's frustrating, but I don't like to continue letters when I feel both parties aren't happy. I feel the same about "Hi how are you I'm fine" letters. I'm sure some people love those letters but I'm not one of them. I'd rather someone take their time and write a decently long letter than rush to send me a paragraph of an update.

Getting short letters became to be so bad that I feel sad when I expect the first letter from someone and get such a small things that I just need one minute to open it and read, and it is surely worse when I put efforts to write a long letter and get a small one where everything I said was neglected...

This is a great idea , Thanks kataish! I am looking forward to writing my letter , and recieving mine.. :)

PARTNERS ARE NOW ASSIGNED!

Rest assured I checked everybody's profile to make sure they meet requirements, so get writing everyone!

My letter is ready :D but I just can send it in the end of the week, but i feel so excited that I already wrote it!

I was just wondering , if its ok to add things like a postcard.. to our letter , showing where were from or even a picture of ourselves?

@meljayprice absolutely! You can add any extras you want!

Sent my letter out today! :) 6 pages I believe, only one sided though. BUT! I asked a TON of questions and told them a lot about me. I'm really excited for them to receive it! :D

Hey folks...I just realized what my own definition of a long letter is: it's one in which I have to get up to go refill my fountain pen, at least once. =laugh=

If I had a fountain pen I'd get up like ten times to replace it one single letter :) Love long letters!

@melusina Writing with fountain pens are totally worth it! I may be a bit of a fountain pen addict, eek!

Oh, other fountain pen users - yay!!

@CarolinaWriter I LOVE fountain pens. They're amazing.

Just so everyone is aware, I sent PMs today to those who have still not marked as sent just to check in.

If you don't receive your letter in the next two weeks from your partner, please let me know and I'll see what I can do about arranging angels. If there are multiple flakers (I hope that is not the case, I just hope these people just haven't yet marked as sent), I won't be able to angel everyone as I don't quite have the time to accept MULTIPLE long letter penpals, but I'll see what I can do about arranging angels!

I would angel- I didn't see this swap in time to sign up.

Hey, can I join in? I didn't see this swap until now... :D thanks!

@Aria sorry the swap is closed, partners were assigned in June.