15 replies to this topic

[Echo_of_thunder]

Now with Computer's E mails Texting and voice mail, does anyone ever write a letter by hand anymore?
This morning I had to sit down and write a thank you note using pen and paper. After writting it I looked it over and said to myself ( beep ) I have been typing letters too long and have forgot how to write clearly.

Will the day come when we all will just forget how to do this? Will everyone just use E mails texting or voice? Will hand written letters become a lost art, we have become dependent on all this. we have forgotten how to really use what was given to us. Not only in letter writting but other skills.

I hope I am not the only one here that feels this. There needs to be 1 day set aside in the year where we can be Conputer free. That mean's no E mailing,texting or voice mails or Messaging. write a letter using pen and paper.

[moogie]

I agree echo, the art of writing letters is dying fast. With all the texting, emails and IM's, plus services like skype, it's so easy to talk to someone far away every day.

Before all these services were available we had to write letters to each other to stay in touch and to relate any news about what's happening in our lives and these letters were quite often at least 2 or 3 pages long. It would sometimes be weeks before we got a reply with any news from the other person. Now all that's changed and we can interact with our friends and family every day, instantly. I think it's great!

Yes I do still write the occasional letter or note, like at Christmas as part of the Christmas card or in a birthday card to someone far away. The only other letter I write is to an elderly relative who doesn't have or use a computer, and yep I really have to try hard to keep my handwriting legible

One day set aside in the year to be computer free? That will probably never happen. That'd be like asking the TV not be turned on for a day and just listen to the radio instead. Oh wait .. that DOES happen here

[truefusion]

I wouldn't call my handwriting an art. I'm sure there are people who would beg me to type it out on a computer. Like one of my old, high school English teachers. I thought she was joking when she said she uses a magnified glass to read my writing—that is, until i saw it myself. But after years of homework, after graduating, i figured i could use a break. Once people reach the age of having to pay bills, let them practice their writing when writing out checks. That should last... the rest of their lives.

[Teina]

Wow, I'm scared for the future now.

Really though, I was just about to make the argument that, "well, everyone still has to hand in papers and take notes for class!", when I realized that more and more people are getting laptops and using recording devices.

I came close to writing a letter a month ago. Guess I never did it. :P

[rpgsearcherz]

Echo_of_thunder, on Jan 7 2009, 12:35 PM, said:

Now with Computer's E mails Texting and voice mail, does anyone ever write a letter by hand anymore?
This morning I had to sit down and write a thank you note using pen and paper. After writting it I looked it over and said to myself ( beep ) I have been typing letters too long and have forgot how to write clearly.

Will the day come when we all will just forget how to do this? Will everyone just use E mails texting or voice? Will hand written letters become a lost art, we have become dependent on all this. we have forgotten how to really use what was given to us. Not only in letter writting but other skills.

I hope I am not the only one here that feels this. There needs to be 1 day set aside in the year where we can be Conputer free. That mean's no E mailing,texting or voice mails or Messaging. write a letter using pen and paper.

I think that writing by hand is going to go out of style sooner or later. I find it much faster and easier to type.

I am capable of typing 5-10x as fast as I write, and it's much easier to read.

Not to mention when I write sometimes I will skip a letter or two by accident. With typing I can quickly backspace but with writing you have to stop, erase(if you are using a pencil) and then rewrite it.

Overall, I find typing to be significantly easier.

Not to mention there are many people who write and I can't read half of what they wrote. With typing the only issues are those who use terms like "r" and "4" in their sentences. "I r wrytng this 4 u" for example.

[Echo_of_thunder]

rpgsearcherz, on Jan 7 2009, 09:55 PM, said:

I think that writing by hand is going to go out of style sooner or later. I find it much faster and easier to type.

I am capable of typing 5-10x as fast as I write, and it's much easier to read.

Not to mention when I write sometimes I will skip a letter or two by accident. With typing I can quickly backspace but with writing you have to stop, erase(if you are using a pencil) and then rewrite it.

Overall, I find typing to be significantly easier.

Not to mention there are many people who write and I can't read half of what they wrote. With typing the only issues are those who use terms like "r" and "4" in their sentences. "I r wrytng this 4 u" for example.

I think most of us are able to type pretty fast. even me with my hunt and peck, lol. But honest rpg tell me this. wouldnt you rather get a hand written letter say a thank you letter. than a form letter saying thank you? So much nicer to get something like that, than some e mail or printed up letter.

[rpgsearcherz]

Echo_of_thunder, on Jan 8 2009, 12:06 AM, said:

I think most of us are able to type pretty fast. even me with my hunt and peck, lol. But honest rpg tell me this. wouldnt you rather get a hand written letter say a thank you letter. than a form letter saying thank you? So much nicer to get something like that, than some e mail or printed up letter.

Really...To me....I think it's more of the thought behind it than anything. Just as someone can type up one message and spike everyone's names into it, they can write out a lot of thank you letters as well.

So in terms of if I feel that hand-written letters are more special, really I'd have to say no.

It's like the digital signatures...Now a lot of spam-senders use real signatures on their stuff to make it seem more authentic, or they actually write out your name. I don't really see it as being much different though.

[sheepdog]

Hard to imagine handwriting becoming a lost art, but I can certainly see where it is rapidly coming to that. I still have one elderly god mother who does not have a computer, so I do still write to her, but everyone else I know is now online and the convience of jotting them off a note is certainly a plus in keeping in contact.

I do hope that it does not happen. There are too many things that can happen, and writing is too important to forget how to do.

[mahesh2k]

I will not comment about grammar and art of mail writing. But now i've not remember about any letter I've written on paper in last 8 years. All my relatives, friends are in touch with me using email & IM, phone etc. So i'm missing writing letters. I used to have penal but even he's not in touch how that happened i don't remember.

Ok so coming back to point. Yes, my handwriting is good and i think writing letter is something that I'm starting to forget.

[Zeyomie]

I was going to write letters to my nephews and nieces. I just haven't around to it yet. But I do agree. Letter writing has died off a lot in the last few years. Even postcards are rare commodities as it's much easier to just send a text message. I have saved all the letters and postcards I have ever gotten. While I have several greeting cards, I only have 2 or 3 hand written letters, and one postcard. It's sad to see such a decline in this. As writing I feel is a better expression of your self. There is a form of inflection in writing that is not visible in electronic mail. Just like the inflection of your voice, your writing conveys emotion. How hard you press pen to paper. The curves of your letters, how fast, or slow you write. There are so many things about yourself that are lost in technology.