In the age of technology, where messaging is instant, the letter seems to be overlooked as a method of communication. After all, texting someone takes a few seconds, and you don’t have to worry about mail truck times or purchasing stamps. While it may seem silly, writing a letter to someone would make it matter now more than ever. Here’s why:

Human Connection: Texts are one in a million and will inevitably be lost in a sea of other instant messages. A letter is something physical. A tangible thing you can hold. A letter to someone means you’ve chosen to take time out of your day to sit down and write out what you’d like to say. There’s thought behind each pencil stroke, and each word has a purpose. This makes letters far more personal than a one-off text to both yourself and the person you’re writing to. Sending a letter to a loved one shows you care about them and are thinking of them often. It’s like receiving a gift! 

It makes you smarter: Many studies have shown that writing physically is much better for you than typing. While typing is far faster and better from a productivity standpoint, physically writing out words has been shown to improve memorization and hand-eye coordination. Your brain can remember the feeling of gliding your hand to create each letter rather than a simple tap on a screen. Letter writing also encourages skills such as proofreading and word recognition in both adults and children alike! Writing something down physically also helps you better retain what you’ve written. This extends past letter writing and into areas such as note-taking and story writing as well. Letters don’t always have to be to people you know personally. Sometimes a letter is a call to action, a notification about an event, or a friendly reaching out to someone new. Knowing how to address and appeal to your audience is a crucial skill in many areas of work, and writing letters can help nourish those skills. 

It’s good for you: Life has become so busy for everyone as of late. It seems for some as though there’s a non-stop influx of things to do, emails to read, and people to text back. On top of this, social media constantly bombards us with content all the time. Screen time averages slowly creep up into the tens of hours, and suddenly, you’re more exhausted than ever! While it might sound silly, letter writing can be extremely relaxing, too! It helps you slow down and reflect on what’s been happening in your life. Having to physically write each word out allows you to really think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. Writing helps focus your brain on one thing, clearing out all the brain-buzz. Exercising the creative part of your brain is often very enjoyable and can be very fun! 

The next time you have a moment, take some time and write a letter, or help your children write a letter. It can be to a family member, friend, or even a TV or book character. Immerse yourself in it, relax, and enjoy the activity! You might just discover your new favorite hobby.

Ava Heiler is a Michigan-based comic artist, publicist, and amateur rollerblader pursuing a BFA in Sequential Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design. As an artist, she has a deep love and respect for picture books and the people who make them, as she believes they are an integral part of every childhood.

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