Write Back Soon!: Adventures in Letter Writing

by Karen Benke

Connect to your friends through "handwritten" notes, cards, letters, and postcards an interactive workbook that encourages creative interactions between friends through the written word, complete with cross-outs, smudges, and parenthetical asides. Put down that smartphone and pick up a pen! Texting and e-mail have taken over our correspondence, but Karen Benke is ready to change that. Through prompts that invite penning short postcard-size notes, ideas for sending cards "just because," and inspired letter-writing exercises, "Pass That Note! "offers limitless possibilities for connecting with your friends in more personal, unique, and creative ways. Use the book for its letter-writing ideas, tear out pages to send to friends, or write in it as a journal to record big ideas for future correspondence. No matter how you use it, you'll be connecting with the people you care about the most in ways that are surprising, fun, and heartfelt. Contributors include: Neil Gaiman, Jon J Muth, Ruth Ozeki, Wendy Mass, Gary Snyder, Norman Fischer, Natalie Goldberg, Jane Hirshfield, Claire Dederer, Albert Flynn DeSilver, Alison Luterman, Sam Hamill, Ava Dellaira, Lucille Lang Day, and J. Ruth Gendler."

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Write Back Soon! is available in paperback and e-book form, so however you want to read, it’s in your format. It is a collection of great tips, trivia and an encyclopedia of information about how to write letters, postcards or notes.
In Write Back Soon, Karen Benke encourages the reader to “rip the page and leap write in!” She also includes interesting things such as:
 Send it in seventeen syllables: write a postcard as an American haiku
 Send a “to do list”: Write a letter to your grandma, aunt, or best friend and tell them everything you have to do.
 What you can send through the mail: An invaluable list of things to send, along with a note to include with it. (Some suggestions are interesting, such as a potato with a note “French fries or paper weight?”)
 Sixty-five opportunities to send more light: How to write encouraging notes for loved ones or random strangers to brighten their day
 Greetings and goodbyes: in case you don’t know how to start or end a letter
 Reminders, suggestions, good luck, advice: in case you need to write a note about any of these topics
 Kinds of correspondence, a list of states and abbreviations, and more!
Write Back Soon is a fantastic guide about writing. It encourages people to stop texting (or find other ways to communicate in addition to texting). It teaches everything you need to know, including how to address envelopes. Highly recommended to teach (or learn) the art of letter writing. Something that is needed even in this day and age!

[Janka H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is for a quite specific kind of reader - one who is in love with language, spoken and/or written, one who cares for others or would like to care more (again), one who is creative and loves surprises, one who is curious :) One who remembers how is to be loved through pages and/or would like to love and be loved though pages (again). One with a soul of child and/or poet. I would like to qualify!

It will not teach you how to love writing - although it contains some very useful tips! But it can boost your inner creativity (and everyone is creative, I believe, knowingly or not) to start to write or well continue.
But the message you should let yourself be taught is just to simply slow down, perceive the world around you and realize one should love more and let the loved ones know they are loved.

And I love the citations included, some speaks directly to my soul.

Lovely book, Ms Benke! I will write more, I promise.

[roxi Net · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love that there is a book encouraging people to actually write letters! Being very fond of sitting down in a peaceful setting and writing letters to my closest friends is one of the most calming and therapeutic things for me which is why "Write Back Soon" interested me. It has cute stories, lists of what you can send via snail mail, recommendations on keeping it short, sweet and personal, how to greet, say good-bye and other great suggestions. It may be helpful for someone just getting into letter writing or is stuck on ideas.

It also doesn't necessarily lend itself to an electronic book since one is supposed to be able to tear pages, but that's ok.

I'm not sure if it's en easy book to recommend - it's very specific to certain readers and I'm always happy to meet 'certain readers'. We'll see!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reviewing an ARC, digital edition of this book.

This would make a great gift purchase - buy a pair and encourage the recipient to stay in touch! The anecdotes and prompts are short and sweet. This would make a great gift for a friend moving away or a relative with whom you struggle to keep up to date.

[Erica Sioda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review from my daughter Leah, age 10:
What I love best about this book are the prompts and friendly encouragement in the introductory paragraphs. It makes me smile, relax and kick starts my creativity! I know that others will like this book if they are looking for something to push their creativity. So far my favorite prompts are to send a postcard with a 100 word scary story and write a letter using only 17 syllables. So fun!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am the first to admit that my expectaions for this book were very high and I found myself disappointed in many ways. I expected a more creative book with great ideas.

As a fan of the hand-written letter/note/postcard, etc. I was hoping to see some brilliant new ideas. I felt most of the suggestions were tired, old ideas. (i.e. Writing a letter to your younger self, Writing a letter to never be mailed...)

There were a few helpful prompts but this volume is definitely for someone totally unfamiliar with mail art and the idea of written communication.

Probably the most frustrating aspect was the pages that discussed the abbreviations for states, the importance of using zip codes (or postal codes), and such mundane details.

While I would not suggest this book for anyone who practices the fun creativity nature of mail art, I would probably buy it for someone who only emails and texts.

I realize part of my issue may have been lofty expectations after seeing so much gorgeous mail art from friend artists.

This book was provided to me by NetGallery in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Diana Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an unabashed snail mail lover, I'm thrilled that children and teens can learn both the basics and the creative uses of letter writing. For the email/texting generation unfamiliar with receiving a handwritten letter, this book aims to ignite the thrill one can experience with written communication. Benke offers wonderful prompts, new and established, that will engage young people in ways they'll never expect. Brava to Karen for corralling some terrific established poets and authors who share their love of sending and receiving handwritten letters. Ah, the handwritten love letter, the newsy catch-up gossipy letter, the let's get to know one another letter. They're tangible, can be read anywhere, carry barely any weight, and last lifetimes, reflected first in our memories and later for future generations to learn more of us through the footprint of the written word. A wonderful teaching tool, too, for teachers of all subjects from geography (philately) and, of course, English (writing) and social studies (reading letters from bygone eras) and even economics (postage wasn't always 49 cents!). Makes an unusual and delightful holiday gift, too.

[Peter Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an age when the actual physical act of writing, let alone the craft of letter writing, is fast becoming an outmoded art this book comes as a very refreshing and insightful attempt at reviving one of our most personal forms of communication. "Write Back Soon" is an important book that has the potential to inspire people young and old to sit down and put pen to paper to reach out to others in a way that our digital lifestyle cannot. But it is far from being a reminiscence of the past as this book lives firmly in the future helping us create thoughtful and inspiring correspondence that helps us balance the abbreviated and truncated texts and emails with something vastly more personal and intimate. A great book born from a brilliant observation.

[LK · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice book about the joy of letter writing that will appeal to those of us who find joy in letter writing. This is a good addition to the handful of books out there on this topic - her writing prompts and ideas for unique correspondence inspire the reader to put down the book and pick up a pen.

[Sheila Altman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book with great ideas for keeping in touch with people the old fashioned way.... Who doesn't like a good piece of happy snail mail?

LOVE THIS BOOK!!

I even sent a copy to a friend of mine, I loved it that much!!

[Margie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, as I send a lot of letters and am always looking for books that celebrate written correspondence. However, as other reviewers have noted, this is not a book for people who already love writing and sending notes through the mail. This is a book for people who would like to start sending mail but don’t know how to start.

While I am glad that such a book exists, I would be hesitant to give this as a gift (as the author repeatedly suggests) because of the tone. Instead of sincerely encouraging correspondence, most pages drip with condescending anecdotes that are more “humble brags” about the author’s life than inspiring calls to increase personal joy through mail.

[Nevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the variety of prompts. They don't just inspire letter writing, they encourage simply putting pen to paper, putting thoughts and feelings into words, just for fun. I can't wait to share this with my niece and nephew when they're old enough to write and using it to find creative ways to connect even when we're far apart. In the meantime, it's great for getting me thinking more deeply about my life experiences and even memorializing some of them on paper.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love getting letters, however I'm not that great at writing them. This book has so many helpful tips and ideas to help a person use this lost form of communication. If you're looking for a way to connect with family or friends in a manner other than a text or an email then this book will be very helpful for you. I liked it because it helped me get back into the lost art of letter writing.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the art of letter writing and sending postcard, and this book does not disappoint. This book is a collection of letter writing ideas to help make you a better letter writer. There are also little snippets from the authors favorite authors who share why they like to write letters. Word lists, rhymes and little known facts about the U.S. mail are littered throughout the book. Fun Read!

[Jen CE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any book that shares the love of snail mail is a good thing! A more chronological approach would have been nice, and perhaps a proper closing idea... but there were some fun ideas for anyone new to the world of snail mail.

[Don Follett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read by a talented lady. I had hoped it would help my polish my letter writing skills. Instead, it gives the reader "prompts" for writing letters, personal notes, postcards, etc. It was not what I was looking for but I enjoyed the read due to her writing skills.

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many creative ideas!

A birthday gift from Brad.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will inspire you to write more snail mail letters to your friends. It has some good suggestions, and tips to get you started.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great writing guide from Karen Benke! Write Back Soon! focuses on and demystifies the lost art of written correspondence. Anyone can be a letter writer and letter-writing takes many forms. Karen encourages handwritten messaging for a greater connection between the mind and hand of the writer - but also as a deeper and more meaningful way to connect with the world and with one's friends, family, and loved ones. Although her prior creative writing books are for kids and teens, this book is for anyone with a passion to explore the written word through the time-tested and gratifying exercise of letters, cards, memos, notes, or anything you can send in the mail. Containing fun prompts and inspiring writing samples, this book encourages anyone to grab a favorite pen and whatever is handy to write on and drop a note in the mail. Great for starting a panpal program or encouraging kids to get off-screen. I was so motivated that I took a stack of vintage postcards from my collection, addressed them to a dozen friends, and sent them out with brief messages - just to say "hi" or "thinking of you" or "dinner's on me next time!" I will be adding this book to my library's collection; highly recommended!

[Iris Mcgowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say this is a joyful book and very much like a meditative journey! The main theme of Write Book Soon is to renew or even initiate one into the art of penning letters which is great for our changing world. Along with that, I believe this book to offer even more. It contains a bounty of ideas that guide you on creative pathways of self-discovery and awareness. The goal being to get to a place of confidence (do I dare say, inter-connectedness) that will enable self-expression in loving, open ways whether it be letter writing, journal writing, getting your memoirs in words or just plain interacting and communicating with others.

Karen Benke's book is formatted in very easy to read one-page ideas with stories taken from her personal life and then intermingled with the inspiring thoughts of some well-known creative people. A very beautiful and worthy gift for yourself and others during these times where heart-to-heart connection is so valuable. And thank you, Karen, for your openness. Here's to writing with loving abandonment!

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

(I received an ARC from the EDELWEISS in exchange for an honest review.)
​​
A cool book that looks at the lost art of writing letters. This book is for those that are interested in writing letters or introduce someone to this art form. It is a good book to invoke creativity.

k (My Novelesque Life)

[Joan Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of fun for those of us who like to send and receive mail.