In a time that I could not lay my hands on a computer, I had this great time writing letters. There were many reasons for that. It’s not that I like writing letter per se, it’s just that I really used to like to buy stationary and pens. That was the reason that I used to write letters. I had collected a lot of different types of writing paper and a lot of really nice writing instruments. I didn’t like pencils though. They were always too much work. All the sharpening was a real turn off. I used to even draw with pens.
So, back to letters. I used to write to a lot of people. My friends, my family, my pen friends and also to the authorities on various issues that I thought affected my life directly. This was a time when I was a robust 10-11 years of age.
The best thing about letter writing is that you get a lot of time to think your words through. You can write a nice long letter over a period of a few days and tell the recipient about all that happened in those 4 or 5 days.
Well that’s it. Today, of course, I do not write letters any more, mostly due to the fact that I have email and Instant Messengers and VOIP. All this means that I really don’t have as much to tell people that they don’t already know about. As soon as something happens, people already seem to know or at least have an idea about it. Anything that I want to tell them about other people, they definitely already know.
So, due to the fact that information was traveling really fast between places, I had to curb my enthusiasm for letter writing. When that stopped, I even stopped buying stationary and pens. So, now this is all the writing that I am doing. Virtual writing, where my handwriting looks like everybody else’ and no one can tell me my character by looking at the way I cross my T’s or dot my I’s. Progress is great isn’t it? A serial killers dream, I say.
Abhilash is a part time blogger and blogs about photography, technology and travel. When not blogging Abhilash is either selling outsourcing solutions to companies or indulging in marathon episodes of various science fiction shows and movies.
And I was one of the grateful recipients of those lovely letters! But I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on the character sketch from the handwriting, all you guys had such awful writing! lol! Ukw, I think I still have some of those, atleast the last time I visited home they were there! Sigh, I too miss writing letters. Writing emails just doesn’t give the same feel.
The last time I tried writing more than 10 line with a real pen… my hand hurt like hell