Ah, the first post of 2023, several months too late and over a year since last I did anything here. Our title today not only refers to the topic within, but also the speed at which I do anything on here. So, on that note, let’s see if I can be maintain some level of consistency, even if just the occasional post. A general, if vague, plan for this has been written, in addition to some notes and ideas. Taking from this list of ideas brings us here today, in which I go on about writing letters. We’ll also try starting out with shorter pieces, since they’re easier to draft, edit, and push out.
I’m by no means some diehard proponent of analog correspondence, but I respect the craft. It is very much a craft, at that, having developed over many centuries. The act of writing, folding, decorating, and sealing a letter has varied wildly throughout history, and I simply find it fascinating. Standardization and its implications aside, I very much believe that the postal service is horribly underappreciated, at least, in the US.
The United States gets more focus, to be clear, as that is what I am familiar with.
The history of postage is as much a history of human ingenuity and innovation as any other. We’ve come a long way from the days of couriers delivering mail in their travels, and it being prohibitively expensive. Mailing a letter today is exponentially cheaper, compared to times where crossed letters (look it up) made sense as a cost saving measure. It is also standardized now, and gone are the days of homemade envelopes and letterlocking, sealing with wax or wafers. The human element of processing postage has even been removed, in part, with the rise of computerized sorting via optical character recognition (OCR). Only the most unreadable letters get human involvement now, when it used to be a much more widespread job.
Consider this video from the ever-informative Tom Scott, should you wish to learn more about that.
We’ll only touch on this briefly, but consider the sheer size of the United States. Frankly, it’s massive in comparison to most other countries. Way bigger than a lot of people realize at first, and to have such a robust postal system that works as well as it does is extremely impressive. Not perfect by any stretch of the debatable word, but the reach of the USPS cannot be understated or matched by competitors. That it’s been steadily gutted in favor of private business is nothing short of a travesty, if painfully predictable. Crippling our own infrastructure for profit has become an unfortunately common trend within this country, with all of the nightmarish implications that come with it.
Getting back on track, I’m a real sucker for writing things by hand. In fact, I’ve talked about my love of fountain pens before, and how each post is first drafted on paper. This one, for the curious, was done with a vintage Parker 45. Finding ways to use my stationary is always welcome, and who doesn’t like receiving a handwritten letter? There’s something really special in it, that can’t be replicated in digital communication. An emotion, an intent, that comes from the craft of it, which does not translate, in turn, from the clack of the keyboard. Having to wait also makes their arrival that much more impactful.
So, towards the end of 2022, I began an experiment between a friend and I, in which we would send letters to each other.
For sake of our privacy, I won’t get too specific, but suffice to say that neither of us are paragons of regular contact. This seemed like a fun compromise, in that we both have an appreciation for all things analog. Furthermore, it meant that I could get especially fancy with it, in my choice of ink and letterlocking. Even got to bust out the cotton paper, the good stuff, and ask another friend to deliver mine for the added experience.
As you can see, I was more than a little excited to try this out.
Should you end up like me, though, with enough fountain pen ink to last the next several years, you’ll want to find any opportunity to use your supply. Those are rookie numbers, anyway. Seriously, some of the collections you see on r/fountainpens are enough for future generations. Rampant consumerism is a bit of an issue in the community, but that’s the same for most hobbies. I’m not that crazy, thankfully, but I have my own selection of colorful inks.
Said inks help me out when writing drafts, as I’m not someone that just puts a pen to paper and expects their brain to spit out gold. It usually doesn’t, so I often go through a few drafts. Though, sometimes dreams do come true, and I get it just right on the first go. My pens with finer nibs find their most use here, as I find them unsuitable for the final product. That would be a result of my insanity and attempting to write in straight lines on blank paper with no guide. Way, way harder than you’d think, unless you’re some savant with a hand as still as a corpse.
Lucky you, in that case. I guess.
Therefore, my broader pens are used, as I’ve found that it’s much easier to maintain a straight line with the larger letters. I especially like using my architect nibs, in particular. Fountain pens have a hard tipping material welded onto the nib- except in a few cases- and the size and shape of it determines the writing experience. So, the smaller it is, the smaller the line it puts out, and vice versa. An architect nib has had its tipping ground in such a way that horizontal lines are thicker than the vertical ones. Grants your writing some character without even trying, as you might have to with a flex nib. They’re only one of several special grinds as well, which is one of the really cool aspects of these pens that ballpoints and the like can’t compare to.
As for preparing the finalized letter for delivery, there are a lot of options. I’ve found a letterlocking technique that I prefer, so there’s more consistency from prior months, where I picked a different method each time. The term “letterlocking,” by the way- which has been used several times here- is simply the act of folding and sealing the letter itself, rather than using an envelope. Rather self-explanatory word, I believe, but one must not assume too much. Techniques varied between time periods, cultures, and even the individual person, making it a surprisingly varied and personal practice. Which has all but vanished nowadays, so what better way to keep some of that tradition alive than by practicing it myself?
Should you hold some curiosity towards it, then you could check out the YouTube channel Letterlocking Videos, where they recreate many historical examples.
Yet, would it not be easier to just communicate digitally? Instant messaging- a name picked for a reason- phone calls, video calls, email? Hell, go talk to them in person? Yeah, it would be easier, and I’m not going to claim that ol’ snail mail can rival modern forms of communication. Instant feedback is cool and all, too, in moderation, but that’s not the point here. We chose letters for a reason, and if you, dear reader, can’t quite understand why, that’s okay. You’re not required to, nor is anyone else.
The fact of the matter is that we enjoy it, for all of its faults and clear successors. I, especially, enjoy digging into the past, and exploring what our ancestors did. Why they did it, and how they brought their own character to the act of. We’re no different today, and no matter how much further we press into the digital age, handwriting has been an integral part of civilization for far longer than computers have. It has and always will have its place, alongside other analog practices, which have seen a resurgence in recent years. That goes beyond nostalgia or the perception of it, and we should embrace both ways, not favor the one.
Reality has an incredible amount of depth to it, in even the most mundane things like a letter. The paper used, the writing implement, its ink, the very letters, symbols, and languages used to compose it. They all have long, storied histories, and these connections span the world over. Civilization is built on this endless web of interactions, and the written and spoken word has had a profound power over its development. Leveraging that is only natural, in addition to the advantage of physical writing over typing.
The pen is truly mightier than the sword, and I am not afraid to brandish mine in opposition of the stylus.
It’s also good cursive practice, but that’s maybe a topic for another time. Got a little profound and out there towards the end, so let’s zoom back in. In essence, writing letters is cool, and has great historical significance. Anyone can appreciate a handwritten letter, and if you happen to be interested in handwriting and stationary, it’s a great way to get use out of both. We can look to the past to see how our ancestors customized theirs, and be inspired by them and the storied journey of postage from one hand to another. Whether by foot, horseback, plane, train, or automobile, there’s really something to appreciate in it all, and not let it die entirely.
Until next time.