Reviving a Lost Art

by MHELSS

Once upon a time, before the invention and development of communication technology, the paper and the quill was invented. Yes, paper, it’s that thin piece of processed fiber mainly used for writing, and no… not for shredding. And for its glorious days, the quill witnessed countless masterpieces of the inspired heart. Be they the great personalities of history or some unnamed passerby, these people once wrote beautiful pieces which ought to be an example for most of us today. Are we so plugged in to technology that we have completely forgotten to tap into our souls to convey what we feel? When did “I love you,” became enough to explain everything? That three-letter-word statement has gone through considerable evolution from being overused, examples: luv u, 143, xoxo? Now that we have every means possible to communicate, we say even less, write even lesser. Have we reached that point where our fight for everything to be convenient has surpassed our basic instinct to reach out to those dearest to us?

Before we dive into the world of paperless technology, let us remember that even the littlest effort to show our loved ones how we feel will do no harm. If we love our partner so much, that we will even fly to the moon and back to show them that we do, trust me, writing them a letter won’t be half as bad, and less strenuous. And I mean, a real letter. After I watched Sex and the City movie, I searched for this letter as an example. This is a love letter from Beethoven to his Immortal Beloved.

Now if you notice, the word love is barely used, and yet you can feel in his words that with all his soul, he is in love, if not madly, I don’t know how much. There are different ways of expressing your love without even using cliché’s and “I love you” at every sentence. Let’s go through it, its simple really. It just needs a little creativity and a bit of sensitivity. And with a few practices, you’ll be a pro.

As a start, we’ll try to tackle the basics of letter writing. For the most part, spell check, thesaurus and even grammar, Microsoft Word can help you with that, so don’t worry. Your letter will come in different styles, depending on the mood and how you want to express your feelings. But like any other letter, it has 4 basic parts; these are the Heading, Greeting, Body and Closing.

Heading

For a formal letter, it requires an address and date at the top most part of the letter, this part is the heading. In High school we were taught that the address should be placed top left of the letter and parallel to the right most part of it, the date. This rule with the address applies especially if it has to be mailed. But if you intend to just hand it out or leave it by the pillow, the address is not necessary. With Beethoven’s letter, he has the date.

Greeting

A few spaces below the heading, we have the greeting. Yes it can be as simple as, “Dear _(name)_,” or it can also be romantic as “My Immortal Beloved.” This is the part where it starts to matter what you write. This part is where you would normally use the endearments you use to call only for your partner. Remember, it’s an endearment unique between the two of you. Besides, you don’t normally say “To my one and only” and send it to a dozen people. It’s just like talking to your partner face to face, you call him by his name, or nickname or any silly name you two have made up for each other. The heading is like an opening to what you are about to unravel. Of course, since you plan to give it to your loved one, you don’t want to sound too formal as though it’s a memo from your boss. Nor do you want to make it too casual as though you’re trying to send it to your parents or sibling perhaps. You are sending it to your better half, your best friend, the love of your life and probably the only person in this world who will understand your wacky ideas and loves you for it. At least try to address him/her like so.

Body

According to teacherversion(dot)com, the body is the heart of the letter. This is where you convey your feelings in words. Just like a person’s heart, the heart of the letter is a critical part. It is both powerful and fragile. A person’s heart is fragile enough to be confined inside a bone cage but strong enough to fuel oxygen to every part of the body. And like a letter, words will bear no meaning unless it comes from your heart. There is no need for high falluting words. In fact, in Beethoven’s letter he explains his longing for his loved one in the most trivial of things and creates a depth, a different perception for the ordinary. Consider writing a love letter as one of your most intimate ways of expressing your love. Of all the people in this world, it is something that only the two of you can understand. In some instances, the love letter is a way for other people to say things they can’t openly say to their loved one. The greatest obstacle to some might be… what to write? Write something, anything…everything! Try to reminisce the times when you and your loved one talk just about any silly thing there is under the sun. Why not write about that? Think about how things seem to be different now that he/she is part of your life. Suddenly, everything you do, you feel, you see has a meaning. How things you never notice before, now seem to remind you of your loved one. Do not be afraid to pour your soul out, your sincerity will be rewarded. Just let all your emotion flow through every cell in your body and through your fingers, before you know it, you’ve become a poet!

Closing

Yes it seems, that now you have endless ideas that you still wish to write. But you really don’t have to worry, there is still tomorrow to write another love letter. In the closing, it will tell your reader, in this case, your loved one that you are almost done by saying “Sincerely yours” or “Yours truly” etc or you might try something unique like what Beethoven did.  Normally there is a P.S. after that, which I find rather cute, that’s ok. Now, fold it nicely and seal it with a kiss. That my friend, is your love letter!