Tips For PenPalling!

A lot of pen pals prefer a lot more than just a few sentences scribbled on notebook paper in dull pencil. I mean, who wouldn’t? But I know that it can be hard to keep your letters interesting. And, having received (and, okay, yeah…I’m sure that I’ve sent a few boring ones myself) quite a few boring letters, I think that I know some ways to keep things interesting. Of course, don’t just do what I say…come up with your own ways! And if you think up a really good one, email it to me!

First off, if your handwriting is legible, use it. Not only does this add a more personal touch to your letters, but it also shows that it was written by an individual. But, if your penpal has told you that they can’t read your writing, or the only way you can write is on the computer, by all means, use it!
Letters aren’t the only part of penpalling, you know! Sending postcards of local cities or monuments can be a lot of fun-especially if your pal lives in another state or country. Also, pictures of your family, house, and pets are always fun because they give your penpal a deeper insight into your life!
Instead of paper torn out of a notebook, try investing in some cute stationery. You can choose a signature set-one that you’ll use for all your letters-or you can buy a whole bunch and mix it up a bit! I have tons of stationery-stuff that my family buys me for Christmas and my birthdays, stuff that I’ve bought, and stuff that I’ve swapped for. I love stationery! :D . Also, along the same lines, you might want to choose a certain color ink that you use in all your letters, or buy a pack of colored pens (I am in love with those pens by Bic or whatever…Shimmers? I don’t remember the name) and use them all in your letters! They certainly make a letter more fun to read! (NOTE: WHEN ADDRESSING YOUR ENVELOPE, THE LETTER WILL GET TO WHEREVER ITS GOING MUCH FASTER IF YOU WRITE THE “TO” ADDRESS IN BLACK OR BLUE INK, NEATLY. Trust me. I know this because my dad works at the post office. :D)
Newspaper clippings, believe it or not, can be really fun to get! I promise you that, if you just go through the Sunday paper, you’ll find at least three articles that you find interesting. I’ve never gotten any, but it would be soo cool to get a newspaper clipping from one of my penpals’ hometown.
If you and your penpal have become really close friends, you may want to send them a lock of your hair! (I don’t know…some people would like it, others would be grossed out, depending on your pal) If you send one, make sure that its in its own envelope, or it’ll be all over the letter when your pal gets it. :D
Something that I think would be very cool would be an AudioLetter! Record your voice, voices of your friends and family, and, if possible, your pets, and send it to your pal! (Note: A letter on tape would need a padded envelope and a bit more postage, because you don’t want the tape to get crushed or arrive with postage due. Take it down to the post office and they can weigh it for you). If your pal is from another country and is learning English, you may want to send them a transcript (written version of what’s being said on the tape) of the tape, so they’re not left behind or confused.
This one is a common courtesy. Make sure that you put enough stamps on your letter. If the letter is pretty heavy, you’re going to need multiple stamps. I just don’t think that whoever you’re writing to should have to pay to receive your letters.
I love tuck-ins. Whether they’re FBs, stickers, bookmarks, tickets of places you’ve visited, confetti, extra stationery, or stamps (the list goes on forever but I don’t think you wanna read them all, lol), its always fun to open a letter with more than just a letter in the envelope. Or, you could send a list of quotes you like, or something else.
Don’t just answer the questions they asked you and send the letter back, expecting a promtt, long letter in return. If you do this, most penpals won’t know what to write and will probably put off writing to you again. Ask questions, tell them about what’s going on in your life-whatever! Just write. :D
I have a penpal who is a major shopaholic and makeup addict. But I’m not. And she knows this. But every letter she send seems to be a list of the makeup she wears or what she’s bought. I’ve told her that I get bored during those little spiels, but I don’t know if she gets it. Lol. What I’m trying to say is, try to keep things like that short until you have a really good grasp on what your penpal likes. Its pretty depressing to get a letter 7 pages tihck, back and forth, but then realize that the whole thing is a list of…(insert something you hate here).
While just giving a gift for no reason can sometimes make your pal feel like they have to send one to you, its always a nice thing to send a gift for something like birthdays, important holidays that they celebrate, or so on. Or, if you can’t afford that, just spring for a card. Either way, it’s a nice thing to do. Lol. But be careful—if you have more than one pal, keep track of what you sent to whom, and who sent what to you. Otherwise, things could get quite muddled up. Lol.
This is the most important one! If a penpal doesn’t reply right away, don’t flip out and go into total panic mode. Maybe they’ve got a lot going on and don’t have a whole lot of time for letters at the moment. Also, don’t apologize over and over and over in every letter for taking a while to write. The world doesn’t revolve around penpalling, and your pal will understand if you take a little while.
You MIGHT want to keep track of the main points that you talk about in your letters. For instance, one of my pals is forever telling me that same stuff. After a while, I sort of begin to get bored because I know all the stuff she’s told me. I have four different letters with almost the exact same two or three paragraphs. That’s one of the reasons why I prefer writing letters on the computer—you can save a copy to your hard drive or a floppy, and then you know what you’ve already mentioned. But, whatever works for you is fine! (Because…I’m not writing the letter for you…:D)

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