I have never met someone who doesn’t love getting real mail. The best way for you to get that fuzzy feeling for yourself? Sending it off to someone else first.

Top 5 Tips for writing snail mail:

1.    Handwrite It.
If you are going to type it out, you might as well just email it. There is a certain personability and beauty behind a handwritten letter, whether your writing tends to be more stylish or more like chicken scratch.

2.    Pick Specific People.
Don’t try to write a letter to everybody you know; instead, focus on people who you don’t need to speak with every day but with whom you feel a friendship you would like to maintain. It is also helpful to pick people who you feel will write back so that you do not get discouraged.

3.   Ask Questions & Tell Stories.
Even though you won’t be able to get an immediate reply like you are probably used to, this encourages them to write back and starts a conversation. Also, feel free to tell them about a moment in your life along with the common go to’s, like how you are and big life events. This is where letter writing can allow you to reflect on your day or week and pick out beautiful moments or moments of struggle. I also think that I tend to realize what issues are truly worth sharing and what I just tend to talk about with friends who are nearby in order to complain.

4.   Don’t Rush It.
Pick a time when you can relax and write the letter, maybe over a coffee in your favorite café or curled up in a chair with your cat or when you are normally bored on a train ride home. If you can’t think of what to write, take a break and come back to it an hour or a day later when your thoughts are  more focused and settled.  You can also collect quotes from a book you’re reading, or pretty tokens that cross your path, like a autumn leaf or a tiny charm, to include in the letter as you go. 

5.   Use Pretty Paper.
This doesn’t mean spending a lot of money, but having pretty paper and envelopes always encourages me to continue writing others even when I am not getting responses. It tends to just add to the feeling of beauty for yourself and the receiver. There are a ton of little stationary stores around: here are our top picks. You can also decorate paper yourself if you are feeling extra creative. 

Follow Molly on Twitter @mollyalice99