When writing to our men and women in military do you type your letters or are they handwritten?

I was once told that a typewritten letter was too impersonal lacking in feeling and warmth.  What do you think?

I am a senior person and typing seems to work for me better than long hand.  Seems like my brain moves faster

than my handwriting.  I do want to do whats best for the Soldiers feelings.  I guess I could type it first and then do

it in long hand.  I know this might sound like a stupid post but I am really serious about this issue.

Graywolf

gray, i used to think handwritten was more personal too. Then once when i was sending a lot of packages, i had to type or they wouldn't get out. What i found was that when i typed em (which i always do now), i was actually MUCH MORE personal and went on quite a bit more because for me typing takes a lot less effort. So you see, type or write, wherever you get it on the paper best for you is the best : )

Shelly

I would have to say that it is more important that you write, than whether it is handwritten or typed.  I know in the past there has been another thread discussing this (from back at the forums beginnings) and as I recall, the majority of us felt it was the message, not the medium, that was important.

Happy typing!

I too definitely write more (and better quality) when I type, no doubt about it.  When I send an initial package it's always with a typed letter, because there's the introducing myself, anything in the package that might need an explanation...  I need the opportunity to edit my mistakes and insert the things I really want to include but inevitably forget.  I find that I will send little cards in between letters and packages, either holiday themed or just "thinking of you" cards, and I hand-write in those-usually enough to fill up the whole inside and the back.  So every contact definitely gets something handwritten, probably once a month or so, but I definitly type longer letters all the time.  I'm sure they prefer the typing, my hand writing is atrocious.  I've never gotten a single complaint about typed letters, and my one favorite contact confessed in her first letter that if she had a printer she would be typing back :) 

Typing and printing takes time and effort too-maybe even more, with the going back and editing process... don't sell yourself short!  It's definitely the words you share and the fact that you share them, that's way more important than whether you share them with HP ink or ballpoint ink.

I've wondered about this too, I've seen a couple of comments about it before.  My handwriting is terrible, so I type everything except for short notes in boxes and on cards, etc.     Sometimes I even type the Custom Forms, it's way faster and shows through really well on all the copies.      

I hope they enjoy getting mail, however it's written.   I use an italic font so it looks a little warmer somehow, to me anyway.

Anita

Hey Gray!  I had the same dilemna at first!  I started writing and ended up throwing away the first 5 copies.  I asked one of my contacts, and low and behold, they prefered typing emails instead of writing!  Most of those we are writing to are of the computer/text message generation!  It is more familiar to them than handwritten letters.  Afterall, they haven't handwritten anything since before middle school when they got their cell phones!!!

I usually type everything as my handwriting is awful. I sent my first (typewritten) letter today. I know if they saw my handwriting they would be thankful that I typed it!

Kim

I too always type my letters.  You can write a lot more that way and won't get writer's cramp LOL.  I always hand write a little note at the end of the letter, Thanking them for their service etc. with my signature.

Type away!

Letters are the most requested item, I think, for all of the contacts. So however you choose to do it, it will be welcomed.

There is a lot of great information already posted on this topic at these 2 links:

http://forum.anysoldier.com/forums/thread/2773.aspx

http://forum.anysoldier.com/forums/thread/3674.aspx

Happy letter writing!

I've started handwriting mine, but that's because I am trying to maintain good penmanship for my students. I can get away with lousy handwriting in college, but I don't want to cause any of my middle-schoolers eye strain someday down the road! :)

I do have a couple of questions though - I kind of feel like I need my hand held, but that's beside the point. :) If there is another thread, or something that someone can point me to, that would be great, otherwise, just some general pointers would be welcomed openly!

How does one go about choosing soldiers to write to - if writing letters is your main goal (aka within my means right now)? I've seen a couple of contacts requesting letters, representing a fairly large group (75+). Do you send one letter to the group, or with so many, send a few? Or, do you choose several contacts and send one letter? Or is it best to go for the smaller groups that request letters?

Here's the reason I ask: This probably sounds kind of Pollyanna-ish, and that's ok. I guess providing a quote is the best way I can express it: "We reach across the gap and sometimes, against all odds, against all logic, we touch."

This idea matters a lot to me - because I have the ability to reach across a very large gap and touch someone who really might need it. So I want to go about this in the best way possible - I've said before I don't need to establish a pen pal, although that would be cool too, but sometimes, ordinary miracles and things that make my day come from people I don't know and won't ever hear from/see again and if I can help even one person in return, that's what I want to do. But I want to go about finding that one person in the best way possible! I know some of it is left to serendipity, but I want to be smart about what I can control!

So, if someone could give some letter-writing tips, I would really appreciate it! I know there's no "right" way, but I have a feeling someone has a method or found a way that seems to work out.

Thanks to all and a happy new year!

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer! You can search for "letters" or "pen pals" (try penpals too because it's specific to how you type it in the search box). Send one, send many. There's no wrong way I promise and caring enough to do it and obviously wanting to be helpful to the guys, that will come out in your letters and have the intended effect. There is another thread going on about "what do you say" where a bunch of supporters have posted about what they write about and you'll see there too that it's a little of everything. Happy writing! Shelly