Writing a Letter
Here’s a practice that’s practically obsolete: letter-writing. That’s okay – pretend you’re living during the last century when letter-writing was pretty commonplace.
Here’s the basic block structure for a letter:
Address
Date
Dear Friend,
Body of text.
Sincerely,
Your name
Now write a letter to a fictional friend:
You’ve just arrived in a faraway place that you’ve never been to before – and very few others have either. You attempt to describe the voyage and this new country in your letter. Think of what would amaze you most in new surroundings. Use all five senses as you relate your experiences – not just the blue sky or green forests, but what about the sound of a strange song or the taste of wild anteater (?) or the smell of sulphur from the erupting volcanoes? Use lots of adjectives and adverbs, even if they sound excessive (although never use qualifiers like ‘very’ or ‘quite’ or ‘rather.’) Exaggerate.
Limit your letter to three paragraphs – the first paragraph describes the voyage and the arrival. The second paragraph describes the place itself – make sure you create some sort of mood around it. Terrifying? Bleak? Tropical? Urban? Make it vivid.
Your third paragraph should end with a question or statement of regret, longing, envy, apology. In some fashion you want to connect with the friend who is receiving your letter.
Remember – you’re making this up. You can exaggerate as much you can. That will make the next letter-writing exercise we do much easier.