The Student Room Group

The power of letter-writing

I just wanted to share with other members how beneficial I've found it to get things down on paper. My bf has a really evil landlady who's behaved in a really malicious and unjust way towards us, culminating in a ban on me visiting him at that house, when we'd complied with all her rules; she gave no rational reason. This has really upset me and it even made me have horrid dreams about the whole situation, though luckily my bf is due to move out of there at the end of next week. He will be leaving her the letter I've just written... a measured, restrained letter calmly explaining why her behaviour towards us has been wrong, etc.

I've found the whole experience very empowering. It's hard to explain quite why without going into more detail about the actual situation, but the actual process of writing the letter has made me feel so much better! When I started writing it, I was actually physically trembling and cold. But as I got towards the end, I calmed down and felt so calm and ok about the whole thing, it was/is just amazing!

So I'm posting to advocate the beneficial effects of getting things down on paper, out of your system... even if she chooses to ignore the letter, I feel so much better for having done it! :biggrin:
Reply 1
Yeah, that's why I used to keep diaries. :biggrin:
Hm... I'd rather be able to use my power of writing to write like Shakespeare... [EDIT: incidentally, this wasn't *supposed* to sound as if I can actually write like Shakespeare... :confused: came out a leetle wrong. I wish I could though :p: ) I don't like writing "letters of complaint"; when I read them through afterwards they sound pompous and pretentious. Oh how I do love my writing style :wink:

On a somewhat unrelated note, Shakespeare was a total plagerist... taking stories but re-writing them in his own magical way. Gives me hope - I love to write but originality is hard to come by...
Reply 3
lessthanthree
I agree that writing's definitely therapeutic.

[isn't that funny, I go cold and shaky when I'm sorting stuff out like that]

I have a fear of confrontation (unlike the landlady who delights in being aggressive and obnoxious to people), so letter-writing is my salvation! Luckily my bf and I have the intellectual and moral high-ground in this case. I couldn't have let him leave without having said something, I'd have regretted it for the rest of my life!
I like writing letters. Unfortunately I haven't really been able to keep up with it as I have very little time in term time nd often when I write I don't get reponses. I don't keep a diary because I think it would be boring but I write essay to sort things out in my head.

MB
Reply 5
I know what you mean about the letter writing thing. I got really angry about an incident at school once and wrote an anonymous letter to the local newspaper, which was published and I got my point over to the people involved which did give me a feeling of empowerment. Plus the people involved didn't know it was me who had written the letter, so I avoided any confrontation with them!!
Reply 6
i write it helps me to calm down if i cant go somewhere and right i get angry and yell and start crying and people think im weird.
Reply 7
I have a blog for my feelings and thoughts. I love it since I am sitting at the computer most of the day. I also do some ranting on the Portitude website and b!itch at the guys there. :biggrin:
Letter writing is really useful... you can't beat a good complaint letter to a bank :smile:
Language and letter writing are some of the most powerful things in my life.
When I was unjustly treated by a rather unintelligent p.e teacher at my school who just so happened to be my form teacher too, I wrote him a long calm letter when I really really would have like to slap him, and Im not generally a violent person ( I shant bore you with the details, but he would have deserved it, and could have been sacked) well, he corrected his mistake, although there was no appology, and Ive done the same often since if I feel I might take more foolish action otherwise.
I also enjoy writing an online journal every day, and at greater legnth in a diary, and have done since I was 7. I havent got the world greatest memory, so I enjoy having something to look back on.
I believe that language is one of the most powerful and theraputic tools at our disposal, particually written language, and I believe writing letters to be one of the most superiror forms of communcation.I write letters weekly to a boy I like in London, and I enjoy it.
Ive never really had trouble writing thousands of words at a time, and can write emails of epic proportions when theres a lot to say to a person. Written Language is my vent, my way of cooling off, easing pain, sharing happiness and preserving some of it for some future time. When I read back through my journals I expect my words to be able to recall to me a shadow of how I felt at the time, or they are not effective enough.
good thread :smile: i like it muchly.
Reply 10
queenselphie
Language and letter writing are some of the most powerful things in my life.
When I was unjustly treated by a rather unintelligent p.e teacher at my school who just so happened to be my form teacher too, I wrote him a long calm letter when I really really would have like to slap him, and Im not generally a violent person ( I shant bore you with the details, but he would have deserved it, and could have been sacked) well, he corrected his mistake, although there was no appology, and Ive done the same often since if I feel I might take more foolish action otherwise.
I also enjoy writing an online journal every day, and at greater legnth in a diary, and have done since I was 7. I havent got the world greatest memory, so I enjoy having something to look back on.
I believe that language is one of the most powerful and theraputic tools at our disposal, particually written language, and I believe writing letters to be one of the most superiror forms of communcation.I write letters weekly to a boy I like in London, and I enjoy it.
Ive never really had trouble writing thousands of words at a time, and can write emails of epic proportions when theres a lot to say to a person. Written Language is my vent, my way of cooling off, easing pain, sharing happiness and preserving some of it for some future time. When I read back through my journals I expect my words to be able to recall to me a shadow of how I felt at the time, or they are not effective enough.
good thread :smile: i like it muchly.


Thanks :smile:

I have an online diary too, and used to have a handwritten one. It can be very relaxing, though nothing could compare with the satisfaction of having written this letter! :smile:
Reply 11
It's so much nicer than email too - when my friend moved away I thought we'd completely grow apart even though I really didn't want to.

Anyway, we write to each other about once a fortnight, it's lovely to be able to sit down and compose something that I know'll make her laugh and it's even better when one comes through the door just as I'm leaving for college on a monday morning :p:

It just seems much more personal, you sort of give quality time to each other because you have to write in a sustained way. And her little doodles always make me smile :rolleyes:

To conclude: write letters, it's therapy in an envelope!
Reply 12
skevvybritt
It's so much nicer than email too - when my friend moved away I thought we'd completely grow apart even though I really didn't want to.

Anyway, we write to each other about once a fortnight, it's lovely to be able to sit down and compose something that I know'll make her laugh and it's even better when one comes through the door just as I'm leaving for college on a monday morning :p:

It just seems much more personal, you sort of give quality time to each other because you have to write in a sustained way. And her little doodles always make me smile :rolleyes:

To conclude: write letters, it's therapy in an envelope!

I know what you mean, I love getting stuff in the post! It's much more fun writing letters than emails, I think. Although more time consuming, it has to be said!
Reply 13
I think it is something about putting some of you into what you write, whereas on the computer there arent the personal traits like the handwriting. Im certainly going to try and get a quarterly (or something) letter out to each of my close friends (that arent at my Uni) to keep in touch personally while away from home... Though its probably an ideal that wont last long:frown: