A month of letters

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One handwritten letter, every day, for a month. That's my plan for February; it's the Month of Letters.

I have always admired a different writing project, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), although I 've never participated.

NaNoWriMo members pledge to write a book during the month of November. They set word-count goals, cheer each other on, and get advice from published authors. It's a spirited group effort to take that novel you've always meant to write and get it off the ground, out of your head and onto the page/screen.

This seems like a great way to combat the isolation of a writer's life while circumventing all-too-easy procrastination.

I'm pretty sure that I don't have a novel in me, but the Month of Letters has an appeal.

A friend pointed me to this blog post by writer/puppeteer Mary Robinette Kowal. The challenge for the Month of Letters is straightforward: Post a letter a day.

I will mail at least one item -- that's actual, physical mail, not email or blog posts -- on every day that the U.S. Postal service delivers mail. That's 24 pieces of mail. (There are four Sundays and one federal holiday in February.)

I may go beyond that commitment. A list of potential recipients quickly numbered 29.

Do you have a box stashed in your closet or attic, full of treasured letters from relatives and friends? I do, but if you're younger than me, than you probably don't. I doubt I've added an item to the box in the last 10 years. I'm looking forward to changing that.

Want to join me? Want to get a letter from me? Leave a comment!