You’ll likely have seen the news pan in on one of our country’s ex-Cabinet minister’s resignation letter, and it bears scrutiny as, unlike the protocol of these offices - where a careful word-processed and printed text is submitted (I’m guessing as an attachment, so entirely digital. Unless the people who archive this stuff print everything out as well? Mind boggling if so) - the individual here hand wrote it. I guess that also means it only existed on a piece of paper and the recipients needed to scan and share it?
Receiving anything actually written by hand is pretty unusual I think?
The only time I can think it happens is maybe on birthdays cards, CounterPoint always write a ‘thank you’ when I buy a book, which always brings a smile to my heart, but that’s not really more than an ‘love you! Smiley face!’ I can’t even pin down when I might have had an actual letter - or even written one. Shopping lists or a message to ‘leave the parcel in the porch please!’ are about as far as it goes.
There’s something deeply impressive about committing thoughts to paper with a pen though.
It’s a pretty honest means of expressing your thoughts; not much room for careful editing after the event, short of starting again. You’ll need a pretty good idea of exactly what you wanted to say (unless you’re a rambler like me, hoping the reader will forgive and forgo to where you actually find out what the point of my missive was.)
So here’s a thought. In praise of handwriting, why not try and compose your next idea, presentation, whichever, on paper with a pen - without making any changes as you go.
Yes, you’ll need to think really hard in advance of what you want to write (say.) Or maybe you won’t, and all the energy and emotion that devices suck out (with grammar hints, AI engine suggestions and other ‘helpful’ programmatic prompts) will come out with a flourish of the sharpie.
The header image, by the by, is my terrible scrawl that lead to the idea of this piece. Hopefully you’ll not be able to read it.
