Comments on The Missive Maven: 2011: a year in mail

I use a page-a-day (except Saturday/Sunday share a...

2012-02-07T11:18:44.385-05:00

I use a page-a-day (except Saturday/Sunday share a page) diary for recording incoming/outgoing correspondence. Occasionally I forget to do it straight away. If it is for Postcrossing, I write the ID codes (I used to also write the countries they were going to).

Thanks so much! I'm having such fun with my b...

2012-02-04T23:10:22.941-05:00

Thanks so much! I'm having such fun with my blog. Before I started Scribbling Glue, it never occurred to me to look for blogs on letter writing. It's been a delight to discover your blog and the large online community of "slow communication" fans. :)

My pleasure, Brian.

2012-01-28T11:03:32.782-05:00

My pleasure, Brian.

This is such a cool idea! I really appreciate the ...

2012-01-28T10:55:26.641-05:00

This is such a cool idea! I really appreciate the shoutout, too, thank you for the link. :)

Very interesting! My system is as follows: I write...

2012-01-26T10:36:10.896-05:00

Very interesting! My system is as follows: I write each of my outgoing letters in full in a rough draft journal and then re-write it as a "fair copy" for mailing. Incoming mail is hole-punched and filed in a large circa system binder with sections marked off for each correspondent. to each his/her own obsession!

Thanks, Ralph - and oh my yes, I do owe you a lett...

2012-01-17T19:47:12.498-05:00

Thanks, Ralph - and oh my yes, I do owe you a letter!

Fun to read how a serious and well-organized (albe...

2012-01-17T18:46:02.830-05:00

Fun to read how a serious and well-organized (albeit very busy) epistilarian handles her correspondence.

Congrats and good job! Very interesting post!

2012-01-07T21:37:57.275-05:00

Congrats and good job! Very interesting post!

Bar graphs drools and wouldnt mind a peek too

2012-01-06T21:02:10.845-05:00

Bar graphs *drools and wouldnt mind a peek too*

Writing Goddess - Bar graphs? Oooooh! May I see th...

2012-01-06T13:11:52.008-05:00

Writing Goddess - Bar graphs? Oooooh! May I see them? :-)

I am sitting here with a huge smile on my face bec...

2012-01-06T11:52:36.178-05:00

I am sitting here with a huge smile on my face because it is comforting to know that my keeping a log of letters sent and received and creating lovely little bar graphs at the end of the year may be somewhat insane as people kept telling me, but that I am share my insanity with wonderful people like you.

David, sometimes I do refer back to the notebook, ...

2012-01-06T09:25:07.620-05:00

David, sometimes I do refer back to the notebook, mostly to see when I sent or received something, or what stationery or stamps I used (such as when someone writes, "I LOVE the stationery you used on your last letter!" but doesn't give any details what it was, so I check back). No, I don't keep track of what I wrote about. Trying to summarize the letter seems daunting, and I don't think I'd keep that up, as useful as it could be.

I think I would feel a nice sense of achievement i...

2012-01-06T08:21:59.854-05:00

I think I would feel a nice sense of achievement if I had such a pile of notebooks to look back on after a year of letterwriting. My question would be: how often do you refer back to the notebooks? Does it help you to remember that you've already mentioned something to a particular correspondent, or used a particular kind of stationery? (Those are the things I forget.) I tried to keep a mail log this year but gave up, probably because the format was not pleasing. (I didn't allow much space to describe what I had actually written or received.)

I think the eight or nine words are wonderful, but I confess the part about registering letters is the part I least understand. (Maybe because I've only seen it in a computer transcription, never as a printed work.)

In any case, all good wishes for another year full of mail.

I must write really slow. Hehe!

2012-01-06T06:21:28.009-05:00

I must write really slow. Hehe!

So enjoyed this post and getting a behind-the-scen...

2012-01-05T23:17:52.914-05:00

So enjoyed this post and getting a behind-the-scenes tour of how you manage it all. Thanks!

Joseph, I have seen Carroll's "eight or n...

2012-01-05T21:28:06.138-05:00

Joseph, I have seen Carroll's "eight or nine wise words" etc but am perhaps not as familiar with it as I should be.

Emwall, glad I can inspire some good ideas. How do I send so many letters? Hmm... longer explanation than can be made in a comment. I will note that a lot more folks do even better than I do, so I'm hardly the expert.

It's funny you should post this today, just a ...

2012-01-05T16:57:28.266-05:00

It's funny you should post this today, just a few days ago I started keeping a log of my outgoing correspondence, the first of any sort of correspondence log I've attempted. I think I may try a few of your ideas!

I have to ask though...how on earth do you send so many letters? I haven't been following your blog for long, so maybe you've mentioned it elsewhere. I just don't see how, 3 a week is a lot for me! I do tend to write medium-long letters though.

Thank you so much for your blog post! Now I have a...

2012-01-05T16:12:33.272-05:00

Thank you so much for your blog post! Now I have a clear idea on how I want to record my incoming and outgoing mail! :)

Thanks, everyone... you are very sweet. Annie - ...

2012-01-05T09:32:57.192-05:00

Thanks, everyone... you are very sweet.

Annie - good luck with your project! I just linked your blog here.

I love the retro Dymo tape labels! I assume you&#...

2012-01-05T08:15:37.125-05:00

I love the retro Dymo tape labels!

I assume you're familiar with Lewis Carroll's Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter Writing in which he describes his letter register. He also notes that the edging of postage stamps makes a capital sticking-plaster, which I recommend for all your sticking-plaster needs.

I'm amazed by the awesomeness of this post!! W...

2012-01-05T07:48:16.414-05:00

I'm amazed by the awesomeness of this post!! Wow, what a cool organizing lady you are! :) I also keep a mail log, but I don't fill it even not half so beautifully as you do! You inspired me to be more careful while logging. If I could I would steal your logging skills, seriously!

P.S. A little something was mailed towards you today. ;)

Wow! was my reaction too. You are amazing.

2012-01-04T23:04:01.441-05:00

Wow! was my reaction too. You are amazing.

All I can say is WOW !!!!! You rock ! :):)

2012-01-04T22:02:56.312-05:00

All I can say is WOW !!!!! You rock ! :):)

What a lovely post of numbers! Thanks for sharing...

2012-01-04T21:41:22.040-05:00

What a lovely post of numbers! Thanks for sharing your process for recording correspondence. I think I'm going to adopt some of your methods for tracking and classifying mail.

2011 was the year I returned to letter-writng with renewed energy. (Not that it had gone completely by the wayside, but 3-1/2 years of graduate school put a damper on non-academic writing of all sorts.) I also dug out my own correspondence log, which I hadn't been keeping up, and started blogging about letter-writing. It's a project I am thoroughly enjoying. So, yes, 2011 was a good mail year and 2012 looks very promising. :)

Wow thank you for posting all of that and you have...

2012-01-04T21:14:12.857-05:00

Wow thank you for posting all of that and you have now given me something else I will think about starting in the future mail logs :) but this year is going to the year of getting back into ballroom dance so perhaps maillogs will be a 2013 goal for me :)

I had a pretty good year in 2011 I felt, despite not sending any mail at all in Jan due to being sick I sent 830 bits of mail, now I did not do a nice neat split of post cards to letters like you but I think they will be close to even as I like to try to keep them that way.

I do agree and love your proof of Sending a letter to get a letter :)