Читать книгу Collins Letter Writing - Collins Dictionaries - Страница 6

• WHY WRITE?

• THE PEN

• PEN OR MOUSE?

• CHOOSING YOUR MATERIALS

• WRITING TOOLS

WITWOUD: Madam, do you pin up

Your hair with all your letters?

MILLAMANT: Only with those in verse, Mr

Witwoud. I never pin up my hair with prose.

William Congreve, The Way of the World (1700)

Why not telephone? Before you set pen to paper or mouse to mat, ask yourself why you need to write a letter. Think about your reason for writing. Do you want, or need, to make a permanent statement and, if you do, and your letter is put in a box and filed, would you be embarrassed to see that very same letter turn up again in twenty-five years’ time? These are the first questions to ask yourself when you think about whether you should be writing a letter at all.

Generally speaking, we write because the process of putting words to paper is more effective than speech. It demands the sole attention of the recipient while being read and can be more intimate than speech; it is certainly more durable.