The era of writing letters has been abolished due to the advancement of technology. Nonetheless, when we receive a lengthy personal letter written with care our heart fills with joy.
After completing your exam, if you want to sit with a pen and paper it is very important to learn how to draft a personal letter in proper format. There is no doubt that you will find it more difficult than drafting an email. You might be thinking about how to begin and what to compose in a personal letter. There is nothing to worry about. My Assignment Writing Help is here to provide you with a detailed guide about how to write a personal letter in the proper format and everything you need to learn about personal letters.
It is going to be a lengthy article. So, have patience and go through this article very carefully.
What Do You Mean By A Personal Letter?
We all know that anything personal can not be formal. This applies to personal letters also. Generally, a person delivers a personal letter to another one writing about some personal incidents. This is not like an envelope of invitations. One writes the words of his heart in a personal letter. Generally, personal letters are written by hand.
A Short History Of Personal Letters
Do you know when the personal letter for the first time? After learning this you will surely be surprised. The first personal letter was drafted in 500 BC. From then on, educated people tend to write personal letters greatly. After receiving a personal letter from near and dear ones, people became very happy for hundreds of years because there was no mobile or telephone at that time. Personal letters were the ones that sustained long-distance relationships.
Letters were the only means of communication even less than 40 years ago. Through a letter, people can learn everything about their near and dear ones. But the latest technology has swallowed everything and with time people forgot to write personal letters regularly. And now it has vanished completely. Letter writing is indeed considered a lost art but yet it has great value to people. Letters are an integral part of literature. You may pay a visit to various museums in multiple cities to see the letters that created history.
As per the survey, it has been found that 60% of people do not like to sit and draft a letter and about 69% of people feel very happy after receiving a letter.
What Are The Different Kinds Of Personal Letters?
A personal letter is written from the heart. It is said that a portion of the heart is kept in a personal letter. Through a personal letter, a heart calls people in various ways. The different kinds of personal letters are given below:
- Love Letters
With time love may fade but love letters can’t. There is nothing more unique than a letter displaying a person whom you love and care for. Love letters are still now written. Nowadays love letters are even written on social media. A love letter is not only written to showcase your love and care for your beloved but also you may write love letters to anyone who cares about you like your grandparents, parents, sisters, brothers, etc.
- Letter To Pen Friends
Before the advent of social media, people used to write letters to their pen friends. Letters were the only means of communication to get connected with their long-distance pals. Still, in this digitized era, the tendency of writing letters has not been completely abolished. You have to keep in mind that with whom you communicate daily they may expect to receive a letter from you.
- Goodbye Letters
After the end of a session when your friends are going to study abroad, you may send goodbye letters to your pals. You may also write goodbye letters to those who dwell far from you and are moving to live in a different place. This is the best way of bidding goodbye, particularly for those who are going to begin a new journey in their life.
- Letters To Celebrities
We can deliver a letter to the person whom we admire and consider him or her an idol. This kind of letter is known as a fan letter and it is generally drafted for celebrities like writers, actors, artists, musicians, and so on. In a fan letter, one writes his thoughts about their optimism and performances. You have to write such letters with soft words. You should avoid writing any brutal truths or rude words.
- Thank You Letters
Thank you letters are sent when we want to appreciate the behavior of someone. It is a kind of informal letter that is drafted to appreciate someone formally. You may write a thank you letter to the person who invites you to his housewarming, Christmas party, or birthday party. When a person invites you that means you are important to them and hence it is very important to send them thank you letters.
- Condolence Letters
Condolence letters are sent for showing your empathy or sympathy to someone in a decent way. People generally write condolence letters when a death occurs suddenly in a family. By sending a condolence letter you may make the person feel strong when he is in utter grief.
- Celebration Letters
Celebration letters are sent for various reasons. Generally, celebration letters are sent to wish a person better times or best of luck. With a celebration letter, you may boost a person and make him feel optimistic.
- Get Well Soon Letters
A get well soon letter may work more effectively than medicine when a person is suffering from some illness at home and in the hospital. It is very effective to bring positive vibes into the mind of the ill person and they heal quickly after getting your letter.
How To Structure A Personal Letter?
People used to write letters when they were not so busy and had time for their near and dear ones. But if you compare the new communication systems like emails, text messages, and tweets with letters you will find that letters are more effective and aesthetic means of getting connected with friends and family members. But you have to keep in mind that it is not at all easy to write letters. It is completely different from sending texts. That is why it is very important to learn the structure of an informal letter before drafting a personal letter.
The general format for writing personal letters is as follows:
There are three fundamental parts to every letter:
- Introduction or opening of the letter
- Body of the letter
- Closing or conclusion of the letter
But it is very important to consider many more things besides these to craft a personal letter in a proper format.
- Details Of The Sender I.E. Name And Address
At the top right corner of a personal letter, you have to properly write your name and address in full. You need to remember to add the zip code. Moreover, you need to include the date on which you are drafting the letter so that the recipient may easily understand the location of the writer and send a quick reply.
- Name And Address Of The Recipient
You need to mention the name and address of the recipient in full so that the letter is delivered to the proper address without any problem. You need to write this part at the top left corner of the letter.
- Salutation
In the body part, the message you want to send is written. Before writing the body part you need to address the recipient with the word Dear and then you need to write the name of the receiver.
- The Opening Paragraph
To grab the attention of the recipient you need to add an opening paragraph in a personal letter. You need to start the letter with the opening sentence.
- Body
In the body, you have to write the message you want to send. To write this type of letter you do not need to worry about the word limit. You may describe your feelings and emotions as much as you want in a personal letter.
- The Concluding Paragraph
In this part, you need to tell the receiver that the letter is about to end. You just have to write a brief of your entire message in this part and end the letter. You need to keep this portion action-oriented so that the readers may wish to send you an immediate reply.
- The Signing Off Note
In this part, you need to thank the receiver for paying their valuable attention and time and complete the letter officially after wishing them the best of luck.
- First Or Full Name Of The Sender
You need to end your letter by adding your name.
What Are The Dos And Don’ts Of A Personal Letter?
To start a healthy conversation there is no better option than personal letters. But you need to maintain the value of your letter very seriously. So, you have to learn what you should do and what should not so that people do not misunderstand you or misinterpret your words. Have a quick glimpse at the do’s and don’ts of a personal letter.
Do’s
- Ask About The Receiver’s Life
While drafting a personal letter you need to speak about yourself as well as the receiver like ” I have come to know that you have got a promotion. So, how are you doing now?” This will make the receiver understand that you are eager to learn about him.
- Be Concise
You do not need to follow any word limit in a personal letter. But you must follow proper decorum and concisely include your thoughts.
- Be Friendly
As soon as someone gets your letter he thinks of something good. You are not aware of the situation of the receiver. So, you need to write your letter softly.
- Be, Positive
With your positivity, you may induce or encourage people in the proper direction. So, you should add your positive ideas in your letter and always wish the best of luck to the receiver.
Don’ts
- Don’t Gossip
It is very bad to judge the life of someone and write those things in a letter. You must control your intuition and display it in a perfect place.
- Don’t Be A Tell-All
A letter is sent to communicate with others. So, you may tell what your mind wants to say to someone in a letter. But you should not add some private things in your later that may be the cause of your embarrassment in the future.
- Don’t Show Your Anger
If you talk with someone bitterly, it will fade with time. But if you write bitter words in a letter it will not be blurred. They will stay forever and may create permanent damage between you and the receiver. So, it will be best for you not to display your anger in your letter.
- Don’t Be Negative!
You are not allowed to write a negative letter to someone. After receiving a letter full of negative thoughts and tragedies no one will become happy.
How Will You Reply To A Personal Letter?
It is an art to write a letter and you may become a pro in it if you want. When someone writes a personal letter to you, it implies that they want to have an early reply from you. So, you have to learn how to reply to a personal letter. You need to follow the tips given below to draft a good reply to a personal letter sent to you:
- While you are writing a reply to a letter you have to write the first name of the receiver with a friendly address. You may only write the name of the receiver without any addressing because these kinds of letters are informal communication methods. Everything depends on how much you know the receiver or how close you are to the receiver.
- How you will begin to write the letter mainly depends on the recipient. You have to start the letter as per your purposes. In the initial paragraph, you may add general introductory lines or showcase your personality a little bit.
- Then you have to write a reply based on the topic of the letter. Do not tell a lie in your letter. If you are in a problem you may write about that but everything has to be written positively. You must write about the positive things in your life.
- You should not write only about yourself in a letter. This is bad manners. You may add some queries for the receiver too. You may ask how their lives are going so that they feel the urge to send you a reply in respect of your letter.
- At last, you need to complete the letter by wishing the recipient good luck.
Some Instances Of Condolence Letter
If you want to write a compelling and heartfelt personal letter you must go through the literary collections of personal letters drafted by various greatest and world-famous personalities. Some examples of such letters are given below:
- Letters to a young poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Letters to Felice by Franz Kafka
- The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh by Vincent Van Gogh
- Letter from the Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
- Jane Austen’s Letters written by Jane Austen
- The Letters of Vita Sackville- West and Virginia Woolf by Louise DeSalvo
- Letters of John Keats by John Keats
- Letters Home by Sylvia Plath
Faqs
- What Is The Perfect Format For A Personal Letter?
Generally, a personal letter is written in a simple format. You have to add the following things in a personal letter:
- The name and address of the sender are in full.
- The name and address of the receiver are in full.
- An addressing note
- An introductory paragraph
- A body paragraph
- A conclusion paragraph
- A signing-off note
- The name of the sender in full
- What Are The 5 Parts Of A Personal Letter?
There are some fundamental parts in every personal letter. They are:
- The heading
- The opening
- The body
- The closing
- The sign-off note
You need to add content based on these parts. The more you will practice the better you will learn to draft outstanding personal letters.
- How Will I Begin To Write A Personal Letter?
There are no particular rules for writing a personal letter. So, you may begin your letter with just a greeting and then you may come to the main point. Through a personal letter, one generally sends his feelings and emotions. You may get an opportunity to tell stories here. So, you may write a personal letter in a friendly way.
- What Is The Difference Between A Personal Letter And An Official Letter?
The primary difference between a personal letter and an official letter is that personal letters are informal and official letters are formal. This implies that one may address someone personally in a personal letter and there is no particular format for it. But while you are writing an official letter you have to maintain a proper decorum.
- How Much Length May A Personal Letter Have?
For writing personal letters you do not need to follow any hard and fast rules. You may write as much as you desire but it will be better for you to concise your thinking and use an A4 size page to draft your letter.
- How Will I End A Personal Letter?
It is very easy to end a personal letter. You may write a summary of what you have written in the entire letter at the end. You may wish good fortune and health to the recipient and after that, you may write the signing-off paragraph.
- What Is The Objective Of A Personal Letter?
Personal letters are generally written to make others know about some incidents, share some feelings, or get connected. You just have to keep in mind that a personal letter must be easily readable and understandable.
- What Are The Different Kinds Of Personal Letters?
There are generally eight kinds of personal letters:
- Get well soon letters
- Thank you letters
- Love letters
- Condolence letters
- Fan letters
- Celebration letters
- Goodbye letters
- Letters to pen-friends
- Can a cover letter be considered as a personal letter?
No, cover letters can not be considered personal letters because cover letters are written based on your work while personal letters are written about yourself. Personal letters can be sent to the finds and family members while cover letters can be sent to the employers.
- When will you write a personal letter?
You may write a personal letter when you want to make others know about your matters or want to know about the life of the receiver. It is a casual letter.
