Letter Writers Alliance: Postal Queries: What to Write to a Pen Pal

A question I hear all the time is, "What do I write to a pen pal?" My own pen pal, artist, and L.W.A. member, Mary E. recently sent me over a handy list of 50 things you can write to a pen pal about. It is by no means all to write about, but it's a great starting point and reminds me of Mail Tag.

You can send people lists of things like:

States and countries you’ve been to
People you’d invite to a celebrity dinner
Your family members, and something they each like and dislike
What you’d put in a time capsule
Parts of society that you’d like to change
Things you're really good at
Everything you’ve eaten in the past twenty-four hours
Things that you do every day
Your favorite TV shows, movies, bands, or books
The things you’ve dressed up as for past Halloweens
Unusual facts about you
Things that make you happy
Your duties at work
What you’re currently seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and feeling
What you collect
Goals lists for this month or year
Times you’ve performed for other people
Awards you’ve won
Nicknames you’ve had (and how you got them)
Sports you’ve played and/or hobbies you’ve had

Or give them facts about your preferences and ask them about theirs. These are things like:

Your favorite color
Your favorite cuisine
Your favorite beverages
Your favorite season
Your favorite word
Your favorite number
Your favorite holiday
Your favorite quote
Your favorite blog
Your favorite superhero
Your favorite Disney movie
The type of letters/mail you like to receive
The most adventurous thing you ever did
Your preferences: hot vs. cold, cats vs. dogs, ketchup vs. mustard, etc.

And then there's the little things that make you, well, YOU! Such as:

Whether you believe in god, ghosts, aliens, and/or magic
Your main mode of transportation
How tall you are
When your birthday is
The last movie you saw in theaters (and how it was)
How you would describe your fashion style
What shoes you wear the most of
Any fears you have
What you were like in high school
Weird/awkward dates you’ve been on
Something illegal you’ve done
Why you like mail and how you got into it
The silliest thing you did in the past week
What you would wish for right now
Something funny or cute your pet did

I especially like the "somthing illegal you did" entry. That sounds mighty interesting. If you write me, I might tell you about it. Or not. Because I would never do anything illegal that I would put in words on the Internet. Thanks for getting me arrested sharing, Mary!