Personal letters should be less formal but still thoughtful. The greeting and salutation can vary depending on the audience. The first paragraph can be indented and paragraphs should be five to seven sentences long. The closing can be informal and typed or handwritten. Check for errors and consider the audience when choosing font and ink color. Guidelines are flexible between close friends and family.
Writing a personal letter is very different from composing a business or professional letter. It can be less formal in style, but should still contain thoughtful content and reflect your knowledge of the person you are addressing. Depending on who you are writing to, the informality of style and address can vary.
A personal letter greeting can feel like a business letter. It can list the name and address of the person you are writing to before writing “Dear Aunt Jane” or “Hi Fred”. This rule is especially flexible when writing a personal letter to very close relatives or good friends. For those with whom you are briefly acquainted, consider the more formal inclusion of the address before the greeting.
Even the actual salutation of the personal letter can be quite informal, depending on the audience. A good friend can be called “Hey buddy!” or “Hi Annie!” The more formal personal letter should start with the traditional “Dear Uncle Rufus” followed by a comma. You can use the exclamation point in place of the comma for an enthusiastic and informal personal letter.
After the greeting, the first paragraph begins. It’s okay to just indent this paragraph. You don’t need to align directly under the ending of “Dear” as you need in a business letter. Keep paragraphs five to seven sentences long.
Closing the letter does not require the formal “Sincerely” of the business letter. A personal letter can be closed with “Thank you”, “Best regards”, “Love” or “Keep calm!” This should be followed by your signature. The closing should still be capitalized.
There is some debate as to whether the personal letter should be typed or handwritten. It is preferable to write by hand, and this should be done in blue or black ink. If the print or italics are too cluttered, typing is acceptable. At the end of the greeting, space three or four times and type the name. Leave enough space for a signature in black or blue ink. Any type of PostScript (PS) should also be initialed in ink.
Since most people who type now do so on a computer, there are numerous fonts to choose from. Choose a simple font and consider using a larger font for family members who may have a slight reduction in vision due to age or other medical conditions. Consider a 14 or 16 point font, instead of a 12 point font.
As with any written material, be sure to check the personal letter for spelling errors or grammatical errors. Use liquid paper to correct a mistake or use the spelling and grammar checker on your computer. This will help eliminate obvious errors or typos that detract from the quality of your personal letter.
These tips above are guidelines only. For example, two young best friends might match in purple ink. However, if a son or daughter plans to write a note to a relative, she considers having him write it in the darkest black or blue ink. Between close friends, however, anything goes as long as it doesn’t offend either party.
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