About Dear Me

Dear Reader: There is no one right way to write a letter to yourself. An example of my own follows, but if I wrote to myself every morning, each letter would be different. Each would reflect changes in my inner landscape.

What would happen if you wrote to yourself every day?

Dear Me,

I want to learn more about myself. Sometimes I’m adventurous, but mostly I think about what else I’d rather be doing.

This is what I thought about just three minutes ago: daffodils, how I need to renew the parking permit for my car, whether I would get a ticket, the wind blowing the hair in my face, how much I like the sun being out and the clouds dancing around.

Fondly,
Martha

Letters, Public and Private

Most people need to get to know themselves better. Writing a letter can take you below your surface “I,” uncovering surprising details you might not notice or allow yourself to write in other formats.

Writing a letter can take you below your surface “I.”

Letter writers talk about deep feelings or divulge secrets. Fictional writers like Lady Whistledown of the Bridgerton series slyly report on what they observe, often in a distinctive first-person voice.^[1] In nonfiction, the open letter form can be used for opinion pieces or public commentaries.

Here, you’ll address the letter to yourself rather than another reader or the public at large. This is a private warmup to help spark your first-person voice – and to get you thinking about how and why you want to express yourself.

In this lesson, write to your present self. The format of a letter asks you to address someone – in this case, you – and to close with a signature indicating how close you feel to that person. Writing in a diary can sometimes work this way, but formally addressing it to “Dear Me” also gets you to observe yourself in the present moment, employing the key tool of self-awareness.^[2]

Q. How do I get started? I’ve never kept a diary before.

In case you’re wondering, starting any writing project is hard. You’re not crazy to feel that way.

Sometimes you just have to…start.

But that’s why the “Dear Me” letter is meant to be a quick warmup, not an agonizing formal assignment. And like a diary or journal entry, you don’t have to share it with anyone else.

“Dear Me” takes you through the process one step at a time – dreaming, writing, envisioning, reflecting. You start with a walk, followed by a notebook prompt. Other activities help you develop your letter. Just be sure to do them in sequence.

Q. Do I have to write a letter? Isn’t that like a moldy Jane Austen novel?

Short answer: Yes, write a letter to yourself for this starting lesson. If you don’t like it, no problem. You don’t have to do it again. But it’s also helpful to try different writing techniques. It’s a way to loosen up your first-person voice.

You might even discover new things about yourself. Such discoveries are often a terrific emotional springboard for personal stories.

Letters are one of the oldest forms of a first-person voice communicating with a reader.

Besides, letters are one of the oldest forms of a first-person voice communicating with a reader. There’s a long history of epistolary poetry (poems in the form of a letter) in Arabic and other literary traditions.^[3] In the digital age, letter-writing may seem very old-fashioned – too wordy, overly polite. And yet, if you’ve read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, you know letters can play a big part in artful works of fiction or nonfiction.

Observing yourself is a process, too, one that gives personal storytelling more impact. Too serious? Well, make your “Dear Me” letter lighthearted. Be as goofy or messy as you want — and don’t let anyone tell you “the right way to do it.”