How to Write a Letter: A Guide to Handwritten Letters
Email is fast. A text is faster. But neither of them ends up kept in a drawer for twenty years, pulled out on a rainy afternoon, read and reread until the folds go soft.
A handwritten letter does.
There has been a quiet return to letter writing over the past few years, driven perhaps by the feeling that digital messages, for all their convenience, don't quite carry the weight of something written by hand. A letter takes time. It takes thought. It takes the willingness to sit down with a pen and say something properly. And that is exactly what makes it matter.
If you haven't written a personal letter in a while, or ever, here is how to write a letter step by step: what you need, how to lay it out, how to start and end it, and what to say in between.
Start With the Right Materials
This might seem like a small thing. It isn't.
Writing on good paper changes the experience of writing. There is a reason people who love to write also tend to love stationery: the right paper, with the right pen, makes the whole process feel more considered and more pleasurable. And when the letter arrives, the quality of the materials tells the recipient this was something worth doing properly.
Paper. Choose paper that feels substantial in the hand and takes ink without bleeding through. For a shorter letter, a notecard is perfect, and it fits neatly into its own envelope.
A pen you enjoy. If you write regularly, consider a fountain pen. The experience is genuinely different from a biro, and the lines it makes have a character that is hard to replicate. Our guide to fountain pens for beginners is a good place to start, or browse our pen collection.
An envelope and a stamp. Have both to hand before you begin, so nothing stands between finishing the letter and posting it.
Notecards to write on
How to Lay Out a Handwritten Letter
A personal letter doesn't need strict formatting, but a simple, familiar layout makes it easy to read and feels right in the hand.
- Your address (optional). In the top right-hand corner. For a personal letter to someone who knows where you live, many people leave this out or write just the town.
- The date. Below your address, or at the top right if you have left the address off. Writing the date in full, such as "19th October 2026", feels more personal than numbers.
- The greeting. On the left, a line or two below the date: "Dear Anna," followed by a comma.
- The body. Start on the line below the greeting. Use short paragraphs, leaving a little space between them so the page doesn't feel crowded.
- The sign-off. On its own line after the final paragraph, followed by a comma: "With love,".
- Your signature. Your name, by hand, underneath the sign-off.
- PS (optional). Below your signature, for an afterthought or a small extra line. A PS is often the part people remember.
A formal handwritten letter follows the same order with a few additions: your full address top right, the recipient's name and address on the left above the greeting, and a formal greeting and sign-off (see below).
A short example:
19th October 2026
Dear Anna,
I've been meaning to write since your birthday and kept finding reasons not to, which is its own kind of answer, I suppose. The garden has finally given up for the year and I've been spending my evenings reading by the window instead.
How is the new job? Tell me everything, especially the parts you wouldn't put in a text.
With love,
Kate
PS. I still have the postcard you sent from Lisbon on the fridge.
How to Start a Letter
The first line sets the tone for everything that follows. It tells the person who is writing and why, and signals straight away whether this will be warm, formal, funny or somewhere in between.
The greeting. "Dear [Name]" remains the most natural opening for almost any personal letter. It is neither stiff nor overly casual. For a very close friend, you might use "My dear [Name]" or simply their name. For a formal letter, "Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms [Surname]".
The opening line. This is where many people get stuck. The temptation is to open with something procedural, such as "I'm writing to...", which drains the warmth from the page. Instead, open with something real: a reference to the last time you spoke, something that made you think of them, a small observation about the season or the day.
- "I was thinking about you this morning and decided to actually do something about it."
- "It has been far too long since I wrote, and your letter last month made me realise it."
- "I'm writing this at the kitchen table with a cup of tea going cold beside me."
The best opening lines feel like the start of a conversation, not the beginning of a document.
Think Before You Write
This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that makes the most difference.
Before you put pen to paper, spend a few minutes thinking about what you actually want to say. A letter doesn't need to be planned like an essay, but a loose sense of what you want to cover stops it meandering or trailing off mid-thought.
Ask yourself: what do I want this person to feel when they have finished reading? Reassured? Delighted? Known? The answer will guide everything: the tone, what you choose to share and how you bring it to a close.
Write the Way You Speak
The most common mistake in letter writing is formality for its own sake. People who would never use the word "therefore" in conversation suddenly reach for it the moment they pick up a pen.
Write as you would talk to that person if you were sitting across from them with a cup of tea. Use their name occasionally. Use contractions. Let sentences be short when that is how the thought naturally falls. If you're funny in person, be funny on the page.
Authenticity is what makes a letter worth keeping. A perfectly composed letter that doesn't sound like you is less valuable than a slightly rambling one that does.
What to Write About
If you're staring at the page unsure what to fill it with, here are some prompts:
What have you been doing? Not a complete account, just the edited highlights. The thing that happened last month that made you think of them. The book you just finished.
What are you thinking about? Letters are a good place for slower thoughts, the things that don't fit in a text or that you haven't quite resolved. A letter gives you space to think out loud.
What do you want to know about them? The best letters are a conversation. Ask real questions, not just "how are you". What are they finding hard right now? What's making them happy?
Something you've noticed. A small detail from your daily life. The way the light is at the moment. What the street outside your window looks like. These small observations are often what people remember most warmly.
You don't need to cover all of these. One or two, done properly, is more than enough. For more ideas, see our guide to sending more letters.
How Long Should a Letter Be?
A letter doesn't need to be long. A short letter written with care is almost always more powerful than a long one that loses its thread.
For most personal letters, two sides of A5 paper, about three to four paragraphs, is a comfortable length. It is enough to say something real without asking too much of the reader. A notecard is perfect for a few lines of thanks or news. If you have more to say, write more, but don't pad for its own sake.
The letter is finished when you've said what you wanted to say. That is the right length.
How to End a Letter
The closing deserves as much thought as the opening. Before the sign-off, a final line that looks forward works well: "I can't wait to see you at Christmas" or "Write back when you can, I'd love to hear your news."
Warm sign-offs for personal letters:
- "With much love" - warmer than "lots of love", slightly more considered
- "Warmly" - versatile, works across most relationships
- "With all good wishes" - slightly formal but genuinely warm
- "Affectionately" - old-fashioned in the best possible way
- "Ever yours" - for a very close friend, with a slightly literary feel
- Simply your name, with no sign-off at all - sometimes the most intimate option
Formal sign-offs: in British English, use "Yours sincerely" when you have addressed the person by name ("Dear Mrs Smith"), and "Yours faithfully" when you haven't ("Dear Sir or Madam"). "Kind regards" sits comfortably in between.
Whatever you choose, sign it by hand.
The Envelope
This is the first thing the recipient sees, so it is worth a moment.
Write the address clearly and fully, and include a return address on the back. If you have a wax seal or a beautiful stamp, this is the moment to use them. Our guide to how to address an envelope covers the details, and we keep a small range of postage stamps chosen to sit nicely on a handwritten envelope.
Post It Promptly
The letter you write and don't send is not a letter. Once it is finished, seal it, address it and post it the same day if you can. The longer it sits on your desk, the more likely it is to stay there.
And then wait. There are few things quite as satisfying as knowing a letter you wrote is making its way towards someone who will be glad to receive it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start a handwritten letter?
Write the date at the top right, then "Dear [Name]," on the left. Open with something personal rather than procedural: a reference to the last time you spoke, or what made you think of them.
How do you format a handwritten letter?
Date (and optionally your address) top right, greeting on the left, short paragraphs for the body, then a sign-off and your signature on separate lines. A PS can go at the very end.
How long should a letter be?
For most personal letters, two sides of A5, or three to four paragraphs, is plenty. A few lines on a notecard is perfect for thanks or quick news.
How do you end a personal letter?
Finish with a forward-looking line, then a warm sign-off such as "With love", "Warmly" or "Ever yours", and sign your name by hand.
Should I write "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully"?
Use "Yours sincerely" when you have addressed the person by name, and "Yours faithfully" when you have used "Dear Sir or Madam".
The Most Important Thing
Don't wait for the perfect words. A letter isn't judged on its prose. It is valued because someone sat down, thought about the person reading it, and wrote to them by hand. Write honestly, keep it to what you want to say, and post it the same day.
Ready to write? Browse our notecards, correspondence collection and pens, designed and chosen in our North London studio for exactly this.