A Walk To Remember

Letters

With the popularity of the Internet and email, many of us have gotten away from writing letters. E-mail is faster, cheaper, and just plain easier. But it does have one drawback: It exists only in the form of a computer file and never takes on physical form unless the recipient specifically decides to print it. Because of this, it is very easy to loose or just hit “delete.”A hand written or typed letter is, by it’s very nature, a physical document. It has substance and takes up space. It is much more likely to actually be read both because of this, and because many people in the professional world have not made the complete transition to email.The propose of this page is to review the process of writing letters and provide some addresses to write to.

The remainder of this document will be composed of two parts:

	Letter format where I will take you through the format of writing a business letter that will be taken seriously.
	Names and addresses to write letters to.

Letter format:

I am going to show you how to write a letter in the business style that will be taken seriously by the recipient. I am choosing to demonstrate the “block style” because it will be the easiest for someone used to email to learn. However, feel free to use the “intended style” if you are already familiar with it. This is the type of letter that you should use if you are writing a letter asking them to put out a special edition. If you are merely writing a “fan letter” then you may feel free to disregard this.A business letter should be typed. Hand written letters look unprofessional and are not taken seriously in the business world. With block style, you should have a 1-inch margin on all sides. Do not use paragraph indentations.                                                                                    January 15, 2003Begin your letter with the date in this format. It should be indented about three inches from the left margin (four inches from the left side of the paper).                                                                                   Your full name
Your Street Address
City, State Zip+4Skip one line and type your return address like shown above. You should use your full name Mr. James Smith (not Joey Smith), and your full street address, including apartment number if applicable. Make sure it is tabbed in to line up with the date, NOT right justified.

Recipient’s Name
Recipient’s Job Title
Recipient’s Company
Recipient’s building, Office, and/or room number (if known)
Recipient’s Business Street Address
Recipient’s City, State ZIP+4

Next skip a line and add the recipient’s address information like shown above. If there is any information that you do not have, skip it (but do not leave a blank line). The more information you have and use, the more professional your letter will look, and the more likely it will get to the recipient. Do not indent this information. It should be aligned with your left margin.        Dear Sir,Next skip a line and begin with the greeting, followed by a semicolon, coma, or colon (whichever you use here, make sure to use it at the salutation below). Since this is a business letter, the greeting should be formal. Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Dear Mr. Shankman. Dear Ms. DeNovi. When addressing a woman, always use the salutation Ms. Do not use Mrs. It implies that the woman is married and you probably do not know for a fact that she is. [Trust me on this, it’s best to assume she’s not married.] Do not use Miss because it implies that you are writing to a person of lesser status than yourself. If you do not know if the recipient is a man or a woman then it is perfectly appropriate to use Sir. Avoid the messy Sir or Madam. It is also acceptable to use To Whom It May Concern, . Do not use the first name: Dear Adam, or Dear Denise. You do not know these people personally and it is inappropriate to address them by first name. Addressing them by first and last name (e.g. Dear Mr. Adam Shankman) is frowned upon but not expressly inappropriate. Since you have already typed the full name above, it is repetitive.Skip a line and begin the body of your letter. Each paragraph should be un-indented and separated by a blank line.

I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed the movie “A Walk To Remember.”  The movie was extremely well written and directed. The cast was well chosen and they all gave wonderful performances. You and the other production crew should be applauded.I especially liked how the movie was adapted to the modern era to make it more relevant to the modern audience. I also enjoyed the fact that you showed Landon and Jamie expressing their love for each other in ways other than sexually.

I especially liked the character of Jamie. She came off as a very believable Christian, which is hard to find in movies and T.V.

I suggest you begin by telling the recipient how much you liked the movie and his or her participation in it. (Yes, I know my example here is lame. I don’t expect or want you to copy it. It’s just to give you the idea of the content you should have. Use your own words and your own examples of what you liked.) This should not be any longer than two or three paragraphs. One paragraph is sufficient.

In the audio commentary on the DVD, you [Mr. Shankman] mentioned that there were 36 deleted scenes in the movie. Unfortunately, none of them were on the DVD. I would like to see them and was wondering if you would consider putting out a Special Edition containing at least some of these deleted scenes. I would also be interested in seeing the longer edit of the movie that was described as too depressing.

The next paragraph should introduce the idea of a Special Edition and tell them why you want one and what you would like to see in it. Ask for a special edition, don’t demand. Demanding will result in your letter being tossed, unfinished and forgotten.

“A Walk To Remember” has many fans and I believe that many of them would also like to see these things. This comes up on websites, forums, and mailing lists dedicated to the movie on a regular basis.

The next paragraph should state that you believe that there is a wide-spread interest in a special edition. Be wary of overstating things. Do not say “everybody wants to see these.” Unless you know it for a fact, don’t say it. You may, however, say something like “I know at least 5 of my friends agree with me on this.” These people know that for every letter they receive represents several hundred or  thousand people who feel the same way but haven’t written. I used the statement above because I can justify it. All you have to do is look at all of the AWTR websites and message boards on the Internet to see that there is a great deal of interest in a Special Edition DVD. We have access to the Web and so do they. In fact, it is entirely possible that they ar reading this right now.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

A person’s time is valuable. If they have gotten this far they have done you a favor by taking the time to read your letter. End your letter by thanking them for their time and consideration. If you want a response, ask for one, but do not be surprised if you d not get one or if you get a from letter. These people often get hundreds of letters a week, and do not have time to write individual responses to each.

                                                                            Sincerely,

Skip two lines and type the salutation lined up with the date and return address above. It should be a formalone that matches the format of the letter. Sincerely and Cordially are appropriate. Love, and Your Friend, are not.

                                                                            Your Full Name

Skip three lines and type your name. Use your full name, but you do not need to use the preposition (i.e. Mr.). Do not add a title below your name unless you are representing an organization or club. Calling yourself  Joe Smith, “A Walk To Remember” fan just restates the obvious and looks extremely amateurish.

For example, It would be appropriate for me to sign this

Sincerely,

Tim Ryberg,
Webmaster,
“A Walk To Remember” Online
http://www.awalktorememberonline.org

But I would not do this unless your site has a relatively short URL or it’s own domain name. Long URL’s are cumbersom and akward. This would also apply to an email list or web forum.

Print the letter and sign your name in the space between the salutation and your typed name.

Type the address information on an envelope, fold your letter in thirds and insert it in the envelope. AN address lable would also be acceptable, but looks less professional. Make sure that you have sufficient postage and mail it.

If you would like a response, make sure to enclose a self addressed stamped envelope.

Some pointers:

	Use formal language. All use of slang (e.g. peeps, ohmygod!, LOL!) is inappropriate, and Ebonics ( 🙂 ) should not be used. They are a web only expression and may not be understood by the recipient. They also do not fit with they style of he letter.
	Use formal sounding words like enjoyed. Do not use the word loved, because it is slang.
	Use of ALL CAPS should be avoided unless you are using an acronym. Use italics or bold to emphasize words or phrases.
	Use complements, but sparingly. You do not want to sound like you are sucking up.
	If you must criticize something, do so briefly and with extreme tact.
	Do not threaten them (e.g. “If you don’t do what I want, I’ll never see one of your movies again”). This is extremely childish and will get you no where. The rest of your letter will end up in the circular file, unread and forgotten.
	Less is more. Be concise and to the point, using examples only when absolutely necessary.
	Avoid Post Scripts (P.S.), if it is really important, say it in the body of the letter.
	The total letter should be no more than a page long. If the letter is less than 2/3 of a page, adjust the top and side margins to make the letter look longer.

Addresses:

Here are some addresses of people you can write to:NOTE: You may not wish to use the title of the movie on the envelope. Some people think that this makes the letter look like a “fan letter” and it may be filed or tossed out unread. If you don’t use the title of the movie then you should also omit the title of the person. The choice is yours.