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WHY HANDWRITTEN NOTES ARE THE BEST

About a week ago a friend and I chose a date to have lunch together via a text. To show that I had taken note (sometimes I can be just a tad bit chaotic) I sent a picture of the appointment written in my calendar. Immediately he texted a shot of his agenda. “How old fashioned are we! We both write with a fountain pen.” Within a second, I received a text back: “CRAFTSMEN”. And so we have it, a few points worthy of writing home about.

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1. It looks beautiful

Practice your handwriting and find yourself a pen that feels good and helps your writing style to shine through. I swear by my Montblanc fountain pen as it makes the letters look even more beautiful. Pay attention to your words and it will look like a work of art. No special e-mail font can beat that.

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2. It has a keepsake factor

In my Marie Claire days I always sent everyone who had participated in an edition a handwritten card to say thank you for the styling or the photography or the open hearted interview. It was a peaceful moment I’d take to have a good look at the magazine and to reflect on all the good work being delivered. And I was told by everyone that the card then sat on their mantelpiece, proud of what they had accomplished. No one will be printing out an e-mail of thanks and putting it on the mantelpiece, you can count on that.

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3. Writing forces you to concentrate

You can’t do anything else while you are writing (or do you seem to manage to write and call and check your Facebook page all at the same time? I don’t think so!). While writing you experience a moment of rest. A mini-meditation. If you’re writing an email and something pops into your mailbox the attentions lost. You begin to ogle all the open tabs on Google Chrome and before you know it you’ve typed in the wrong words that belong to the things that just stole your attention.

4. Writing makes you more creative

While writing the visual and cognitive parts of your brains are activated. This is also why if you really want to remember something it is always better to write it down. Because hand writing is done at a pace slower than typing it gives your head a chance to also work at this rate. Your mind is not bouncing all over the place and allows more room for a creative flow.

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5. You think about every word

Because the process of writing is slower, you’re more aware of what you’re saying. It is easier to catch yourself using the same word more than once and because you are aware of the ‘eternity’ of a letter you tend to be more thoughtful of the content.

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6. It is read by more people

If someone sends a very sweet card or letter, the chance is bigger that the receiver will let others read it. They could also hang it up so that several people see it. This makes it even nicer to send a handwritten message with beautiful words in it.

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7. It is unique

Someone knows that the card has been written especially written for them. Copy-pasting is just not a function with a fountain pen. Each letter is unique.

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