West Lafayette, Indiana - Whether someone is trying to pen their first holiday letter or enhance their annual greeting with photos or video, a Purdue University Online Writing Lab can be a helpful resource.
“We all have family and friends who are known for their holiday letters, and some will be looking beyond their mailbox to create new traditions with creative and individual messages utilizing social media, videos, photo galleries or multimedia newsletters,” says Tammy Conard-Salvo, associate director of the Purdue Writing Lab. “Like any tradition, holiday greetings evolve, and what started as a form letter changed into a newsletter to include images, and now people will be looking for ways to include video and social media. No matter the technology, people want to design something that is personal for the recipients, yet captures the sender’s personality.”
The holiday letter may be the only traditional letter that some people write and send each year, so here are some tips from Purdue’s OWL:
* Take note of its look and feel. Too much complaining? Too much boasting?
* Keep in mind the broad and diverse audience, which may include professional contacts who would take note of spelling mistakes or poor grammar, or elderly relatives who may appreciate a clear and large font size.
* Pay attention to spelling, punctuation and grammar. Mistakes can be distracting. You don’t want the letter to be remembered for the wrong reasons, and misplacing punctuation can change the meaning.
* It's OK to repeat what you've shared on social media, but what can you add that is different?
* Make it personal with a hand signature and note on the bottom.
For letter writers who want to enhance their annual newsletters, tips about color theory, fonts and design can be found online. Tips about writing, including grammar, mechanics and punctuation, are available at OWL and specific tips about personal letters and newsletters are available here.
OWL received more than 230 million visits last year, and the online resource celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2014.
