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ndw76
May 28th, 2013, 04:37 AM
With all the letters being sent back and forth, what are you doing with other people's letters? I have a paper shopping bag that is almost full of letters. I have been corresponding with various people for about six months and I have one bag full of letters. I imagine that after a year or two the pile of letters that have been responded to will be rather large.

What do you do with all the letters? It seems like a shame to destroy them.

cedargirl
May 28th, 2013, 05:37 AM
I'm keeping them and they are building up. I worry a bit that I'm not going to remember basic things I've been told, so I like to refer back to them when I'm writing. I'm guessing that as pen pal relationships develop, there will be less need to have them handy.

Bogon07
May 28th, 2013, 04:45 PM
Yep keeping them all in a box and trying to keep them all together for each InCoPenPal. Might need to switch to a bigger box soon.

It is good to check out all the different inks that have been used by everyone too and how they look on different paper. Cream or white paper can make a dramatic difference to the appearance of some inks.

Tracy Lee
May 28th, 2013, 04:46 PM
That is my situation too, Cedargirl. I have a great basket and it is getting so full but I can't let any go just yet. Making sure I have my mental profiles built up.

Jon Szanto
May 28th, 2013, 04:50 PM
I keep the vowels. The consonants go in the recycle bin.

cedargirl
May 28th, 2013, 05:02 PM
Touche.

(I suppose you keep all of your own, though.)

GourmetPens
May 28th, 2013, 06:00 PM
I have kept everything! At first they started out in one of those hanging file folders but they've quickly outgrown that. I've transferred them to a box for now, although it's a complete disaster haha. I go back and reread them sometimes so I don't ask the same question over and over (evidence of a poor memory...)!

woosang
May 28th, 2013, 10:45 PM
I box them. I should sort by person but ATM it's in order or receipt

trefste_metrese
May 31st, 2013, 05:30 AM
I scan them and store them in an Evernote notebook (the desktop application). I also scan everything I send out, so I can remember who I told what to...

It works pretty well!

caribbean_skye
May 31st, 2013, 04:58 PM
Mine are all occupying floor space, in the corner where all of the FP stuff are hanging out. For the people I have exchanged more than 4 letters with, theirs are kept together with a rubber band and their latest letter goes at the back of their stack. For everyone else, they go in the back of the general stack once they've been replied to. As a child I had several faithful penpals and kept all of their letters together, it was fun to read them later and see how much we've grown and changed (taste of music, handwriting, celebrity crush etc), however that stack disappeared due to a natural disaster. The next time I box these up, they will all go into individual gallon size ziplock bag/s and then into a plastic tote (lets see water damage those). At some point in time I plan to make a scrap book with various things from penpals, from enclosures to envelopes (I've received some doozies).

fountainpenkid
June 1st, 2013, 02:01 PM
I have a VERY messy pile of them next to my bedside table. I used to throw the envelopes out, until about halfway through InCoWriMo when my parents said that was stupid (and it was.)

vhr5
June 1st, 2013, 05:30 PM
I use to keep all of the opened letters on my desk in a neat pile, but now I keep them in a plastic container. It seems a shame to throw them away, especially with all of the time and effort someone put into writing them. I'm assume as time goes by I may discover the need for more containers. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to that point.

I also enjoy looking at the different stamps, the types of stationery, the inks, the wax seals, etc that I have received from my correspondents.

zemof
January 19th, 2014, 07:43 PM
I have had several pen pals when I was young, and I have kept every single letter in a multi-pocket file. The newest letter goes on top as it started to make more sense to have easier access to the latest letters.

Wouldn’t have thought that years down the road, I’m picking up new pen pals…via Instagram! Still trying to figure out how would I go about organising these new mails… I (can’t find the original photo that I saw but) will tie up the old letters with ribbons (since I have a box of them) and place them in a box!

8957

writingrav
January 20th, 2014, 05:48 AM
I keep one large folder filled with single letters I receive (especially during Incowrimo.) After I receive a second letter the writer receives his/her own folder into which subsequent letters (with the first, of course) go. I haven't decided when or how to deactivate folders when only a second or third letter comes and then the correspondence trickles out. So far I have enough room in my file drawer.

dannzeman
January 20th, 2014, 10:18 AM
I scan them and store them in an Evernote notebook (the desktop application). I also scan everything I send out, so I can remember who I told what to...

It works pretty well!
This is what I do, as well. I create a notebook for letters, and I tag each letter with the person's name.

writingrav
January 20th, 2014, 10:21 AM
I scan them and store them in an Evernote notebook (the desktop application). I also scan everything I send out, so I can remember who I told what to...

It works pretty well!
This is what I do, as well. I create a notebook for letters, and I tag each letter with the person's name.

I'm going to get more technological and give this a try

Dad Of Sapling
January 20th, 2014, 01:18 PM
I scan them and store them in an Evernote notebook (the desktop application). I also scan everything I send out, so I can remember who I told what to...

It works pretty well!
This is what I do, as well. I create a notebook for letters, and I tag each letter with the person's name.

I'm going to get more technological and give this a try

Great idea. I'm just starting out so it should be easy to set-up. I don't have to worry about the back log of letters to scan.

benjitzu
January 20th, 2014, 01:23 PM
I scan them and store them in an Evernote notebook (the desktop application). I also scan everything I send out, so I can remember who I told what to...

It works pretty well!

I do the exact same thing - LOVE Evernote! I use the TurboScan app on my iPhone to take a picture of letters and convert them into a pdf which I can then directly upload into Evernote. I have a folder for SENT letters (so I can remember what I wrote), and a folder for RECEIVED letters. Simple, easy, and it's FREE! Still keep all the correspondence in a nice little box as well.

I travel a TON and wanted a way to keep track of everything while I'm on the road so I can still stay engaged in the ongoing conversation whether I'm in Hawaii, Berlin, or Denver. Works like a charm so far...

LunaAzurina
January 21st, 2014, 09:21 AM
Cheeky!

ceramic_pizza
January 21st, 2014, 11:40 AM
I just put the letters I receive in a box with all my other fountain pen stuff. I'm probably going to start scanning things soon though. Especially the letters i write. I can never remember what I write in the things I send to other people. i used to just use my lab notebook to write things so I get an automatic copy, but the paper in lab notebooks are really thin and not particularly pretty.