Learn2Write

Dearest Mum,

Thank you for the birthday presents. I love them all. As you know, I anxiously wait for the D-Day to open your thoughtful gifts. The clock strikes 12:00 a.m. and I am digging into the gift table to find the presents from you. My favourite is the pair of shimmering danglers (earrings) that you chose for me. I wore them along with my birthday dress. I can’t wait to share the photos. Mum, did I tell you, this trimester is a lot tougher than the last one and I have to cross a mountain of barriers—the one that gets me the most is statistics. You know how much I hate it, don’t you?

Imagine the above is a snippet of a letter that your mum found while cleaning her wardrobe: a letter that you had written to her during college days. The smile and the twinkle in her eyes while reading the letter would bring her solace. Wouldn’t it be incredibly satiating to see her relive those days? Writing letters to loved ones (friends/family/acquaintances/penfriends) are a part of informal letter structure. The best part about informal letters is that you can keep the tone conversational and use contractions (unlike the formal letter structure).

In an informal letter, you convey your regards and inform the recipient about updates in your life. Be honest about your feelings, as the goal is to keep the connection between the sender and the recipient warm. Throughout this article, we would be looking at a few examples and the key ingredients to write impressive, friendly and personal letters.

Do you have a friend or a cousin who lives in another city/country? How would you persuade your friend/cousin to visit your city and indulge in the authentic vibe? Surely, tourist attractions are on the checklist, but talking about some unique experiences and places would impress the recipient and he/she would be on his/her toes to visit the place, right?

Let’s assume you’ve moved to a new country and would like to invite your best friend for the experience of a lifetime. Consider the following example:

Hello Miranda,

Hope all is well at your end. I reached Melbourne last month and finally rented a house at Parkdale, a suburb in the southeastern part of Melbourne. As promised, I will tell you all about the city and I bet you would love to visit me soon. Before I begin, tell me, how’s the family doing? Also, hope your lovely dog Max is doing fine. Dogs at the beach here remind me so much about Max.

Australia is full of beaches, and the locals say that if you haven’t lived near a beach, you’ve never really lived in Australia. So, I decided to choose a house very close to the beach and as I am writing this letter, I can hear the waves slapping against the rocks and a cool breeze seeping through the study window. It’s the weekend and hence, I can hear people heading down the Beach Road to find a perfect spot for sunbathing. Oh, you would love this Fish and Chips joint called Mordialloc Cafe, which is next to a surfing shop. I am planning to join surfing classes—it’s kind of a big deal here. Also, have you heard of chocolate infused mint yogurt? Yes! You heard that right—Yo My Goodness (YOMG) is a unique cafe specialising in yogurts: I must take you there. I insist.

In the example, the sender talks about some unique experiences that one cannot find in a guidebook or over the internet. This kind of creative information makes the content of the letter interesting. Also note, the letter aims to make it more personal by enquiring about the closest members of the recipient’s family. Do you write letters to your grandparents? They probably write back to you and maybe you read the letter over and over again as you feel their energy reaching out to you. Consider another example:

Dearest Nana,

How are you? How is Grandpa doing? Are you both going for your morning walks? I hope you are, as it is crucial for your well-being. It’s been a while since I wrote to you. The other day, I was watching a movie and I missed you so much. It was about the friendship between a granny and her grandson (like you and me). Do you still have the porch swing that I love so much?

You would be glad to hear that I aced my swimming competition. I am planning to compete with seniors this trimester, cool, isn’t it? Maybe I will ask Dad to videotape and send it to you. Have you learnt to use the touch screen yet? I am sure you have; after all, I taught you well, didn’t I? Just kidding!

The example contains personal information that bonds a grandparent and grandchild. Do you see the use of informal language? That’s the beauty of informal letters—write as you feel.

By now, you must have got some ideas on how to structure the informal letters. Let’s look at the key pointers:

• Sender’s address followed by the date (on the top right corner). Always mention date. After date follows salutation. Example:

9/25 Monaco Street

Parkdale, Melbourne 3195

                                                                                                                          05/01/2023

Dear J/Hi Granny, etc.

• The opening of the letter: include updates from your life and enquire about the receiver’s well-being. Some useful phrases to remember: I hope you are well/Thanks for your letter/How’s it going?/How are things? etc.
• The body of the letter contains information on the topic. Remember to maintain an informal and friendly tone to convey the information. Useful phrases that could be used: you’re not going to believe what I am about to tell you/Oh, have you heard about/You know what?/I’d love for you to join me/I hope you don’t mind/Don’t worry buddy/Come on, do you still believe that? etc.
• The conclusion of the letter should convey your regards. You could send well wishes and provide a reason for sign off. Example: Anyway, the space is cramped for me to write all about my experience in this new vibrant city. YOMG is calling out for a strawberry flavoured yogurt now—hungry yet? Say hello to Buddy for me, will you? Hope to hear back from you soon. Book your tickets now!
• Closing statement and sign-off: Unlike formal letters, you can close with a personalised message that connects you. It could be Love/Lots of hugs/Take care/Cheers/Best wishes, etc.
• Skip a line to sign-off with your first name or your nickname or a short version of your name.

Key Takeaways:

• Informal language: informal vocabulary and contractions are allowed in an informal letter, as long as they are not offensive.
• Informal phrases: well/by the way/oh/come on/you’ll/you’re/I’ve/now/anyway/cut to the chase, etc.
• Emotive language: express honest emotions and feelings that connect the sender with the recipient.
• Exclamations: use exclamatory statements or words, but wisely. Don’t use them excessively, else the meaning gets lost inside the content.
• The most important point to remember is to be polite. Yes, you are to use a friendly and informal tone, but it should not offend anyone. Converse, not command.

So much has happened in the last year. So many incidents, experiences, feelings and emotions remain untold. There are so many stories that you haven't really shared with anyone. But why?  As children, you go through a plethora of incidents every day and that’s what moulds you to be who you are. That’s what changes your attitude to life, your way of handling situations and sometimes even avoiding them altogether. But when at a certain point in life, you wish to know how was it that you became the person you are today, you feel at a loss for a starting point. All that made you who you are will simply be wiped out from your memory. Now, how do we save ourselves from such a situation?

With so many stories to share, why not allow yourself to bring your pen to meet paper and express yourself freely using a diary? With the help of a diary, your life will feel sorted, will be put into the right perspective and you will be able to find yourself amidst the tangle of everyday activities. With this article, let’s check how to make your diary your best friend.

To begin with, pick a peaceful area that allows you to write: this is necessary, although you won't be speaking out loud.

You need to start by addressing the diary: consider it as someone that you are really close to. Would you like to call it by a name? Would you like to think of it as something magical that can talk back to you? Would it have the personality of someone that you are familiar/comfortable with? It’s always best to build a relationship with the diary first so that you feel a tendency to come back to it daily.

Next, establish a bond with the diary consistently: you could mention the date on which you share incidents of a particular day with the diary. This will help you know exactly when a life-changing experience occurred. You could share all your joys, pains and thoughts as the first step to establishing a relationship with the diary. Remember, unlike actual friends, this is a true secret keeper and you can be yourself 100%.

Talk casually as you would with a physical person: you can talk to the diary out loud or inside your mind, whichever feels most effective to you.

Ever been amazed by a crazy, beautiful day? You could initially talk to the diary about what kind of a day it was. Did you expect it to go one way and it turned totally opposite? Or did it go as planned? For example:

Oh diary, you really should have felt the wonderful weather. You could have felt the breeze swishing across your pages if you had been with me when I opened you in the park. We ought to try that at some point. Note how a connection is established with the diary initially before talking about your day.

Let’s say you were having an ongoing argument with a friend. You could say, “Hey, I’m not sure what else to say to Steve. We’ve been arguing for almost two weeks now and we still can’t come to an agreement. I don’t want to think we can’t get through this, but I don’t know what more to do or say.” Note the conversational tone and the pain felt while you express your feelings.

Maybe you have a difficult relationship with a family member: “I hate that my mum and I don’t get along. She just doesn’t understand me, and she refuses to listen when I try to tell her how I really feel. I pray that she would try to see things from my point of view sometimes. Until then, I hope to be more patient and understanding to her.” Note how you state your hopes and analyse a situation.

Remember a few grammar rules to follow: the content needs to be organised structurally. You could use linking words and proper paragraphs to help you with that. Since most of the details are a retelling of what happened, you need to ensure that the simple past tense is used consistently. Finally, you could ensure that the first-person narrative is used throughout.

Wind up with a proper sense of closure: depending on the mood, you could close with your hopes/plans for the next day, or maybe someone interrupted your writing in between and in that case, you could excuse yourself and simply say good night. A basic ending could be ‘I think I should head to bed. Good night.’

From an examination point of view, we need to follow these tips to understand the skill of organised diary writing. Keeping a diary will not only help you find tackling this exam question easily, but will also have a positive impact on your well-being. From reflecting on emotions to having a safe space to vent, possessing a diary can serve as a powerful life tool and a practical test-taking practise to ace your exams. By spending a little time to contemplate the activities of the day, you can make keeping a diary an enjoyable and productive experience in 2023.

A story will most definitely have a protagonist or a hero. We have discussed how to characterise one in an earlier essay. He/she drives the plot and moves the story forward. But a good story writer must not make things easy for the hero. Creativity and flair for storytelling lies in making things challenging so that the conclusion, when reached, feels earned and deserved.

The harder the exam, the sweeter the reward feels, doesn’t it? These challenges are often in the form of villains or antagonists that are introduced to keep things interesting. One would imagine that the main motive of a majority of these malcontents is merely to be an impediment in the lives of our immaculate heroes. But it is a bit deeper than that.

An important question arises here: why are the villains doing what they are doing? This usually forms the ‘falling action’ or the ‘resolution’ part of the story mountain. The reader here gets all the answers that had come up during the course of the story, and receiving the needed answers provides a catharsis or a sense of relief to them. Another question forms an equally compelling part of the story: how do you go about portraying a villain? In simple words, how do you know a villain is a villain?

1.    An obvious villainous look

Some authors provide physical attributes to their antagonists that leave no doubt in the readers’ minds that they will be actively involved in ensuring the lead character fails in his or her quest. Severus Snape’s greasy hair, pale sallow skin and cold dead eyes; Freddy Krueger’s burnt skin and knife-like nails; Captain Hook’s, well, hook instead of a hand. All these fictional villains seem to have an obvious physical appearance that makes it very clear that they will play the part of an antagonist in their stories. Writers use such physical descriptions of their villains to make a very solid stand that they are the main antagonists in the stories. They even look evil!

Think of interesting and creative ways to portray them in your writing. How evil can you make your villain look in your story? Why not have a competition among your classmates on who can create the most evil-looking villain ever?

2.    Not so obvious

You and I probably resemble the next two people walking by on a street, coat and scarf, a bag in hand, walking hurriedly with a purpose, to get somewhere on time, preoccupied minds, always thinking of the next mundane thing. Among these nondescript populous may lie a highly malignant, motivated and malicious mind who is dead set on only one thing – causing chaos somewhere or on someone. The author will probably describe them as silent and unassuming. No one would be able to guess what is going on in their minds, but these are the dangerous ones to look out for.

Such characters cause the maximum damage because their innocent and regular physical looks encourage others to let their guard down. And that is when they strike. In fact, such revelations are used as a twist in a tale. How would you go about describing such a person? It is tricky, isn’t it?

Harry was glad Paul was there every step of the way while he strived for the top position in the School Council. It was Paul’s idea that Harry stand the election.

Without him, I wouldn’t have gotten even halfway up, thought Harry. I am so glad he is loyal to me. One needs a friend like that.

It was D-day and the final results were going to be announced. The entire school assembled in the hall to hear who had won. Harry crossed his fingers and smiled weakly at Paul who, from across the room, gave him a thumbs-up. And slowly, while Harry watched him, he turned his thumb upside down. His eyes turned menacing as the corners of his mouth lifted into an evil smile and mouthed the words “You’re dead.”

Harry couldn’t take his eyes off him. He was confused. What did Paul mean? And that look! He had never seen that look on him before. Then it hit him. The election. Paul played him. He was not only going to lose. He was going to be humiliated. It was too late now.

In the above extract, the character Paul isn’t described as having any villainous features. He appears to be perfectly regular and a good friend. Only in the end, the reader realises that he was the villain.

Another question that came up earlier was why a villain does what he/she does. Have you ever wondered sometimes why in certain stories an antagonist holds our attention more than the hero of the story? While a hero is easy to draw, their main traits being intelligence, valour, honour and possessing an overall drive of an altruistic need to do good in general, the main reason behind a villain’s villainy varies. That is why they are sometimes more interesting to analyse than straightforward heroes who will always do what is good for everyone. It is a bit ironic that while we want our heroes to be predictable do-gooders, it is actually the antagonist who catches our attention far more keenly.

We can break down such antagonists into two kinds:

3.    Has a motive

Sometimes a character turns villainous because of a grudge they might hold against somebody. Maybe in the past, they felt they were wronged, and that is why they think they are meting out justice by harming others.

I have to, thought Oscar, as he sat at his desk, unconsciously flipping the pages of his maths book. The insult was more than I could take. Jimmy thinks that just because he is popular and helps everyone in their studies, he can insult me like that.

“How ‘bout you, Oscar?” the teacher’s voice painfully pierced his stream of thought.

“Huh?” Oscar looked up.

“Have you done your homework?”

“Yes. Finished…. all the exercises.”

Oscar didn’t hear what the teacher’s response was. He was already lost in his thoughts again, plotting revenge on Jimmy.

Straight motive. Straight dialogues. Straight conflict in the plot. There is no doubt about what the villain wants and what he wants to do. We get to know very well the motive that is driving him.

4.    Has no real motive

And sometimes an antagonist has no apparent motive.

It is just who they are. In the course of such a story, the hero and other characters will leave no stone unturned to find out why someone is doing such horrible things, causing much trouble to not just one person the hero but to everyone in general. Then they learn that there is no one reason behind someone’s misdeeds. It is just who they are. If you are a Hollywood superhero universe fan, you will recall that Alfred from ‘The Dark Knight’ says of the Joker, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” They are not swayed by any greed or avarice; they aren’t looking for anything in return. They just rejoice in chaos. How do you deal with such a character? How do you appease one? What kind of negotiation or compromise do you come up with when the villain doesn’t want anything from you?

Closer to home, our very own Shakespeare created such a character in Iago in ‘Othello’. Iago’s villainy knew no bounds nor did his motivation, a source. A very prominent literary figure once said that most of the dialogues by this character Iago were just ‘motive hunting of motiveless malignity.’ Apparently, Iago himself didn’t know why he did all those terrible things.

What kind of a story would you write to have such a villain in it? More importantly, how will you describe such a character in your story? The traits of such an antagonist cannot be summed up by just an action or two. One would need the course of an entire story to develop and show the destructive acts of such a person. In fact, when an author creates such a character, they become the main lead of the story and the good guys take a back seat. The story becomes about them.

Now, would you like to write a story with a villain as your main character?