Dear Readers,
With National Encourage a Young Writer Day this Friday, your go-to teaching method might be poems or stories. But I’d argue one of the best ways to encourage a young writer is simpler:
Ask them to write a letter.
Not because it’s quaint or looks nice stamped with a wax seal, but because writing a letter asks a young person: What do I want to say? What matters enough to write down and send to someone else?
Writing a letter also teaches structure without announcing itself as a lesson. No pressure about a beginning, middle, and end. Just a greeting, a few words, and a closing.
Plus, it creates real connection. You’re not writing into the void; you’re writing to a real person, someone who might even write back. And that might be the best part.
There’s nothing like opening the mailbox and seeing something addressed to you. Something that says, I thought of you long enough to write this down. For a young writer, that moment can be electric.
I was eight when I received my first letter. I still remember how it made me feel: special. So special, in fact, that I saved it (along with the thousand that came after). It also made me crave more letters. And how do you get more letters?
Easy. You write more.
That’s the hook. It also quietly helps them work through things they might not yet know how to say out loud: feelings, questions, small observations that become, over time, a voice. Their voice. Plus, it’s fun. Which we sometimes forget is reason enough.
So if you’re thinking about how to encourage a young writer, here are:
10 Ways to Encourage a Young Person to Write a Letter
Start with someone they already know
A grandparent, a friend, a favorite teacher. Writing feels easier when the person is real and familiar.Give them a prompt, not a rule
Try: “Tell them about your day” or “Ask them three questions.” (People love answering questions.Make it short
A letter doesn’t have to be long. A few sentences are enough. This is not a term paper.Let it be imperfect
Spelling, grammar, crossed-out words…none of that matters. The goal is expression, not perfection.Use good (or at least fun) materials, and add something extra
Colorful pens, interesting paper, a sticker, a doodle in the margins. Letters can be anything you want them to be. That’s part of the charm.Write one alongside them
Sit down and write your own letter at the same time. It makes the act feel shared, not assigned.Talk about the person on the other end
Who are they? What do they like? What would make them smile? It shifts the focus outward.
Write to someone who could use a letter
Many programs connect writers with patients in hospitals, members of the military, or those feeling isolated. Letters of Love supports children battling serious illnesses. It doesn’t get better than kids writing to kids. It shows young people that their words aren’t just practice, they’re a kindness.Mail it together
Walk to the mailbox. Drop it in. Mark the moment. It gives the act a sense of completion.Celebrate the reply
When (not if) a letter comes back, make it a big deal. That’s the magic, and what makes them want to do it again.
These tips don’t just apply to young writers. Most of us could use the same reminder: to reach out instead of overthinking what to say. Because whether you’re eight or eighty, there’s something thrilling about putting pen to paper and trusting your words to find their way to someone else.
Maybe that’s where writing really begins: not in getting it right, but in sending it out.
With love (and the joy of watching my four-year-old niece Ruby get excited to write a letter),
P.S. Ignite a lifelong love of writing: encourage a young writer to write a letter this week.
SONG OF THE WEEK
Dear Theodosia by Lin Manuel Miranda (Hamilton)
NEW BOOK COMING OUT!
ATTENTION BOOK LOVERS: Your Dream Cruise is less than a month away!
Felice Cohen is an award-winning author, best known for squeezing big ideas into small spaces—like her 90-square-foot NYC apartment (yes, really). Her books include Half In: A Coming-of-Age Memoir of Forbidden Love, 90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Square Feet, and What Papa Told Me, with praise from legends like Elie Wiesel and Rita Mae Brown. Her viral YouTube tour has racked up over 25 million views—mostly from people wondering where she kept her shoes. More at felicecohen.com.
