In today's age of digital technology, most correspondence is conducted via e-mail and text. The long tradition of letter writing has fallen by the wayside and along with it beautiful handwriting, elaborately decorated notepaper and matching envelopes. The pastime of writing to pen pals has been replaced my Facebook and Myspace messaging, and the age of instant information has taken over the time that used to be taken to pen a letter.

I have a theory that most of us have pretty much forgotten how to use a pen; writing has become a slow and tedious task compared to the instantaneous chat available through MSN and other instant messaging services. The speed at which we all expect to have a reply these days rarely leaves time for letters to lazily make their way across to friends and family. And the effort of writing, posting and waiting doesn't fit in with our 'oh so busy' life styles.

I believe that is just the reason we should bring the art of letter writing back. We spend our lives rushing to get things done, and each time saving process allows us to do even more. We should embrace the time saving and actually use the saved time to do something relaxing, meditative and, well, nice. We all love to receive a letter in the post, one that isn't a pre printed business envelope anyway. The sight of an envelope that is neither manila nor standard off white, with a name and address lovingly penned on the front has an element of excitement. It prompts us to pop on the kettle, sit down and take ten minutes out to have a read.

Receiving a hand written letter has the power to make a person feel special and worthwhile; it is a quality experience. If someone has taken the time out of their day to write you a letter of love or friendship, it has an impact far greater than an e-mail with the same content. It is a personal touch which has a lot of meaning, and should be exercised more often than the yearly quota of birthday and Christmas cards, which are generally just a rushed token of slight sentiment.

Handwriting used to be a widely practiced art. Schools would dedicate many hours to the perfection of the written word, and each stroke of a fountain pen would be neatly executed. The ball point pen scrawls that pass for writing today have nothing on the unwaveringly neat lines of text that letters used to deliver. The pace of writing neatly, and with a fountain pen, leaves time for the mind to process thoughts and ideas, leading to a more poetic way of communicating. Everyone agrees that quality is more important than quantity, and I think that the quality of a hand written letter outweighs the quantity of all the free texts messages Gandalf can shake a stick at.

Try adding a personal touch to make a letter that little bit more special. Making or decorating your own writing paper is one way; using colourful envelopes is another. Adding stickers, stencils and transfers, or using speciality rubber stamps can add a memorable finishing touch. There are also kits available where you can seal the envelope with your own wax seal; it is almost worth getting a signet ring made especially for the purpose! Unlike an email with a themed backdrop adorned with emoticons, there will be no undeliverable mail notification for hand written mail delivered by snail.