Letter Writing Guide
Keeping in mind that the majority of those who decide to participate in this project will not have too much experience writing letters, below is a simple writing guide. Remember that after writing the letter, you must send it to DI.AppreciationLetters[at]gmail.com
Most letters have the following layout:
Heading
The heading is written in the upper-right hand corner of the page and includes the writer’s address and date. For the purpose of this project, we will elect to go with general locations instead of specific addresses.
Texas, United States
November 23, 2009
Greeting
Each letter will instead begin with the greeting or a short salutation. The most common greeting is “Dear” followed by the person’s name.
Dear Erica Durance,
However, since this will be an informal, friendly letter you can also elect to begin with something less formal such as, “Hello!” or “Greetings!” The deciding factor in how you begin your letter will ultimately lie on what you feel most comfortable with.
Body
Here’s the fun part of the letter! Now you can write your letter in one paragraph or break it into multiple paragraphs, with each paragraph being assigned its own topic or idea. Since the hardest part of writing is usually starting, I’ve drafted up some sample starting sentences that you can play around with:
I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for all the work you do on Smallville…
Thank you for taking such good care of my favorite characters…
Magical. Every time you’re on my television, it’s magical…
Words cannot accurately express how much I have fallen in love with your characterization of…
Smallville has been on the air for nine years and it is still my favorite show…
You are my generation’s (Lois Lane / Clark Kent)…and for that I have to say thank you…
I have been a faithful fan of the Superman series since I was a small child…
You capture the voices of my favorite characters so well…
Clark Kent is such an inspiring character. Thank you for keeping him alive for this generation through your work…
The stories you weave on Smallville are nothing short of amazing…
You would continue your body by elaborating on any idea that you start with. If, for example, you begin in a general sense by saying that “I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for all the work you do on Smallville…” you would continue by elaborating on what you mean. What exactly are you most grateful for? If this is a letter being addressed a writer, you may want to mention actual episode titles.
To help with this, you will find a “Smallville Cast and Crew Guide” that has the names of all important Season 8 & 9 staff and crew members at the end of this message.
If you do mention a particular episode, you can also make your letter more meaningful by quoting a line from the episode. If this is a letter to a director, you can not only mention an episode title but also elaborate on what about their work stands out. Is it the editing of an episode, the pacing, or the special effects?
Dear Glen Winter,
I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for all the work you do on Smallville. You have directed my two favorite episodes of the series, “Idol” and “Committed”. What I love most about your direction is the fresh, modern, and cinematic feel you give to each episode…
Closing
Just as there are a variety of different ways to start a letter, there are a variety of different ways to conclude a letter. The most common closing for a friendly letter is “Sincerely.”
Sincerely,
However, there are other closing statements you can make, such as:
“With deepest gratitude,” “With great appreciation,” “Yours Truly,” “Yours Respectfully,” Warm Regards,” “Kind Wishes,” …and there are some which are a bit more fun to use, such as, “Shine On,” “Lots of Love,” “Rock On,” “Stay Talented,” “Stay Beautiful,” etc.
Signatures
You can sign your letters with your full name, your user name, or any other name of your choosing.
Helio
If you want to add a “real” signature to your letter, there are two options available. (1) You may hand sign a paper, scan it and send it to us electronically or (2) you may use a program like Photoshop to digitally create a signature and then send that to us electronically as well. A third option may be to use a fancy or curvy font from a website like www.dafont.com that looks like a signature.
Additional Tips
Some additional suggestions drafted by Jade.
Formatting
The best format for writing letters is to keep it simple. Some formatting is fine, but you don't want to make the letters too busy because that can actually make them harder to read. Remember, content is more important than making it "pretty" by using colors, strange fonts, etc.
Bear in mind that there will be a lot of letters coming in (we hope!). Try to keep them as easy to read as possible. Put an extra space between paragraphs (like I'm doing here). We will edit the submissions to an extent, but if everyone does their best it will help a lot.
Common Grammar Mistakes
It's/its
"It's" is a contraction for "it is." Its is possessive.
"It's great to see you guys on Smallville! The show's doing great after its move to Friday nights!"
Their/there/they're
"Their" is possessive. "They're" is a contraction for "they are."
"There are some great things going on this season; I'm glad the showrunners are finally going there with the Lois and Clark relationship!
About Lois and Clark...they're going to stay together, I hope?
I think their relationship is the best on the show!"
You're/your "You're" is a contraction. "Your" is possessive.
"You're both doing a great job; I love your work on Smallville!"
Content: Suggestions for what you can write about
* What got you into Smallville? Why do you still watch after all these years?
* What's your favorite Clark/Lois/Clois scene and why?
* Why do you ship Clois and, more specifically, why SMALLVILLE'S Lois and Clark?
* Has Smallville had an impact on your life in some way - have you met new people and made new friends because of a love of Smallville?
* What is your favorite moment from the series to date?
* Did the show get you into writing? Acting? Drawing? How has it impacted you creatively?