I haven’t written so many official Postcrossing postcards yet, and the very few recipients’ profiles I have drawn happened to indicate little about what they want to read. So, I typically talk about the picture on the postcards. For those taken by myself, I try to explain my artisitc intention behind that particular photographic creation and what it means to me. For those postcards showing others’ photographs that I purchased during my trips, I would talk about my impression of that location as I travelled through it. A few recipients have asked me to talk about certain things – my bike touring experience in Japan for instance – and I tend to comply with their requests.
This also means that so far, all of my postcards sent to other Postcrossers depict landscape, which is my strength in visual art.
I usually say… way too much. So much so that the posties have had trouble figuring out to put the stamps!
I pick either things on their profile to talk about that interest me, or things about the card/why I picked it for them. Sometimes I talk about myself but mostly if we have something in common
@DawnMarie3203 I print my addresses, use a glue stick and also put a clear tape over to make sure it survives the travel.
When printing the addresses, you can pick a smaller font size to make sure it fits accordingly.
Then I will go very profile based, according to their interest. If they coincide with mine then all the better Sometimes I answer specific prompt/ question or request on profile.
Sometimes the image on postcard or stamp is unique to my locality or country so Ill explain them.
Depending on mood or significant event in my life sometimes Ill share them. For eg. getting new car etc
I always run out of space.
I will try to write in block especially to country that use different writing system ie. China/ Japan/ Russia. I never formally learn cursive, but sometimes if I get excited my wild “doctor’s handwriting” escapes ….
I usually paint a little sketch, based on thier favorites in profile text and write something about my day, or other recent themes in my life, that matches to thier profile. I love it to recive a “mini insight in your here and now”, so I try to send it too.
Sometimes the text on the profile dosnt “pop” for me. Then i pick a random topic.
I always introduce myself when sending a postcard to someone I’ve never exchanged before. I often see people saying that they don’t like to write the same message again and again on the postcards they send, but I feel strange writing to someone for the first time without at least telling them a little about myself. After this brief introduction, I usually write about my hobbies, my favorite place in the city where I live, anything related to the postcard, something we have in common, how was my day…anything I feel like writing about on the day.
From recent postcards and other forum posts, it seems that the messages on postcards are becoming short and less personal. If you want to share a message you have written, please share a copy here.
I have dysgraphia (bad handwriting) so I type my messages and print them 3 to a page. I change the message as needed, usually 4-6 times a year (seasonal). Recipients appreciate my story, and I enjoy reading similar messages from others.
I tailor my messages to the recipient, so I don’t have a typical message that would go out to everyone. I have relatively legible handwriting and I’ve learned to write small so I can fit more on a postcard even when I’ve added a lot of stamps. I rarely use cursive on postcards–but only because most people can’t read cursive.
I guess I view this as a bit of a challenge. In a limited amount of space, how can I be both succinct and flavorful in my text to a unique stranger to give them a small glimpse of where the postcard was from?
I don’t know if that’s really true. I certainly don’t notice messages becoming shorter or duller. Some are, some aren’t - but that is not a recent development or even a change at all, I’d say.
For me, it depends on their profile & I try to personalise it to the person if possible, saying if we have a similar hobby, or answer their prompts etc. If stuck I’ll write some facts about where I live and about me.
Then I write greetings / words in my language, and where this postcard came from (where I am and about my city).
After that I look back at the recipient’s profile to find a topic, something to help me connect with the recipient. Like “Oh, I like … too!”, “I think you’ll like this…”, “I think it’s amazing that you have…”, etc. Sometimes I ask for details of their favorite things, or ask questions, hoping they will also connect with me via Hurray Messages. Sometimes I also write about the card & stamps, where I get inspiration for the decorations, what I’ve been doing lately, and so on.
And lastly I wish for the recipients’ good health / day / happiness. Sometimes for their family / pets too, depending on what I know from their profile.
So generally the message is always different each time I write (of course, there are times when I just can’t think of what to write and end up with a simple message, but I try.)
I shall confess that sometimes I’m less motivated to write much; so, it’s three or so sentences about the weather.
Since I was old enough to read I’ve been fascinated with foreign places. I’m also rather a foodie, so am enthusiastic about combining those. I also like to recommend books, if that comes up in their profile.
