In a world of “WYD?” texts, Instagram reels, and messages left on read, the handwritten friendship letter might be the most unexpectedly intimate way to say, “I miss you.”
Dearest HER Campus Readers,
When was the last time you got a real letter?
Not a birthday, holiday, or the “Get well soon” kind.
I mean a real letter. One that someone took the time to think about and write just because they missed you.
Chances are, if you’ve gotten one, you remember it.
You probably remember who sent it, why they wrote it, and maybe even where you were when you opened it. There is something about receiving a letter that is unforgettable. It is personal, it is tangible, and it is a physical experience to open it and read it.
Now, when was the last time you wrote one?
Maybe that question is harder to answer.
Do you text or snap your friends or family? Maybe you send your best friend reels or TikToks that made you think of them or of your relationship. The irony is that in a world where we are in communication with people all the time, sitting down with a pen and paper to say, “I miss you” feels almost… dramatic.
And that’s exactly why we love it, why we romanticize it, why we reread them again and again.
The Yearning Era
You may have seen it online: people joking about how writing a letter to their best friend somehow sounds like they are writing to a long-lost lover, like in the movie The Notebook.
And honestly? That’s exactly what it feels like.
Why does writing to your best friend suddenly feel like writing to someone you haven’t seen in years?
There is something comedic about starting a letter to your best friend with “Dear…” and two pages later you’re still writing.
We secretly want permission to yearn a little.
Letter writing still holds this formal, almost daunting feeling that requires more than writing a couple words at a time; instead, you must decide what is worth saying. This trend brought out a growing appreciation for writing one’s feelings on paper and getting the satisfaction of gifting it, rather than shooting a temporary iMessage.
We’re More Connected Than Ever—So Why Does It Feel Less Personal?
A handwritten letter asks something different of us than a text does.
It doesn’t give you the option to delete or erase. There are no emojis in place to show how we feel instead of writing it.
Writing by hand slows everything down. You must be vulnerable and think about what you want to convey in writing.
And maybe that’s why it feels so vulnerable.
From “WYD?” to “Dear You”
Our everyday conversations are built for convenience and efficiency.
“WYD?”
“LOL.”
“Did you see that TikTok I sent you?”
“I’m dead.”
There’s nothing wrong with that.
However, that is not the intention behind a letter.
You don’t write a letter to someone because you want or expect an automatic reply. You write because you want your words to have an impact on them and give them something from you to keep and reread.
The Friendship Letter Challenge
So, let’s bring back the art—at least for a day.
I challenge you to write a friendship love letter.
Not a romantic one. Not a confession. Just an unapologetically sentimental letter to someone you love as a friend.
- Pick a friend. Your roommate, your best friend from home, your childhood friend who now lives states away—anyone.
- Write something you wouldn’t normally text. Tell them what you appreciate about them, a memory you never want to forget, or simply why you’re glad they’re in your life.
- Make it tangible. Hand-deliver it, leave it somewhere they’ll find it, or put it in the mail.
Maybe the reason this is a dying art isn’t because of the invention of quick communication.
Maybe we just let that be an excuse to take the easy way out and be less personal with those closest to us.
And if writing to your best friend makes you sound like a lovesick Victorian poet for five minutes?
Embrace it. Lean into it.
Yearning is in. Hop on the train. Your friends deserve love letters too.