i.
I love you. I've never said that, have I? Not to you. But I really love you, and I know that I shouldn't, but I do. First you were my friend's. Now, I'm not so sure you should be mine. We're different, but still friends, and even thought it's not a good idea, I want to be more. I still daydream that one day, we'll play opposite each other in Much Ado About Nothing. You'd be Benedick, I'd be Beatrice. We met in a theater, and I think it would only be right if theater was the reason we got closer.
ii.
I really miss you. You were my favorite kid in that camp I served as a counselor for. You reminded me of myself, and I live with regret that I didn't give your parents my number so I could babysit you. Who knows? Maybe our paths will cross next summer, maybe not. But I hope they do. I really hope.
iii.
I'm sorry, but it was never meant to be. You had your friends, and I had mine. I remember longingly wanting to be your partner when our second grade classes would pair up. You seemed so cool, like a girl I'd want to hang with. It seemed like our friendship was working through middle school, what with all the class projects we partnered on, but I think our friendship was just doomed to fail. And that's how it'll always be. We're just too different.
iv.
I think I love you too. You make sense. You're an adorable nerd and I love that. I love how I can make you laugh, so hard that you cough loudly and scare the people next to us. You're so much smarter than I'll ever be, and yet there are still some things you'll never be good at. I love hearing you mispronounce words, just so I can correct them. You seem like the right choice. But you know me. I'm always second-guessing.
v.
You don't know my name, and I don't know yours. We played at the same recital, and studied strings under the same tutelage. You might remember me as the girl who had to stop three times in the middle of her piece because she messed up. You've seen me crying, at first softly, trying to hold in the tears until the recital finished, and then after, when the floodgates of proper societal decorum were broken and the tears flowed freely. It's strange to think a stranger has seen me sobbing like there was no tomorrow. But your Hungarian Folk Dance in E minor was great. Just so you know.
vi.
Hey. You know me. I helped you shelve books, and find books to spotlight in the display cases. You weren't the branch manager, but in my mind, you ran the joint. To you, I was probably another ditzy teen who volunteered at the library just for the service hours, and that I'd stop once my service hour quota was filled. And you were right, I did stop volunteering. But not because I'd fulfilled my hours. It was because you left. It just wasn't the same.
vii.
I miss you. I know I don't have the right to say that (I was the bad friend, after all) but still. You were my bus buddy, my French class ami. You and I had so much fun together, talking about how the best place to burn down a school would be from the library, and how much you hated your parents. You were my first real crush, even though everyone said you were gay. Now, I've become one of those people. (It's only a matter of time before the closet opens.)
viii.
I can say "I love you" to you without feeling guilty because you literally raised me. Even though Mom and I are both female, you and I always had the most in common. We share a fondness for puzzles, puns, and Shakespeare. We both worry entirely too much. I have a name in your native tongue, which you spoke to me in hopes that I'd pick it up. (I didn't. At least not well.) You're a special one, Dad, because I can say "I'm sorry" and "I love you" to you and mean them both equally.
ix.
I'd like to thank you, actually. You inspired me to keep drawing. Even though we've never met in person, you saw all the drawings I sent your way and showered them with love. I made your real-life boyfriend jealous because I drew you a better partner. (It was a spider, but still.) Even though we're probably hundreds of miles apart, you supported my hidden dream better than anyone else in my life. So thanks.
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140,137 Literary Works • 673,032 Reviews
Hello! This post gives us several things to appreciate. First of all, it's pretty well-written. Although it isn't eloquent, it's honest and it sounds like you're just talking to these people from your heart. I don't think I found any spelling or punctuation errors.
I like how these letters progress from one person to another. At first, it was a little confusing, because you never specified that they were each directed to separate individuals, but it became clear eventually. It's a cool idea. Writing these unsent letters is a great way to unburden your heart from all the feelings.
Again, this unique work has several admirable qualities. Keep writing!
Thank you for your thoughts!
Hey! I don't know if this is real or not, but either way I liked this. If this isn't real, then I like this character and all the relationships they have. This was well written and I think it could be so much more. If this is real, well... I'm glad you got some things off your chest.
I'm glad you enjoyed! And I think we both know whether this is real or not ^_^
^_^
I understand how this exercise can definitely make you feel good. You finally get to say what you long to say to these people, bluntly and honestly, without worrying about how honesty might ruin the relationship.
In addition, there are classic relationships visible in this set of letters. A crush, the "right choice", an old friend, a new friend, dad, a betrayed friend, a stranger, a celebrity. I bet if you went beyond these short letters and tried to work these relationships into scenes and moments you might be on your way to a novel. I would like to see how the interaction with the online celebrity affects other relationships. Would it make the "right choice" more enamored with the narrator? Would she have to hide it from the crush because she thinks he doesn't like "that kind of stuff"? Would he actually like it? What secrets would we find out about each of these characters that even the narrator doesn't know right now?
These are the guts from which any story is born.
I don't think it is necessarily worth working to revise these small letters, as they are just meant to get the feelings off your chest and not be shown. But you might change them into a story OR you might even end up changing them into letters for those people that you would want to send. See where the honesty gets you.
I hope some of these thoughts make sense and are helpful to you.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Hannah
Thank you so much for reviewing! I will definitely consider turning this piece into a story, now that you've mentioned it.
Hello!
VioletFantasy here to give you a quick review for review day. I really enjoyed reading your sweet letters! Each one was unique in its own way and reflects your relationship with that person. They were very entertaining and full of emotion. Now, onto the specifics.
Your first letter seems like it is written to someone the narrator wishes they could be with, but can't be with since it is their friend's ex. Love can come from the most unexpected people. The Benedick and Beatrice comparison was a really sweet and witty idea. It ties in the part about theater nicely.
I think I liked this letter the most. They are all so wonderful though, so it’s hard to pick! This one was particularly interesting to me because there has been several occasions where I wish I had a way to contact someone I had randomly met and will probably never see again. I can’t help but think what would have happened if I had stayed in touch with them. You describe these feelings perfectly in your writing!
A lot of friendships don’t work out. You both may try to be friends, but you don’t have enough in common. The wording in this letter was especially enjoyable. The “doomed to fail” part seemed to be a little dramatic, but in the best way! It was very entertaining.
This letter is talking about a different crush who loves the narrator back. I really enjoyed how you described the crush beautifully. All of their habits and characteristics were interesting and fit perfectly into the letter. The readers can clearly tell how much this person means to the narrator. I do have one suggestion for these two sentences:
I think it might help the flow if you combined these two sentences with a comma. That’s just a suggestion, feel free to ignore it!
Oooh, this one was cool. I feel like I’m the narrator in this one. I took band in middle school and was never very good at it. I didn’t actually cry during a performance, but I definitely have gotten upset over one. It is weird, thinking about strangers seeing you crying. This letter has really made me think.
I don’t have much to say about the sixth letter, other than it is amazing. Oh, and I really want to volunteer at a library xD.
It’s always sad when old friendships fizzle out, but at least you have all of the memories. I feel like I learned a lot about this person from just a paragraph. Memories are great for explaining what people are like.
This one made me go “awww”! I am definitely closer to my dad than to my mom, so I can really relate to this. We have a lot of the same interests and he just seems to understand me. The last line in this letter is what got me the most:
This is so deep and important. Everyone should have a person in their lives that they can talk to in this way.
Online friends can be very helpful, along with online communities. It somehow seems easier to boost up people that you don’t know. I love YWS mainly because of all the supportive people. This letter is really nice. Kind people deserve recognition and thanks.
I’m sorry this is so long, but I just wanted to make sure that I mentioned each letter. I really enjoyed this!! Keep writing!
Thanks for your thoughts! I really enjoyed reading your review!