My sister and I are very organized when it comes to Christmas -- but in different ways. She is on top of gift getting. Her presents are all purchased and wrapped to perfection two weeks in advance. Whereas I am all about sending cards out. I hand-write a few each...

On November 25th St. Martins Press will release a book that has already been published--from my quick count--at least five times. This isn't the sixth printing of one book, but rather the sixth different book with a seemingly varied title but the exact same core material. The sixth time is...

Have you noticed that journalists and talk show hosts alike cite the ever-rising divorce rate like it's a bad thing?

Okay, so maybe it's not the BEST thing either, but it's not discussed often enough what a personal triumph ending a relationship can be. Maybe you made a mistake--got...

I once had a boyfriend. He once read my journal. He read all about me sleeping with another man. I no longer had a boyfriend.

In the end, it helped our situation. The relationship had been over for a while, for me anyway, and I was too much of...

I was on the phone with a friend last night and he said, "Do you know who Dick Cavett is?" I perked up and responded, "I do, and I've been meaning to blog about him." I knew the seemingly random but cosmically governed mention of Dick's name meant I could...

Us non-moms can occasionally be caught running our mouths off about child rearing. We operate under the illusion that we'll raise little soldiers who mind their manners and never cry at restaurants.

I was once guilty of these intermittent comments. Then one day my mother shared with me an...

I'm here to (gladly!) report that other people are the most inaccurate measuring stick you will ever hold up to yourself.

Hi, my name is Samara, and I've been single for six years.

Hi Samara.

Oh no, sorry--wrong group of people.

Anyway, as a long-term...

I know what you're thinking. What kind of horrible human coward writes a break-up letter!? My friend Paul gave me this lecture once--though he gave it the nicest way possible. You see Paul is a great guy. He is a thoughtful, dignified person and would only break up with a...

Who knew? If you didn't know then it's understandable, but there's really no excuse for me--someone who wrote a book on letter writing--not to know. I first learned April was National Card and Letter Writing month last year through a contest Crane and Co. was having called The Letters...

I don't like the concept of prenuptial agreements.

To me, drawing one up is like planning the divorce before the wedding takes place. That being said, however, I've been known to stray from my beliefs considering the circumstance. For example, when Britney announced she'd marry Kevin with no prenup...

I caught Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz on CNN last night standing in staunch defense of Eliot Spitzer. He named men such as Jefferson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Clinton who were great presidents despite their extramarital affairs. He went on to express his hope that Spitzer will not resign because a...

I was a late-comer to all the social networking Web sites. I joined Friendster in September 2005 to spy on a boy I liked. Friendster was all the rage in 2003 and my friend (read: distant acquaintance) Dave, went so far as to say, "Did you really just join?" As...

There's just something about the sign-off. The absence of an e-mail closing, even if it's from someone you know well, makes the message seem cold and abrupt. A thoughtful ending, however, whether it's polite and professional or a clever conclusion from a friend, can verify the tone of the e-mail...

I attended a lecture series a few weeks back that was held in the parish hall of an Episcopal church. Just before the last class began, I ended up speaking with the head priest about e-mail. He's a stereotypical Anglican priest -- white hair, British -- yet irreverent enough to...

My favorite feature of letters -- the written word in general really -- is the immortality factor. Cognizant thoughts can go on to inform and enlighten long after the person who wrote them has gone. In the book How to Write: Advice and Reflections (1996) author Richard Rhodes says, "Only...

If you're like me, charity work is something you really want to do--someday. Someday when you're older and not working so hard, when you have more time and money to spare. You'd really like to help make a difference for someone somewhere, but now is the time to look out...

It doesn't happen often, but once in a while it does happen. I'll think to myself that it's time to shut down my little letter-writing service and call it a day. I've done it for almost three years--long enough to say I did it and to know what it's...

It's not too late--to send holiday cards that is. I just bought my stack the other day. I'm sure some of you were hoping it was too late as cards can be quite a chore. It's not nearly as tedious if you liken sending the card to sending a smile...

I once had a boyfriend who had a pet peeve. This pet peeve was unique and contagious--I eventually caught a strain of it myself. It drove him visibly mad anytime someone would lament out loud, "It's such a shame that the world is getting worse." Whenever it's implied in his...

First, a confession: I love the subject matter of this book too much to give it anything but two thumbs up. In my defense, however, I'll go so far as to say that I think most people are prone to agree with me. When I tell passersby that I write...