1. Determine the purpose of your letter

1. Determine the purpose of your letter. There are several reasons you might write a letter to a friend. Maybe you're catching up after a long time apart or you have something exciting to tell them about. Remember that you can also write a letter to ask how your friend is doing.[1]If you haven't gotten a letter from your friend in a while, you can send a letter to ask if everything is alright or to find out if things have been busy for them.

2 Include your address and the date. Place your current street address in the upper left-hand corner of the letter. It's always a good idea to include this information, because your friend may have lost your address. You should also put the date, so they have a frame of reference for what you're talking about.[2]For example, if you've been writing a lot back and forth, including the date is useful so you can tell if they're responding to a letter that you recently sent them.

3 Plan for how long you want the letter to be. If you'd like to write a quick note, keep it short. For these fast letters, you can use a small notecard. To write a long letter with a lot of information and detail, get out several pages of stationery or a large card.If you don't think you'll be able to fit everything you want to say in a card, use note paper, lined paper or some smart/Pretty stationery. This way you can add extra sheets.

4 Decide if you're going to type or write the letter. Handwriting a letter can make it more personal, but you have to practice good handwriting so your letter is legible. If you like to write in cursive, ensure that your friend can easily read it. It's also fine if you prefer to type up the letter on a computer. Tip: If you're writing a letter to an elderly friend, you may want to type it so you can print it in a larger, easier to read font.

5 Choose a casual salutation. Since you're writing to a friend, keep the salutation casual. You can address the person by name or call them an endearing term. The salutation can also be happy or excited. For example, use:[3]Hello, Joanne! Hi, Jo Dear Joanne Dearest Jo