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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46958
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46958
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Writing to friends and family, you can dispose with formality. You don't need a "structure". "Stream of consciousness" is how such letters were written before computers, before you could rearrange what you have already written. That's how informal letters are written still.

I would start a letter with asking about the other person - that's just being polite. If there's something the other person wrote to you that you wish to comment on, you can do that early on too.

If you have anything important to tell, that should come right after. You are implying importance by way of placing information where the reader would see it soonest. (Same as newspaper articles, except that you can probably expect the person on the other end to actually finish reading your letter.)

If a subject rises naturally from a subject that you've previously spoken of, it makes sense for it to follow. You create a sort of chain of ideas this way. A useful connecting phrase is "speaking of..."

Alternatively, if some idea is entirely unrelated to what you've been talking of before, you can make the transition by way of a phrase like "I have also been meaning to tell you...", for example. Or, if the person to whom you're writing is likely to get the reference, "and now for something completely different".

While you don't need to follow any sort of formal structure, you should still separate ideas into distinct paragraphs. Nobody wants to read a wall of text.

Keep some uplifting idea for last, so the letter overall ends on a positive note. Add some sort of best wishes, and sign.

Original score: 4