Thank You Notes is a monthly prompt that focuses on expressing our thanks to a particular person, place, or thing — in poems, paragraphs, or pictures. This month, we’re crafting thank you’s to Thank You Notes (the hand-written kind).
The other day I wrote a thank you note to a friend who gave us tickets to a theater performance. First I selected a card and envelope from my mix-and-match set. Then I found a good pen and wrote my thanks by hand. Finally, I hunted and gathered a stamp. The exercise took less than 10 minutes, but I know he will smile when he receives our note. I know that because we smiled when he sent us a hand-written thank you note after we had him over for dinner.
Next month we’re going to launch a new writing prompt called By Hand. It’s about things we do with our hands — like write thank you notes — and how doing them can relieve depression and improve our writing voice. Look for By Hand in December.
For now, let’s write one last thank you note to thank you notes themselves.
Prompt Guidelines and Options
1. Be specific. Think nouns instead of adjectives. If you are crafting a pictorial thanks, show us something unusual or intriguing that we might not have otherwise noticed if we hadn’t seen your picture.
2. Consider fitting the form of your poem, paragraph, or picture to mirror the nature of the person, place, or thing to which you are expressing thanks. A sonnet is different from a villanelle, for instance. Maybe one would be more fitting than the other.
3. Consider playing Taboo and try writing without using the words and phrases thanks, thank you, gratitude, or grateful.
4. Consider doing a little research about your subject: its history, associated words (and their etymologies), music, art, sculpture, architecture, fashion, science, and so on. Look for unusual details.
That’s it! We look forward to your creative thank you notes.
Photo by David Fulmer, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Megan Willome, author of The Joy of Poetry.
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Bethany R. says
Looking forward to reading folks’ poems. What kind of pen is your “good” one? 🙂 I love my little Pentel Energel—flows nicely and doesn’t smear.
Katie says
Uniball SIGNO 207 – soooo smoooth – luv it:)
Megan Willome says
I am particular about pencils, but not pens. I will write a thank you note with any old thing.
Laurie Klein says
Yes yes, let’s breathe new life into handwritten correspondence! Cool ideas, Megan. #3 and#4 arrest me. Looking forward to more in December . . .
Megan Willome says
Thanks, Laurie!
Katie says
After doing a little Google-Wiki searching I have new knowledge about Thanksgiving and a great appreciation for the woman who saved it. Here in these cinquains I attempt to pay tribute to the efforts of Sara Hale.
Sara
you kept writing
and writing and writing
those letters for thirty-six years
Thank you.
&
Thank you
Mrs. Sara
Hale, for not giving up
but persisting with persuasive
letters.
&
So now,
we remember
to give thanks ev’ry year
for bountiful blessings and more
grateful.
&
Grateful,
we remember
you Sara, for saving
our Thanksgiving celebration
Thank you.
Megan Willome says
Very impressed, Katie! I think Sara Hale would be, too.
Katie says
Thank you, Megan:)
Sure admire a person who would work so long and selflessly for a cause!
Sharon A Gibbs says
I love to write and receive handwritten notes. It’s sad to think that fewer folks still themselves at a writing table and allow ink to flow from heart to hand.
A few weeks ago, my fellow TSP “Words You Can Taste” workshoppers and I shared our thoughts on this very topic. Our mailboxes soon contained notes written by hand that put smiles on our faces.
Another surprise arrived two days ago. My friend Rhonda made a notecard with one of her photos by setting her Nikon on “pencil drawing” and then printed the photo in black and white to create a unique and beautiful artful expression.
Yes, the world is a brighter place when we do things “by hand.”
Megan Willome says
These are such good examples, Sharon. I love that a handwritten thank you note does something for both the writer and the reader.
Eric Tucker says
Amazing!! Being thankful and expressing gratitude is an important part of being happy in life. Thanks for all the special tips you do.