How to Write a Fan Letter

Series Summary

Good writing is an important skill that can be used in a variety of media. Whether it's writing a meeting agenda, a toast, or a magazine article, the ability to effectively communicate to a large audience stems from knowledge and execution of proper writing techniques. With such knowledge comes an understanding of the distinct differences in writing styles between creative writing, journalism, technical writing and informal writing. Teachers need to have a broad source of knowledge in order to be able to answer the variety of questions that students will posit to them. In this free video series, a writing instructor and former classroom teacher provides tips on writing, as well as strategies for teachers. Discover how to write a campaign speech and biography, and then learn how to teach intensive phonics and cursive handwriting. Take education to a whole new level with writing and teaching advice from a professional!

Video Transcript

"Hi, this is Laura from youngwritersworkshops.com, and I'm going to talk about how to write a fan letter. Now, writing a fan letter can be a good way to get some practice in writing. You can really motivate kids to write fan letters, to someone that they're really interested in, and really admire, so this could be a good project for a kid to do. You want to write your fan letter in the appropriate letter writing format, so you begin with Dear, and then the name of the person. If it's an older adult, or an adult, usually using the proper title, such as Mr. or Miss, is more appropriate and a last name. If it's someone who is more of a peer, then using first names is fine, and use a comma after the address, after the salutation, and then begin the letter by stating why you're writing. Whether it's to express thanks for their work, or just to say, give them a specific compliment, or you can start by introducing yourself, saying a little bit about who you are, and why you're writing. Be sure to include language that's, use proper language. Don't use bad grammar, and be sure to use complete sentences, in your fan letter. This just makes it more readable. It shows respect for the reader, so even if it's a fairly casual letter that you're writing, be sure to proofread it and edit it, so that it's readable, and easy for the person to access. Now, you also want to be careful about being perceived as a stalker, so just try to pay attention to the kinds of things that you're saying in your fan letter, so that it doesn't feel invasive in any way to the reader, so just to sum it up, write a letter using proper English, and spelling, and punctuation. Express your reason for writing and say a little bit about yourself, and be sure not to overstep boundaries. Those are some ideas about how to write a fan letter."