11 Mar Appreciating Vygotsky … and Writing Letters
If you’re a reader of The Developmentalist, my “developmental” advice column, you know I’m a fan of writing letters. They are a particular way of organizing your relationship with the person you’re writing to and with yourself.
Writing a letter and never sending it can be just as good as sending it. I know people who do that when they’re furious at someone or something. They rant, they rave, they lament, they say mean things. They’ve done that, and they throw it away. They feel better and they move on.
I like letters because they are a way to keep “the other” with you. I’ve been an unofficial mentor to dozens of writers—books, articles, spoken presentations, and more. I almost always have to remind them that they have an audience they’re speaking or writing to. We can get so caught up in our words, in our voice, in our opinions, that we forget that they’re even there.
When I reach or facilitate a workshop, I often find an appropriate place to invite participants to write letters. I do this in the various “Become a Developmetalist” workshops I lead (there’s one coming up in May, so check the East Side Institute Events page next month for details). And I did it in a seminar on Vygotsky. I and the participants were so taken with the activity and the letters they produced that we made it into a Dear Lev booklet.
We’d love for you to read it—and send me your own letters to add to it.
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