When I was younger I was an avid letter writer. I still am. I wrote to companies praising or criticizing their products. I wrote to celebrities, to politicians, to authors, to anyone about anything that aroused my interest. And amazingly most people wrote back. It was very encouraging to a teenager to get free samples from a leading manufacturer or a letter from a famous person like Marcia Davenport telling me she had no interest in selling her bestselling novel, My Brother's Keeper, to Hollywood. In the past ten years, I have probably written over 400 letters and gotten fewer than ten replies. In many cases I had to do tiresome research since so many companies and individuals are secretive about their locations. The rudest non-responders to my letters are all three news networks, Publix markets, Starbucks, and Freedom from Religion. The two responses that I most valued were from highly successful and busy musical giants: Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Sondheim. Should I stop writing? No. It's still satisfying to get an idea or gripe off my chest even if so many people have lost the ability to correspond.
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