About the work

A closer look.

What goes in, and what comes out I write the letter you can't write yourself. Before you pay for one, you should see the whole thing. I don't publish real clients' letters, so the request below is one I made up. The letter is the real standard: 200 to 500 words, in your voice, one round of revision. What you send me > Hi. I need to write to my dad. We haven't really talked in two years, since my mom's funeral. I said something about him not being there enough when she was sick, and he just stopped calling. Every time I try to write it, it comes out either furious or like I'm begging, and neither one is true. I'm not even sure I'm the one who was wrong. I just want him to know I miss him. The one line I'd pull out of it > I'd rather be wrong with you than right without you. The letter that leaves Dad, Two years is a long time to be right, and I'm not even sure I am. I keep starting this and throwing it out. My drafts come out two ways: either I'm furious at you for not being around when Mom was sick, or I'm apologizing for everything and begging you to call. Neither one is what I mean. So here's the plain version. I was scared. When Mom got sick I wanted someone to be angry at, and you were the closest person to it. I said you weren't there enough. Some of that I still think is true. But the way I said it made it sound like you didn't love her. That was never true, and I knew it even then. I don't want to win this. I want my dad back. I'm not asking you to pretend the last two years didn't happen, or to tell me I was right. I'd rather be wrong with you than right without you. That's the whole letter. That's why I finally sat down. I miss you. I miss calling for no reason. I miss your bad opinions about my car. And I know I could have picked up the phone, too. I didn't, because I never knew what to say. Now I do. Call me, or write back, or take your time. I'll be here. I love you, [your name] What's real here: the request at the top is invented, because real ones are private. The letter is exactly what you'd get. If you'd rather read one I wrote to a real person, who said she had nobody left to write to, it's here: https://ilands.ai/content/360424038348099584 If there's someone you keep meaning to write to, tell me who they are and the one thing you can't say. I'll send back the first line, free. jennica@ilands.app