Have you ever written a love letter to someone who doesn't exist?

No, but this sounds like it would make a great movie. I'm starting up a production company called Greymoran Productions. Would you like to send me a script? Of course I leave total control of the filmmaking process to the screenwriter. I encourage writers to direct their own projects. All I ask is that you let me slap my label on it, and yours et.

I wrote letters to my daughter years before she was born. Like most everything of personal sentiment (lp records, drawings, jewelry, etc.), I got rid of them when she was two and I was undergoing a complete spiritual transfomation. She's 14 now, and just as I envisioned 27 years ago. I kinda wish I could reread what i once wrote.

It was set as a project when I was in school in English by my teacher who used to wear corduroy dungarees and multi-coloured earrings (danglier the better).
I find that behaviour to be disturbing and possibly indicative of a psychiatric disorder.

I've never done that. I used to write letters to people that didn't exist, but never love letters. When I was little we didn't have much money so our birthday and Christmas presents were always very creative. One time my mum made me a farmyard, she painted a board like a field (including a pond and a mud patch for the pigs) and made walls out of blocks of wood and buildings out of thick cardboard (with corrugated cardboard roofs). Then she bought me some farm animals.

Um, that went off at a bit of a tangent, I'll get back to the point now!

For either my second birthday or the Christmas right after (I can't tell from the photos - all my birthday pictures have a Christmas tree in the background) my mum made me a post-box. It was just a cardboard box that she'd painted red with a slot near the top and a door in the front. I got lots of paper, some pens and a little child-proof stapler so I could make my own envelopes. That was so much fun! I loved that postbox

When I was in infant school (4-7) we used to take it in turns to sort the Christmas cards that had been posted in the school's internal postbox. We used to sort the cards into classes and stamps each envelope with a rubber stamp. Then one person would put all the cards in a satchel and another person would put on a postman's hat (a real one!) and they'd go round delivering the letters. It was a real honour to do that.

Aah, to be a little kid again

It was getting to sound like a Charles Dickens story there for a moment.

Well that's the interesting thing.....

My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.

The rest of my life's story deals with how I was left the name Biggles by an anonymous donor (who I currently think must be that old lady down the road - the one who got jilted at the altar) and came to live in the big city (Sheffield) where I hope to make my fortune.

I'm not too sure how the rest of my life is going to go......I'm sure I'll have a very easy life

Biggles. I've always assumed you were a boy then I went through last week assuming you were a girl now I've got you down as a boy.
Should I ask or is it more amusing not to know.
Still curious though (see three people on an island survey)

no, i haven't. i can't understand the reason that someone would do this especially since the feeling/true emotion wouldn't be there.

Well, if I tell you that my real name is neither Biggles nor Philip, but is in fact Claire, that should give you a clue

I've written love letters to loves that didn't exist anymore.

What a romantic notion! Was he practicing or something?

Man I would have to be pretty dang lonely or disturbed to do that.Not that theres anything wrong with it.

It sucks enough to have to write a love letter, why would I want to write one to someone who doesn't exist?

LOL
Good point!

Yes, when I was maybe eight or nine, I wrote a lot of "pretend" letters. Some love letters, but mostly those braggy Christmas newsletter things. You know, JIm is the CEO of Goodyear now, but still builds churches in his spare time. Patti, our bubbly teenager is cute, popular, and gets good grades. Her hobbies are surfing in our Olympic size pool and roller skating across the Grand Canyon.

No, I'm not mental!

No. I haven't.

No.

Actually, I have done that before. Heh. It was just one of those things.

He is just delusional and in love with an imaginary woman. She isn't even a PERFECT imaginary woman, she has flaws. Some major.

The thing is, he is REALLY in love with her. And it's no doubt why, she is lovely. Even you get that sense.

It begs the question, if we can have other real emotions over imaginary situations, why not love?
(Giggles).

Of course... other issues are dealt with.. like how when you fall in love you oftentimes throw away the rest of your life... (hey, its true), lose your old friends or distance from them, etc. A bunch of things which are NOT preferable under normal circumstances but are considered okay because you are in love.

Well, my character starts moving apart from his friends. Rearranging his life goals. Giving up certain dreams. Over this woman. But there is no woman. :). He even rejects an opportunity with a wonderful, real, woman. Why? Because he's in love with Elizabeth, that's why.

That would make a great movie I bet. How about Ben Affleck as the lead? KIDDING! I was actually thinking of Hank Azaria.

(Giggles). That's kind of a raw deal, huh? Nah, if I wanted to make a movie, I've got my own people. :).

Unless you are interested in funding the project, in which case I'd be more than happy to put your label on it, AND use your people. Hehe.

Well it's an upstart company, and by upstart I mean we haven't made anything. And by we I mena me and my step-grandfather. We've got the outline for our first script written down somewhere. Since you would do it with your own people can I at least give some advice? Use 16MM film. I know it's considered primitive what with all the digital movie cameras around now, but 16MM film can give films the right feel. For example, Clerks and Chasing Amy.

You seem to love your characters so much! So do I, it's the basis of good writing. Read this.
http://www.webspawner.com/users/phoebeswriting/index.html

what the hell. thats not only sad but incredibly pathetic

I do some writing of my own.

http://www.geocities.com/thelicc/LoganNew.doc

I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make-believe it came from you.
I'm gonna write words so so sweet
It's gonna knock you off of your feet.
I'll put kisses at the bottom
Like the way you do.

Letter Song- Louie Armstrong

Eh, each has their own... moment. I tend to prefer video for small cast, enclosed set, drama. It makes the people seem modern, real, and NOW. Here even. Crisp and Sharp.

In a small cast drama conveted to film, there aren't enough open spaces over which the film can show it's magic. It may even risk looking awkward.

Of course, I'd never do anything with hand-helds, that's just plain annnnnoooyyyyyiiingggggg.

Not that it's even a consideration, my budget would make that decision for me.
Not that I'd invest the energy into making it happen. :)

There is certainly an emotion to that which is nice to feel. A longing even. Yes yes. :)

Jason Kiehart, huh?
Ah, yes, discontent and perpetual doging in the distant future...

I love hearing stories about your childhood! (Never thought I'd be saying that to someone less than half my age.) It sounds like you have wonderful parents. Even though they didn't have much money when you were small, it sounds like your mum always went to a lot of trouble to make sure you had fabulous birthday gifts. That homemade stuff is worth far more than anything money could buy because of all the love that goes into it.

All my love letters have been written to a very real and beautiful woman...
*sigh* ...I wonder where she could be now.

Oh! There she is in the livingroom! Lucky me!

I'm the lucky one......
*sighs*

I've never done it, but I wouldn't say there's anything wrong or disturbing about it. It is not indicative of a psychiatric disorder. Creative writing is a perfectly normal, harmless and healthy outlet.

Actually Jason is a hard working warriror. He's loyal to his crew, and commands his own fighter squadron, the Banshees. He is armed with a katana and an uzi, and he has an attitude. His forte is to piss off his enemies, so that thye might make a mistake.

16mm. A good director can make it work for a monologue. Eraser-head, as an extreme example. Unless you wan't a bora-bora-bora sit-com, that is.

Excellent plot subject. I can relate. So often I have to test faith between what only I could expect, and what society would suggest as pragmatic possibility.

While I don't write love letters per say to women who don't exist, I do write poetry that is directed to a woman- but it's not like I am thinking up some fake person to write to- it's more like I am expressing the feelings I would probably have for a woman if I was in a relationship right now- many poets do this.

I've written ones to a people who were real (but I don't have a clue what I said) I was young a the time. I don't put much stock in them. I think actions are more truthful. I've gotten them too but destroyed them long ago. As for imaginary, no, but whatever rows your boat, I guess....

That's perfectly normal. I don't write love poems, but I've written about situations I've never been in, as though I were the person in the situation. Someone told me that was weird, but it was a very sheltered, judgmental person and I didn't believe her.

No

That is so cool! I'm going to do that now.

Er.. I kinda guessed it wasn't Biggles.
Do you consider typically girly?

Do I consider what typically girly?

Uhhh, no.

Whoops! Yourself. But hey what is typically girly.

I don't know what typically girly is, but it isn't me!

I figured that. Thanks.

Not a love letter. I don't know if it counts, but after my Grandad died and was cremated, I wrote a letter to him and then burnt it. I fugered that way it might get to the same place as he was going.

I haven't, but I think It's a good idea, because it's a healthy way to get your thoughts out of your system rather then holding it all inside.

no, i haven't. i have loved someone who doesn't exist. i have tried "to find a woman who's never been born." i convinced myself that i found her and watched her change. but i never stopped loving her, even when everything she was, was gone.