Etiquette may sound like a bunch of rules that you’re supposed to follow, though at the end of the day, etiquette is simply guidelines for making our personal and professional relationships more relaxed and successful. We are far more likely to feel at ease when we know what others are expecting from us. The use of etiquette when writing a letter, like the etiquette used in other areas, centers around three essential ideas: common sense, civility and practice.

Common Sense

Common sense is the basis of etiquette. For example, when you’re writing an invitation you need to include the essential information if your want your guests to actually come to the party. They need to know the specifics, like time, date, and location. An invitation, if worded properly, includes all that information and announces it in a way that is to the point and easy to understand. The rules of etiquette are there to help you accomplish just that.

Civility

When civility is used, relationships are strengthened and become more rewarding. It requires us to be more understanding of others. The guidelines of etiquette might not always seem proper. If the guidelines you’re trying to use seem like they might offend someone, let civility take over. Find a way to be proper in your actions and wording that also takes the unique audience and situations into account, since the last thing you want to do is offend a loved one.

Practice

The third idea is practice. The old adage, "practice makes perfect," has certainly proven true in your life, so why not in your use of etiquette. By practicing, you make proper etiquette more common and people who do not use etiquette in their correspondence may indeed take up the practice as well. Practice also helps you take an etiquette guideline that civility says disagrees with your situation and vary it to fit without doing extra research.

Spur of the moment situations
Invitations aren’t just for dinner parties and formal events. Impress your friends by sending invitations to everyday events. You never know, a hand written invitation might encourage them to come, which will encourage you to entertain more. Here are a few everyday spur of the moment events for which blank note cards would make the perfect invitations.

• Ladies day out
  Our Pastel Border Note Assortment is the perfect note card to use when organizing a Ladies’ Day.
• Father/son go if outing
  Your guys will be the talk of the green when you use our "Hole in One" Correspondence Cards to announce tee time.
• Prayer Group
  Our Golden Cross Cards are the perfect way to let people know when the next meeting is.
• Dinner with extended family members
  Why not invite the family over for dinner, you have to cook any way right? They’ll be happy to come when they receive your invitation in the mail when it’s written on our Favorite Hand Bordered Notes.
• Children ‘s play dates
  Our Swizzle Notes are the perfect way to invite friends to a day at the park.
• Beach Trips
  Our Starfish correspondence cards are a great way to invite friends and family to a day of fun and sun at the beach.
• Movie Night
  For an invitation to movie night any blank note card will do, but why not do it with style and use our Jet Black Hand Bordered Correspondence Cards. Be sure to remember the popcorn!
• Game Night
  Impress even the biggest game enthusiast with an invitation written on our "Cards, Anyone?’ Cards.
• Book Club
  Our Bibliophile Correspondence Cards are perfect for book club meeting reminders.
• Going Away Parties
  Use our Bon Voyage! Correspondence Cards for invitations to any farewell party.

Everyone should have at least one set of blank note cards. A blank note card is perfect for a variety of uses. Having a set of blank notes in your stationery collection will keep you prepared for any occasion. Here are a few situations when a blank note card will be perfect.

Last minute dinner invitations

Just because the dinner party is last minute doesn’t mean you should call people to invite them. Phone calls not only take up a lot of time, but it also makes your friends feel obligated to make a decision right then. Sending invitations frees up some time for you and it gives your friends some time to decide. Don’t send emails either. Put your blank note cards to use and write a quick "invitation". Here are some tips to help you turn your note cards into inviting invitations:

• Casual and simple
  "Stop by next Saturday for a cookout. Burgers, drinks, and games are on us. Plan on eating around 6:30 and feel free to stay as long as you’d like. Be sure to bring big appetites, music, and good sports!"
• A more formal event
  "Please join us for a Sunday morning brunch complete with champagne mimosas. Coffee, tea and a variety of delicious treats! Sunday February 22 at 10:00 am to 12:30 at Jessica’s house. Please let me know if you plan on coming.
• Extra uses for your blank note cards
  Write out the menu for the meal and put a few copies on each table.
  Write individual place cards for each person to make a seating arrangement.
  Make tags for the food on the buffet so the guests know what’s what.

Belated Birthday Cards

There’s nothing worse than forgetting someone’s birthday. Why make a trip to the store and make the card any later than it has to be? Use one of the blank note cards you have on hand and get it sent that much sooner. Here’s an idea for writing a birthday greeting that will help them forget it’s late:

Happy Belated Birthday Leah! I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there to help you celebrate the big day. Sorry this note didn’t quite make it in time either. I hope you had a great day and I wish you lots of happiness in the year to come. You deserve it! Lots of love as you begin your 27th year. Let’s get together soon to celebrate!

Love, Jessica

Passive sentence structures are also common mistakes in letter writing. Rarely does the passive voice in a sentence work well. Programs that track sentence structure and can alert you to when you have just written a sentence with a passive voice are helpful. It bears repeating, however, that these software programs are not without shortcomings in catching all mistakes. Visually check your letters for mistakes in conjunction with using any of these software programs designed to root them out for you.

Not understanding how to use punctuation symbols in sentences is another of the common mistakes in letter writing. Placing unnecessary commas in sentences can confuse and irritate readers. Punctuation symbols used incorrectly can change the tone and message of your letter in unintended ways. Learn how to use punctuation correctly.

Let the run-on-sentence not be forgotten as one of the common mistakes in letter writing. Many people struggle with when to stop a train of thought or how to properly punctuate a compound sentence (really two complete sentences in one). It can be agonizing trying to determine the perfect spot to end a sentence with a period, and thus begin a new one -- or where to place a comma, or when to use a semi-colon instead. For the average writer, it is best to read your sentence aloud. This is often the most helpful tool for determining where one sentence needs to end and another begin.

Unintentionally focusing your letter more on yourself and not on the letter recipient is another of the common mistakes in letter writing. Be stingy about using "I" in your letters except where necessary in the context of a particular sentence or paragraph. "You" places the focus where it should be -- on the letter recipient. Use this word as often as possible in the natural flow of your letters.

Wordiness is another of the common mistakes in letter writing. Most of us are very busy people. We do not want to have to spend a lot of time reading something that is ripe with unnecessary wordage cloaked around the real message contained in the letter. The shortest path to what you want a reader to know by reading your letter is always the best path. Pay attention to coherence as well. People do not want to read a letter that is all over the map. There needs to be a sensible and sequential flow of ideas and points made in your letters.

Look for these common writing mistakes in your letters, and fix them before they leave your home or office.