Which detail belongs in the letter?
A three-minute writing puzzle by Honest Little Apps

A fictional writer wants to tell a friend, “I loved our last breakfast together.” Their notebook records three things from that morning:

• Two chipped plates were stacked on the windowsill.
• Sam slid the last strawberry onto the writer’s plate.
• The writer remembers feeling grateful.

Which line can the writer add without guessing?

A. “You gave me the last strawberry because you knew I was sad.”
B. “You slid the last strawberry onto my plate. I remember being grateful.”
C. “You said, ‘You always get the last strawberry.’”

Pause here and pick a line. Then try writing one of your own.

The editor’s answer

B uses an observed action and the writer’s own feeling. A adds a motive the notebook never records. C supplies an exact quotation the writer cannot verify. The chipped plates are another possible starting point. They place the reader in the room without putting words in Sam’s mouth.

Try it in a letter

Choose an ordinary moment. Write down one thing you saw or heard and one thing you remember feeling. Put them in two short sentences. If the other person’s intention matters, turn your guess into an open question, or leave it out. Keep your draft private if you prefer.

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Editor's note

Honest Little Apps wrote this original column and publishes the free Letter Detail Workshop and the separate Dear You app. Newsletters, writing groups and libraries may reproduce or excerpt this column, print it, or adapt it with credit. This permission covers the original text in this file. Linking is optional. No permission to reuse app artwork or third-party material is implied.

Optional workshop for readers
https://udrwu9c0tjuedqy2.github.io/hla-relationships/dear-you/letter-detail-workshop/