Letter Writing Template - Make a Randomized 19th-Century Style Letter

Sep 16, 2026

A practical template for writing a complete letter using a randomized structure. It guides the writer to add a heading with date and location, choose a salutation that fits the relationship, and craft the letter body by selecting a purpose such as thanking, congratulating, visiting, or describing travel. The template also provides 19th-century slang options to incorporate, plus valediction and signature choices, and a short postscript plan.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Letter Writing Template

Heading

Salutation

Letter Body

Part 1: Purpose for Writing

Part 2: Slang and Sayings

Valediction and Signature

Postscript (P.S.)

# Letter Writing Template Directions:For each section,roll the dice.Use the item that corresponds to the number rolled.For example,if I roll a six for my Salutation,I would write "Respected Madam"in my letter,indicating l am addressing awoman I respect highly. # Heading Start with a Heading that lets your recipient know the date and location you are writing from.Often,thisinformation was written in the top right. | Number Rolled | Heading | | --- | --- | | 1 | Goliad,TX,December 6th,1832 | | 2 | Jefferson County,Tennessee,October 31,1835 | | 3 | The Alamo,Bexar,July 21,1826 | | 4 | Gonzales,Texas,August 15,1834 | | 5 | Austin County,November 5,1836 | | 6 | Big Spring,Texas,February 25th,1830 | # Salutation It is customary to start with a Salutation.These are written on the line below the Heading on the left-handside and indicate the relationship between you and the letter's recipient. | Number Rolled | Salutation | | --- | --- | | 1 | To my loving Wife, | | 2 | My beloved Grandfather, | | 3 | Dearest Friend, | | 4 | Honored Sir, | | 5 | To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World, | | 6 | Respected Madam, | ## Letter Body Typically,the Letter Body begins with the reason you are writing the letter,for which there are numerousreasons.These can include saying thank you for something,celebrating or congratulating someone,and evenjust to say hello.To determine what to include in your letter,roll for the Purpose and for a piece of 19th-century slang that you need to include somewhere in your letter. ## Part 1:Purpose for Writing | Number Rolled | Purpose | | --- | --- | | 1 | Tellyour recipient about your perilous journey on the Camino Real from Mexico City to
San Antonio. | | 2 | Thank the recipient for the present they gave you on your birthday. | | 3 | Describe how much you miss your recipient and propose a date to visit them. | | 4 | You just moved to a new town.Tell your recipient what you like and dislike about it. | | 5 | You were a stonemason who was fired.Write to your recipient about the project you
were working on and why you were fired. | | 6 | You just returned home from a vacation.Tell your recipient where you went and what
you did there. | Part 2:Slang and Sayings | Number Rolled | Slang or Saying | | --- | --- | | 1 | Some pumpkins:referring to a person or something that is special
"One of them thinks he's got a [horse]that's some pumpkins."A Quarter Race in Kentucky,p.118 | | 2 | Wake snakes-be mischievous,get into trouble,or get up and going
"So I went on a regular wake snakes sort of a spree,and I went here and there turnin',twistin'and doublin'
about until I didn't know where or who I was,"New Orleans,La.,Times Picayune of Aug.15,1842. | | 3 | Highfaluting-pretentious,fancy
“They were going it on the high faluting order.I heerd one slick-cheeked chap...singing as they were
playing."Spirit of the Times,2 Feb.1839 | | 4 | Absquatulate-leave suddenly
"Two of the loafers [were]committed to prison;the other has absquatulated."The Times-Picayune,1837 | | 5 | Huckleberry above a persimmon-better than something else;a cut above
"It is a huckleberry above my persimmon to cipher out how lfind myself the most popular bookmaker of the
day."Colonel Crockett in Texas,p.13,1836 | | 6 | Man alive-an exclamation;expression of shock or surprise“
Man alive!what do you put yourself in such a plaguy passion for?”Mrs.Kirkland,A New Home,p.168,1840 | ## Valediction and Signature The Valediction is your sign-off and is located on the line beneath the last line of text.Like the Salutation,these also often indicate the relationship between you and your correspondent.For options that say"relationship,"you will fill that in based on the Salutation you used.For example,if l am writing to mygrandfather and I roll a four,my Valediction will

FAQs

How does the template structure the main parts of a letter?

It breaks the letter into a heading, salutation, letter body, valediction and signature, and an optional postscript (P.S.). Each part includes guidance on what to write and where to place it.

What does “roll the dice” mean in this template?

For each section, the writer rolls a number and uses the corresponding option from the table for that part (such as salutation, purpose, slang, valediction, and postscript content).

How should the postscript be written and kept concise?

Start with “P.S.” and write additional or forgotten information on the same line. Keep the postscript typically short—no more than three sentences—and finish by writing your first name on the next line.

Sep 16, 2026

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