To write a good letter you must plan the layout. You should divide the letter into five or six sections: your address, the date, the address of the person you are writing to (if it is a business letter), the opening greeting (Dear...), the main text (you should decide beforehand the order of what you are going to say), the complimentary close (for example, Best Wishes) and your signature.

Where possible you should type a business letter. However you should write a personal letter, as long as your writing is neat and easy to read. Untidy scribble immediately creates a bad impression.

Choosing blocked or indented styles simply offers a varied layout. Blocked text is where every line starts at the left-hand margin. Indented text is where the first line of every paragraph is inset. Each is correct but you should not mix the two.