Email and texts were supposes to kill the traditional hand-written letter, but, according to new research, putting pen to papers is as popular as ever. Ed Reed looks a the resurgence of writing and how to write the letters that matter.

The craft of letter writing, we are told, is slowly becoming extinct. That's all thanks to the advent of email, texts and instant messaging, as well as the humble telephone.

Look closer at the statistics, though, and it seems we are writing to each other more than ever. Could it be that email has actually revived the 'lost art' of putting pen to paper?

Throughout the 20th century, the telephone and television battled against the written word, but if we fast forward to the new millennium, the rise of the internet has encouraged everyone to start writing more in all kinds of ways. With technology now at virtually everybody's fingertips, email is replacing many of the letters and memoranda we once sent.

Figures from the International Data Corporation show about 31 billion emails are sent every single day - that's a lot of written material. And the figure is set to double over the next two years.

The internet has helped to completely change the way we communicate. While we may write formally in a letter but speak more freely and chattily on the phone, email seems to combine them both. Back in Victorian times we may have received post four or five times a day, but now we are likely to get numerous electronic missives instead.

It seems that this change has actually given us a new-found confidence and enthusiasm for writing that many thought belonged to the likes of literary figures such as Jane Austen. Today, there are some surprising scribes - socialite Paris Hilton's letters from her time in prison on a driving charge are being published and the steamy love letters between Diana and Captain James Hewitt are now infamous.

According to market research group, Mintel, despite the rise of electronic communication, sales of stationery and writing instruments are expected to reach £605m in the UK by 2011 - that's a rise from £527m in 2005.

And analysts have discovered that letter writing is not seen as outdated, but simply another way of communicating - old and new ways of keeping in touch are starting to complement each other.

It seems that all the new ways of communicating are reminding us of how good it is to stay in touch, particularly at special times of the year. Royal Mail has discovered 60 per cent of us like to receive a handwritten letter as a seasonal greeting at Christmas along with a card and, of course, a present. Meanwhile, just three in ten people look forward to a festive text.

Alex Bachelor, marketing director at Royal Mail, says: "We may now live in a society dominated by instant messages, but our research proves that, despite our busy lives, we still yearn for the personal touch."

For many families, a box of heartfelt correspondence between relatives is a treasured family heirloom. They may be letters from fathers and brothers writing from the front line of war, or passionate love letters between two relatives now long-gone.

A Royal Mail analysis of 20 million items of mail sent between 1995 and 2005 discovered the advent of email and texting was no substitute for the written word, because there were substantial increases in birthday cards (25 per cent) and greetings cards (77 per cent) received over those ten years.

The fact of the matter is, we may all crumble to dust and memories fade, but letters hold the truth forever.

Patrick O'Neill, from Royal Mail, explains: "Picking up a pen and writing to someone still means more to people as it takes thought and effort and shows loved ones you care."