Drawing upon her rich experience of life, Prudence (Prudie to her friends) responds to questions about manners, personal relations, politics, and other subjects. Please send your questions for publication to Prudence@slate.com. Queries should not exceed 200 words in length. Please indicate how you wish your letter to be signed, preferably including your location.

Dear Prudence,

It's been said that the five words men fear most are: "Honey, we need to talk." Well, my wife is the one who refuses to talk. Instead of leaving normal notes, such as "Please take out the garbage" or "Don't forget to pick up milk on the way home," she leaves me long (four page) handwritten letters about concern for each other's feelings, sharing chores, etc. When I ask her if it wouldn't be easier to sit down and talk things out, she says, "Why? I've already put it in writing."

I feel as though I've married Cyrano de Bergerac. How can I get her simply to start talking?

--I-Strain

Dear I,

Prudie will pass up the chance to point out what would be seen by some as your good fortune. A more common question might surely be "How can I get her to stop talking?"

But to address the problem at hand: Your wife, for whatever reason, is committed to an epistolary marriage. Perhaps she's a frustrated writer, unable to get published? Perhaps she feels you tune her out? If you've really made an effort to hash this out, your options are to: 1) grab pen and paper yourself; 2) seek couples' counseling; or 3) reconsider the importance to you of the written vs. the spoken word.

--Prudie, vocally

Dear Prudie,