Contacting your legislators? Fantastic! Please keep in mind that a legislator perceives a correlation between the amount of effort you put into personal communication and how likely you are to remember the legislator’s response at election time—that is, a personal letter sent via snail-mail speaks louder than an e-mail message.
Sending an e-mail is far better than not contacting your legislator at all; however, by writing a letter you will be making more of an impact and are almost guaranteed to receive a response. The more individualized your letter is, the bigger impact you’ll make. You are far more likely to persuade your legislator by being courteous and respectful.
Lastly, if your legislator gives you the desired response to your request (e.g. cosponsors a bill, votes against a harmful amendment, etc.), please write him/her a thank you letter. Positive reinforcement goes a long way.