If it really must be ~secret~ then simply post a link in your PCN from the letter to NPC forum. Its a great pity that players can no longer follow the stories of others when it comes to their interactions with NPCs. Furthermore, it gives DMs/players less opportunity to share.
I'm especially resentful of this change when I'm not currently playing a PC, and I want to follow stories from the forum.
I agree with this suggestion, whole heartedly. A lot of the fun of EfU is seeing all the stories unfold.
Plus getting yelled at by howland was fun, I wouldn't have wanted to deprive people of seeing that splendor.
This! Especially as Pent points out, when you don't have a pc but likes hanging around following the stories, it really makes a difference!
If I'm not mistaken I think the purpose of the original suggestion for the letters to npcs subform was just to separate them from the pc letters to dms would notice them easier - but then it was sidetracked to its current form?
I don't personally see the point of changing this.
You could just as easily change the name of the "NPC Letters" forum to "Secret NPC Letters" and things would be fine.
It is useful having a subforum for secret NPC letters because it is difficult to single out one DM to PM it to. Sometimes just the fact of putting a letter with a link to your PCN can be more of a giveaway than you want.
If we as a community can come to the agreement that Letters forum=for all letters and non-secret NPC letters and the other is for secretive letters, I think this is a superior situation to what Pentaxius is calling for.
I think you may be overestimating how many letters end up in the "NPC Letters" forum anyway. I've personally only ever used it for letters that I felt a need to keep secret, not just for all NPC letters.
It is nice to be able to privately send a letter to a NPC for maybe a spoiler or information / desires you don't want public due to metagaming. There is always the open forums for letter if you want you notes read by all, nothing is stopping you.