This year I sought no fewer than two dozen recommendation letters.

A baker’s dozen were for grant proposals. Six were for writing and reporting fellowships, three for a visiting research scholar position, two for writing residencies. I expect that the total, through year’s end, will continue to grow.

I fully accept that I need recommendation letters, but the process, as it stands now, is unmanageable, inconsistent and an unnecessary burden on the kind people who have been writing these letters at my request.

The procedures in applications vary widely. One requests that letters be sent directly by the person writing the recommendation. Another requires that applicants first forward a template to a recommender, who must use that model to write a letter, which is then to be emailed to the program director. Many programs, retreats, universities and institutions, even The Times, require that letters be submitted through external websites. Third-party services like Submittable, Slideroom and Screendoor collect applications and dispatch recommendation requests, which is fine, since I shudder at the prospect of handling and reviewing letters about me.

But this doesn’t seem fair to the people writing the letters. I dread asking the same people for the same basic thing repeatedly, knowing they will have to alter their recommendations to fit the requirements of new applications.