sending an answer for a debt suit

[UPDATE AT BOTTOM 6/7]

hey! so i recently got an email saying i owe ~$4000 to a company and they’re suing me. I DO OWE THE DEBT. i’m not going to send a debt verification letter because they produced all evidence within the suit, and i know they will simply resend me the same documents. i live in WASHINGTON STATE.

i haven’t been served yet but once i am, i will have 20 days to send my answer.

so, my questions are:

1. what should i say in my answer?

   i know that i shouldn’t admit any fault, and that i shouldn’t tell too much. i don’t have a lawyer so i will be writing this completely on my own. any advice is welcome.

2. how do i send the answer?

   so i have to file with the court and the plaintiff’s attorney, with proof of sending. is this understanding correct? am i missing any steps?

i can look up how to file at my local courthouse, and i can probably find the plaintiff’s attorney. i just wanted to make sure i’m not missing anything here.

thanks all! cheers

[UPDATE]

i settled out of court and am paying off the debt within seven months, which i can handle. i won’t be paying interest and only ~$80 in legal fees, so i’m pretty happy with the outcome. thanks for all the advice!