Handwriting - Can no longer do it because of keyboards!

[dave lackey]

Help!

I am embarrassed by not being able to write anything anymore...after all these years on keyboards, my handwriting has diminished to something that is juvenile in appearance (or likened to inebriation) and cursive writing has become almost unreadable.

I think I would like to pick up a nice fountain pen and write my notes and letters in something that would resemble calligraphy, or at least, an elegant handwritten note. Are there courses for this kind of self-help?

[Jockos]

I never had a real hand writing, since I picked up computing when I was ~10 (then studied IT, and has been working with it for the last few years). Last year however, I decided to do something about it, so now I'm practicing with a Lamy fountain pen, fitted with italics nib every day.
It's not pretty, but I'm not giving up

I'm thinking that it might be even better if you picked up a dip pen, or a fountain pen with flex nib, since that gives even more of a challenge!

[Nikon Bob]

Ain't that the truth about PC keyboards and their effect on hand writing. Never had really good hand writing but it sure is a chicken scratch now. Just practice more I guess.

Bob

[sevo]

I agree. Dictaphones and computers pretty much did away with the need to write reasonably legible. With hastily scribbled signatures, monograms and personal notes accounting for almost all handwriting I've done in the past 25 years, I've lost almost all third party legibility.

I had a brief period in Palm days (i.e. around a decade ago) when my handwriting was a bit more legible, but it looked more like Graffiti than anything taught in school...

[robklurfield]

Me, too. Terrible. No cure, but more practice. And, spending all our time here doesn't help.

[HLing]

Thanks for reminding me. My note book has been hungry for ink these days, too.

Ever since I read a book in college about Da Vinci's life, I'd taught myself writing with both hands in a mirrored fashion to start, and eventually branched out to upside down, upside down mirror ...etc, besides writing regular script with both hands. It does give your brain free rein while slowing down time..besides giving you better handwriting abilities.

Just take one pen in each hand, start in the center, have the non-dominant hand follow the dominant hand in mirrored motion, but at the exact same speed (slow), write out the alphabets. Cursive if you want the challenge.

(warning: Be prepared for unusually colorful and vivid dreams!)

[dave lackey]

[quote=HLing;1834974]Thanks for reminding me. My note book has been hungry for ink these days, too.

Ever since I read a book in college about Da Vinci's life, I'd taught myself writing with both hands in a mirrored fashion to start, and eventually branched out to upside down, upside down mirror ...etc, besides writing regular script with both hands. It does give your brain free rein while slowing down time..besides giving you better handwriting abilities.

Just take one pen in each hand, start in the center, have the non-dominant hand follow the dominant hand in mirrored motion, but at the exact same speed (slow), write out the alphabets. Cursive if you want the challenge.

(warning: Be prepared for unusually colorful and vivid dreams!)[/quote]

[redisburning]

moving to fountain pens substantially helped my handwriting.

IMO a good place to start is Sailor. lots of people will say Pelikan M2xx and I couldn't disagree more. Sailor is more consistent, will be easier to change inks in and IMO has a much better section design than the cramped little space on Pelikans.

[jesse1dog]

I've lost some of my handwriting skills/ability.
As I have got older I've found my hand and fingers have got stiffer so dexterity has suffered. But I do keep a pencil and paper alongside the computer and am often making jottings of something or another that I see or want to pursue a bit later. It does keep the hand in some sort of practice. Important work, like letters on condolance, do take that extra effort and the ability to write in straight lines seems to have gone - I use a line ruled sheet under the writing paper. So I think it's practice - a little bit and often - that makes the difference.

jesse

[zerobuttons]

Handwriting is more demanding on fine motor skills than most people believe - your postings in this thread confirm that.

For those interested in developing a form of handwriting that is legible also to young people today, I can recommend mr. Briem´s material:
http://briem.net/
In particular, you should look into his "Handwriting Repair":
http://66.147.242.192/~operinan/8/2/205.html

[sepiareverb]

I write with a fountain pen or leadholder style pencil daily. No great tomes, just notes and such. I've got pretty decent handwriting despite doing most of my 'writing' on this keyboard. Far, far faster than I could ever write by hand.

[Alfasud]

Using a good fountain pen to write is akin to using a quality film camera. The more you use it the more skilled you become. For the most part, it is all about slowing down, and thinking how what you want to end up...a bit like shooting with a manual rangefinder. Like a good photograph, a well penned missive proves immensely satisfying.