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Improving Terrible Handwriting?

Posted by Cliff on from the obtaining-better-penmanship dept.

green pizza asks: "My handwriting is horrible, an irregular mix of sloppy print and cursive. I know this, and my coworkers have learned to live with it, but I didn't realize just how bad my chickenscratch was until I tried using a tablet PC. Unlike a Palm which forced me to learn its input method, a tablet PC (and other humans) expect me to write a certain way. Aside from a handwriting class for professional adults on the other side of the country, I have only been able to find lessons and materials for the young, illiterate, or mentally challenged. Have any other geeks found a structured way to improve their handwriting?"

4 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Practice, practice, practice! by WhatAmIDoingHere · · Score: 5, Informative

    I had terrible handwriting (Everybody said I should have been a doctor). I figured on trying to better my handwriting and found that writing through the alphabet over and over for a few weeks. After that, I did repetitive practice writing. Writing pages from books or whatever until you notice any improvement. It sure worked for me, but ymmv.

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    Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
  2. Right Side of the Brain book by drivers · · Score: 4, Informative

    The book "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards has a chapter on handwriting, even though it is a book about drawing. BTW, I recommend the rest of the book to anyone as well. (especially if you think you "can't draw.")

  3. Take up Calligraphy....and buy a better pen/stylus by No+One's+Zero · · Score: 5, Informative

    Seriously,

    I had this same problem and thses two things helped me more than anything else.

    First try writing with a couple of differant pen types. Most people will find that they print much better with a certain type of pen; felt tip, ball point, microball etc. Find one you like. Also like swords, weight and balance are important. The same goes for stylii.

    Then go get yourself a calligraphy book and a proper caligraphy pen. (the type with the metal tip) To use such a pen you have to always pull the tip across the paper down, or sidewise, but not up. This will teach you to slow down, and plan each pen stroke (or you will ruin a bunch of tips).

    It is more or less impossible to write properly in cursive using a proper caligraphy pen because of the fact that you cant draw strokes "upwards." But i've noticed that most handwriting rec software seems to take print better anyway.

    Also if the software is halfway decent and learns, the fact that you draw each letter the same way each time should help the rec quite alot.

    NOZ

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    There are two types of people: those that can fill in the blanks,
  4. book suggestion by solferino · · Score: 5, Informative

    I found Rosemary Sassoon's Teach yourself better handwriting very useful. It is specifically targeted at ppl who are trying to fix up their handwriting and not at child first time learners. Rosemary states in the book that very different approaches are required for these two different pedagogical needs.

    An interesting part of the book is where Rosemary addresses pen-grips and suggests a rather radical option of holding the pen between index and middle finger. I've switched over to this and enjoy it as I never felt comfortable with the oppositionary tension between index and thumb of the standard grip.

    Here is an addall link to the book (2nd edition) so you can compare prices.

    Here is a link to the book (1st edition - the one I used) on Amazon so you can check the reader reviews

    Here is a link to the publisher's page on the book (2nd edition)

    Here is a link to some information about the author Rosemary Sasson