Handwriting Improvement Thread - Chicken scratch? At your age? You can fix that!

[ewefr8deez nuts]

I have been on a neo-luddite wave recently and wanted to get back into journaling. I picked up a Lochby Pocket Journal, but one issue I have is not being able to read my own handwriting because how sloppy it is. I would rely heavily on context and memory which makes most of my notes useful only as reminders instead of legible text.

Spoiler: Poorly Photographed Example

"Hey kiwis! This is my current handwriting. Pretty bad wouldn't you say? Half the time, if I am writing really fast or if I'm tired, I gets worse. [sic, because I'm retarded]"

I asked the lord and savior Claude about fixing my handwriting and it pointed me to a couple of systems. One of which was Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting (BFH) and after only a week I have had some good improvement on my handwriting.

Spoiler: Another Poorly Photographed Example

this is me using BFH. While slower right now, my speed has been incresing! [sic, again. Next I should fix my spelling]

Reading the BFH book Fix it... Write by Nan Jay Barchowsky I have learned a lot about how to write that I either was not told by my gradeschool teacher or I forgot. One that was really helpful was the differences in posture lefties like myself can adopt to make the writing process better - like slanting the paper more or not choking up so much on the pencil. One of the best pieces of advice I read was an alternative grip for your pencil where you rest the thing between your pointer and middle rather than your thumb and pointer. It has helped so much with death grip.

I doubt this thread would take off too much, but if you are interested in fixing your handwriting I heavily suggest picking up a copy of Fix it... Write. I could post the PDF but it is only 8 bucks and I think its nice to support some obscure handwriting teacher. There are also other systems - NALA if you are illiterate and retarded (how did you find this site?), D'Nealian Manuscript, Handwriting Without Tears, Briem - choose one and stick with it and you'll see your handwriting improve.

What does your handwriting look like now? How do you want to improve it? And if you choose a method, post updates so we can see your progress.

 

[lurker7274519]

Watching this thread. I too have absolute dogshit handwriting. In my case is thanks to a neurological condition.

Palmer method did not work with me, will take a look at that book.

 

[I'm Retarded?]

this is a cool idea. I've always enjoyed handwriting but unfortunately I have no reason to do it anymore. I used to take notes exclusively on paper in school - I refused to use a laptop - but that was longer ago than I'd like to admit. now I'm around computers all day whether I like it or not, and also I type like fucking Superman (130+ WPM, 99% accuracy) so there's basically no reason for me to ever use pen and paper. but on the very rare occasions I actually have to write something down, I notice my handwriting has deteriorated and it digs at me. perhaps I will give this book a glance.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

One of the best pieces of advice I read was an alternative grip for your pencil where you rest the thing between your pointer and middle rather than your thumb and pointer.

Holy shit I just tested this out. How did I not know about this sorcery?

 

[Daddy's Little Kitten]

My handwriting is shit too. I don't write much but when I do, it's an incoherent mess.

 

[oldTireWater]

Your handwriting examples don't seem bad at all.

One of the best pieces of advice I read was an alternative grip for your pencil where you rest the thing between your pointer and middle rather than your thumb and pointer.

Wait a minute. How the fuck were you people taught to hold a pencil in school? Is this seriously lost knowledge?


I had atrocious handwriting by the time I reached my early 20's. My cursive had deteriorated so badly that I gave up on it and wrote solely in childish capital block letters.

I found myself in a warehouse job where I didn't have enough to keep me busy during the day and few opportunities to interact with other people. The days were slow as fuck. I would have to handwrite orders and letters to suppliers and customers for various things (it was the 90's), so to kill time I would meticulously write each character perfectly. I re-taught myself to write from the ground up out of boredom. I've gotten a little sloppy over time, but to this day I think I still have pretty good handwriting.

The trick is to bored enough to do it. Hard to do with a fucking smart phone these days.

 

[TheTitKoker]

I asked the lord and savior Claude

and that's when I checked out.

 

[._.]

I know its reddit, but there was a subreddit called like r/handwriting and it was just for hipsters to post their handwriting if they had good handwriting--and it may all be fake, especially now, but it seems like something people might check out if theyre interested in this. I saw someone write 2 pages full in a different handwriting each line and this was in like 2013, but I taught myself to change not just how I write but how I held the pencil, deciding I wanted to copy different handwritings from there. I went back to my own handwriting sorta, because to do it you do have to be conscious of writing and the pen strokes youre making but also just as a hobby, its kind of a brain exercise and maybe a bit of a mindfulness thing.

r/Handwriting is a bunch of shit like this but its a community of people posting basically what youre talking about and maybe it can give some inspiration or ideas of things to write or try out. It can be a bit of an artform and the people there are doing that.

This one is specifically someone asking for tips but ofc its mostly going to be 'try different pens' and line exercises that amount to just do it over and over until you get the muscle control down.

 

[ewefr8deez nuts]

Watching this thread. I too have absolute dogshit handwriting. In my case is thanks to a neurological condition.

Palmer method did not work with me, will take a look at that book.

I might be talking out my ass or saying things you've heard before but if your condition is mostly affects your movement I wonder if you could experiment with alternative letterforms that better suit your abilities. If smooth curves are difficult why not replace it with something more squared off? Palmer is really fluid which is great for speed but requires a lot of precision to look legible imo. I've been experimenting with T-line shorthand so if you really want to go extreme you could develop your own esoteric script if you really wanted to. Although I can understand if the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Your handwriting examples don't seem bad at all.


Wait a minute. How the fuck were you people taught to hold a pencil in school? Is this seriously lost knowledge?


I had atrocious handwriting by the time I reached my early 20's. My cursive had deteriorated so badly that I gave up on it and wrote solely in childish capital block letters.

I found myself in a warehouse job where I didn't have enough to keep me busy during the day and few opportunities to interact with other people. The days were slow as fuck. I would have to handwrite orders and letters to suppliers and customers for various things (it was the 90's), so to kill time I would meticulously write each character perfectly. I re-taught myself to write from the ground up out of boredom. I've gotten a little sloppy over time, but to this day I think I still have pretty good handwriting.

The trick is to bored enough to do it. Hard to do with a fucking smart phone these days.

Thank you -it does get worse when I write smaller, quicker, or with a pen. Yes unfortunately, everyone I've told about the alt grip has wrongly called it "incorrect." Even older people. And agreed - smartphones neuter your drive to do cool shit that is kinda boring. I switched to a clamshell not to long ago and it has been a game changer in my productivity.

and that's when I checked out.

Boo! It was helpful this time around. Just looking up "Adult handwriting method" did not give me a lot of useful stuff.

r/Handwriting

I'll check it out!

 

[TheTitKoker]

"Adult handwriting method" did not give me a lot of useful stuff.

lmao wtf even would that be? Look up first grade cursive practice books and that's pretty much it for any and everyone who missed that and still cares decades later.

Now think of all the people who can still barely read.

 

[Elite Kipchak]

I personally like the idea that I'm the only one who can easily read my own writing. people don't need to be up in my business, if I want you to read my shit I'll type it.

 

[Flatline]

I could post the PDF

Please do.

 

[August Levasseur]

lern 2 write cursive. I learned when I was in school and in college found it helpful to stop my handwriting from looking like complete chicken scratch by just writing cursive a lot more. Now I just have to worry about accidentally slipping into writing cursive while I'm trying to print.

 

[MerriedxReldnahc]

lefties like myself

Lefties rise up!

I had dogshit handwriting for a very long time, usually the only time I was writing by hand was for class notes or just for writing drafts of stories so it never needed to look "good", just be fast. A few years back I realized that I really needed to learn to improve so my comic lettering would be more clear and natural, since I don't like how digital lettering looks with my drawings.
Now I actually write in a journal every day, I use the Hobonichi 5 year journal and am in love with it, it's been such a fun habit.
If you get some nice pens and cool ink colors it feels more fun to practice handwriting, when you're writing with a pretty ink you feel compelled to write more nicely.

Spoiler: Writing pics!

Kool Kiwi Komic, I pretty much write in comic sans largely as a way to practice for comic lettering.

Printing:


Some of my better cursive, I never could write clear cursive in school so this took a long time to learn. I still get a little mushy with it if I'm writing too fast.

 

[Feraljak]

What does your handwriting look like now?

My handwriting looks like it was written by a dyslexic kindergartener with hand tremors and I constantly smear ink all over the page because I'm left-handed. It's so bad that even I have a hard time deciphering what the fuck I wrote down.

 

[oldTireWater]

Since I was properly taught how to hold a pencil in the 70's and 80's I had to look up how you savages are mishandling your writing implements.




Yeah, I guess I can see how you'd have problems.

 

[ewefr8deez nuts]

lmao wtf even would that be? Look up first grade cursive practice books and that's pretty much it for any and everyone who missed that and still cares decades later.

Now think of all the people who can still barely read.

You sound like you have terrible handwriting.

Spoiler: I'll take the b8 and explain why this is important for others who might view the thread.

What it would be is BFH and Fix it... Write. You are right that I could theoretically use a book made for 1st graders but there are some issues there. I am not looking to improve my cursive, nor do I want to write straight manuscript. Italics is what interests me since the letterforms are similar to what I read day-to-day, plus its a form of writing that aids itself to a more natural human motion. BFH is a form of italics. Every gradebook I found is either cursive or manuscript. Also, as an adult you wouldn't learn a new language by back to a grade school in that language, right? You would go to classes that were specifically designed for adults. We can learn at an accelerated pace and we aren't bogged down by our underdeveloped brains. A lesson plan for adults is going to get me where I want to go faster and give me the results I am interested in.

Lefties rise up!

I had dogshit handwriting for a very long time, usually the only time I was writing by hand was for class notes or just for writing drafts of stories so it never needed to look "good", just be fast. A few years back I realized that I really needed to learn to improve so my comic lettering would be more clear and natural, since I don't like how digital lettering looks with my drawings.
Now I actually write in a journal every day, I use the Hobonichi 5 year journal and am in love with it, it's been such a fun habit.
If you get some nice pens and cool ink colors it feels more fun to practice handwriting, when you're writing with a pretty ink you feel compelled to write more nicely.

Spoiler: Writing pics!

Kool Kiwi Komic, I pretty much write in comic sans largely as a way to practice for comic lettering.
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Printing:
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Some of my better cursive, I never could write clear cursive in school so this took a long time to learn. I still get a little mushy with it if I'm writing too fast.
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Your handwriting looks really good! I really like when people write in all caps. It's always very legible, but when I was a student that was seen as sin.