The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5)

Horrible HandWritting

My handwritting has never been good looking.

But since 12 years I type most of my papers on a PC and I never really use a pen & a pad.

Right now I'm in a position where I have to often go to a white board and write and design diagrams to explain the architectures of an ERP (ie: Supply Chain flow,etc,etc)

I would love to improve my handwritting,
any tips & advices ? books on the subject :

Please note : I don't want to become Walt Disney,
I just want to have a nice hand writting ...

Has anyone been on the same boat?

__ IceMan __
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Practice beforehand. Write slowly and carefully.

Joe Hendricks
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Take a mechanical drawing class at a local college. They will teach you how to write clearly. Something many of us have not done since childhood.

Anonanonanon
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

If you recall grammar school, you wrote very carefully on lined paper and were critiqued on each curve and line - well now you're older and can do the same to yourself.

I think it basically comes down to practice, attention to detail, patience, and desire. Write, a lot, and pay attention to each letter. Writing on white boards is a bit different as you must write on a vertical surface - so practice on that as well. My friends who are teachers tell me that they are encouraged to practice writing on blackboards.

Lou
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Look for "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"

Yes, it's a drawing book - but it has an excellent chapter on hand writing. (Plus you get to draw stuff - always good :)

Robert 'Groby' Blum
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

I worked as an enumerator during the 2000 (U.S.) census, which required me to spend several hours every day filling out forms in block capital letters. Needless to say, my handwriting was absolutely horrible by the time that job was done.

I got by with that horrible handwriting for a while, until one day when I needed to write something in cursive (something I hadn't done since grade school). To my surprise, my cursive looked just as nice as it had back on the lined paper we used in school.

Now, when I need to jot down a quick note, I use the habitual block letters, but when I need something to look nice, I use cursive. Since the two are distinct in my mind, the bad habits from writing fast don't carry over into my cursive, and I get the best of both worlds.

I don't know if that will help the original poster, but it worked for me and is worth a shot.

Emperor Norton
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

This is something I'm very interested in as well, since my handwriting is crap. I've seen "Better Handwriting" by Rosemary Sassoon recommended, and I've been meaning to pick that up.

Also, I've found that my handwriting has improved a lot since I started using a fountain pen. They are so much nicer to write with than shitty disposable ballpoint Bics.

sid6581
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

>They are so much nicer to write with than shitty
>disposable ballpoint Bics.

Even the cheap Bics can be used if you are fairly careful.

If you are writing at the board, you don't have to go fast.

I am left handed, and skipped a semester in grade school, unfortunately the semester where they taught handwriting.

It has been an uphill struggle but 30 years later I can usually write pretty well.

My mother is from the time when people wrote with fountain pens and school children were taught Pittman style cursive.

She says that was great till she went to college and four years of note taking left her with a legible but messy scrawl.

I also note, the calmer I am feeling, the better I write. So maybe there is something to graphology.

I wonder if it works backwords. Can improving your handwriting improve your whole relationship with life?

scrawling for this one
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

I find that my handwriting varies greatly depending on what I'm writing with. I get the best results with an automatic pencil. Second best is a regular old pencil, then a calligraphy pen, then a nice thin roller-ball-type pen, then a fountain pen (unless it has an extra-fine point, in which case it comes before the calligraphy pen), and absolute worst is a ballpoint.

Of course, none of this has any bearing on writing on a vertical surface. I find that the things that make handwriting neat on paper have the opposite effect on a whiteboard, and vice versa.

Martha
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

I just print everything. I learned to type when I was
in sixth grade and haven't done much cursive writing
since then. I just make sure my printed characters look
decent. About the only cursive I can do anymore is my
signature on a check...

When I learned Chinese and had to write Chinese
characters, my general printing ability improved enormously,
even though my wife says my characters look like
grammar-school chicken scratch :)

x
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

the Apple Newton is supposed to be the best handwriting improvement device yet invented. see if you can find one.

mb
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

And the Palm Pilot's graffitti is probably the worst thing you can do for your handwriting. It doesn't use normal letters, and when you get too used to it, you start making the same nonsense characters on paper.

Boofus McGoofus
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Take a course on graphology, and reverse engineer the personality traits you would like to have.

Anyone know a doctor that can write legibly??

Tapiwa
Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Just write slowly, and gradually speed up over the months.

Adam
Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Bitch at your boss,
until he/she/it (as the case may be) agrees to buy the company a projector, and then you can do your presentations
in powerpoint, and type your code into the editor as the good lord intended. (yes I have a burning bush in my garden)

And best of all, when you're in a hiring position,
you won't have to make those poor nervous
candidates write code on a whiteboard again.

Sorry Joel 8)

Hani Obaid
Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Don't join up your writing.

Mr Jack
Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Don't join up; practise on the whiteboatd. It's compltetely different from writing on paper. And go to the back of the room and check the letters are large enough.

Stephen Jones
Wednesday, April 21, 2004

"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"

I second that. Its a good read.

Andrew
Thursday, April 22, 2004

thank you .. found my handwriting could be better. Thanks for the great web site.

texan
Wednesday, April 28, 2004

I have a web-site devoted to helping horrible handwriters -
http://www.global2000.net/handwritingrepair

Kate Gladstone
Saturday, July 3, 2004

First you need to see in your brain your handwritting being beautifull, after you need train your muscles. The right position of the arm and the "freely" movement of it...Notions of proportion and ritmum are important too...and take atention on how you sit to write( good position is very important too - sometimes we tend to lay down on the table, pay attention)
The wrist must be parralleled to the table, and the paper at the same align with the arm. Pay attention on the wrist, the finger don't work... the arm is the key. only the little finger and the other touch the table. dont touch the side of the hand on table, and don't leave it in a position that if you lay down the hand it touch the table - the wrist is parrallel to the table..
look at: www.zanerian.com and www.theelegantpen.com
Forgot using a especial pen, use a regular good fountain pen(Parker - delivers significant ink; Sheaffer, delivers less ink then a parker; Pelikan, waterman - normaly is the middle of parker and sheaffer) never use a spherographic pen; If your write is big, choose the nib M ou B (mediun or broad) if you write small letters choose fine, extra-fine and so on. I recomend you the finest possible, it will train your movement and when you use a pen broader it will look wonderfull else if not in the fine one...
you don't need to write slowly, only at the begining, after you will get the right speed, not to much fast or slow...
Good lucky

L.A. Panadés
Monday, July 12, 2004