I generally keep my handwriting at as high a standard as possible. At university, I do a LOT of handwriting, of lecture-notes, and at home, I do just as much handwriting of STORY notes...and it's of great importance to me, that my writing be of a legible-enough standard so that I may be able to read my own hand. If it isn't, something is majorly wrong.

Follow THIS LINK:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=30365

To see samples of my handwriting. You may judge it for yourselves.

[[font="Georgia"][/font][size="2"][/size][/color][color="#800080"]

I have always loved handwriting, but here I am trying to choose a font and a color to make this short missive distinctive! Ha!

Weird. Maybe I have some kind of psychological problem. When I try Etude #1, I begin to get antsy after I get halfway through a line. I have to stop. Same thing when I restart... either I have to stop or just slow down as I get this tense feeling in my hand and forearm. There's something about the incessant repetition of the first letter that gets to me. However when I write a full sentence, I'm perfectly fine. I'll have to try it again when I'm in a calmer mood, I guess. Hmmmmm...

If you write more than one style, and seek to know which to perfect, exercise yourself in both ... and see which style brings the faster progress in the exercises.
If you have to pause at any place, then *do* pause briefly when - or just before - you reach that place.

Most of my writing is lecture notes, and since I'm the type of person who likes to write down almost everything, I have to write fast. I'd say my writing at that speed is bad but mostly legible to people who borrow my notes. I'll cross out words that are misspelled (or might as well be misspelled considering how badly I formed the letters! ).

But when I'm writing my first draft of an essay (cursive) or just writing for fun, I'll take a tad longer with mediocre form. I love practicing writing with my italic dip-only FP (it leaks) and doing my physics and math homework with it. I don't yet have the patience to really work on my writing but someday I'd like to. I always admired my teachers' cursive (the good ones) and I would be so proud to be able to imitate that!

I will definately have to work on my handwriting. When at the age of about 8 my primary school teacher send me home during the hollidays with the task of replicating letters on endless sheets of papers. It did't help much, I sometimes look puzzled to my own notes trying to make sense out of it.

Using fountain pens didn't help, so the best thing now is to look for practice material on the net. (Maybe in this forum?).

(Edit: apart from the tips and hints in this forum, I found 14 methods alone to be customary in Holland. Gets me to wonder how my child is being taught, I'll ask her teacher. Will probably impress her when discussing pro's and con's of the school's chose method .)

Not beautiful - but quite legible.

Of course, that's the most important thing.

I try. I'd love to get the line variations from my flex nibs but don't know if it's because I'm a lefty that I can't seem to, or if it's because I just don't know how.

Are you sure the nib is flexible enough? It might require more pressure than you're using.

I am a teacher, teaching students with special needs.

Long ago, I did have some of the nasty teachers, but the big issue I have now is not with the teachers but the system. At least in my state, there is only one year when students are expected to write in cursive. I find that most of the students, not just my own, cannot read or write legible cursive, but the major reason is that they never see it. Teachers do not write in cursive, notes are not written to students in cursive, and there is no expectation that any assignments will be completed in cursive.

In my class, I have students use cursive to complete one assignment each week. They pick an assignment they have done in manuscript and recopy it in cursive. As they are writing, the students can ask me any questions they have about letter formation, and I will demonstrate on the board (so everyone can see the examples and on the margins of their papers. Then, I ask them to read their cursive. I find that most students who say they can't read cursive are simple out of practice in decoding cursive.

I wish I could say my cursive was handsome. It isn't handsome, but it is legible. However, by the middle of the year I have never had a student who could not read in cursive. About 95% of the students I work with actually begin to look forward to their cursive writing time, because they are doing something that most of their peers cannot do effectively.

At the moment, I am working on building up my skills in writing an efficient cursive - without the loops, italic cursive seems the closest to being both fast and legible. I have not run into teachers who would count off for manuscript capitals in many years. The issue in teaching penmanship in school, it seems to me that we have two duties: Teaching an efficient way to write legibly, and at speed, is needed to allow students to cope with increasing workloads. Teaching how to read (decode) cursive and to write it if it is required is needed because there are many situations when they receive information that was not typed or printed or when keyboarding is not a viable solution.

Demonstrating the use of fountain pens is just frosting on the cake.

Zomba

The issue isn't intelligence or education. Handwriting is a manual craft skill. It is no more surprising that there are intelligent, educated people with poor handwriting than it is that there are intelligent, educated people who are poor tennis players. It is a question of whether there are costs imposed upon poor handwriting are sufficient to motivate people to work on improvement, or - in the much rarer case - whether individuals value their own handwriting enough to make the effort.

If you are surprised that intelligent people do not recognize the costs of poor handwriting, I think you have overestimated these costs. Poor handwriting is not a serious problem in most endeavours.

If your assumption is that intelligent people ought to recognize the value to themselves of good handwriting and act on it then I am more sympathetic to your line of thought, but it is still not unproblematic.

When I was in grade school in the mid 60s, handwriting was beginning to lose its importance. I was a particularly poor writer and my teacher comforted my parents with the thought that once in university I would have to type all my papers anyway. While in retrospect, I wish that the school had been more insisitent on my improving my handwriting, the attitute behind my teacher's remark is not a stupid one. Even in the days before the ubiquitous PC, the overwhelming majority of serious writing had to be typed. Now that we all word process and "cut and paste" involves a keyboard button and not scissors and glue, that attitude appears even more justified.

I am a university professor and I both read and write a lot. There are, I think, interesting parallels between the role of the computer in reading and writing. I study political philosophy and sometimes have occasion to use the computer's ability to search through text to look for such detailed things as how ofter a particular author uses a word or phrase in one book versus another (or in different parts of the same book etc.). The ability to do this instantly that the computer provides is wonderful and I wouldn't want to give it up. Similarly. the ease with which a word processing program allows one to move text around in a draft of a paper or to organize one's lecture notes is great.

The computer's specialized uses in reading texts, have not however done much toward making books obsolete. Partly this is for good practical reasons: computer text is essentially a type of scroll and the codex book is a much more effective way to present and use text than is a scroll. I think that there are also other reasons: a book is to me more satisfying on a visceral level. Beyond the ideas in them I like books as physical objects and have positive emotional associations with them that make me happy when I am reading.

So too with writing. We all print out our work to edit it because it is easier to do this when you can move the pages around physically instead of having to scroll through them, but there is more, at least there is for me. I believe that I think much better when handwriting notes or edits and here too it is the visceral aspect of the experience. Having a pen in hand (and a nice pen makes it better) and being "closer" to the paper has positive associations for me and makes me happy and more productive.

This is reason that I have worked on my handwriting so that it is now mediocre rather than awful. But I wonder - if my main occasion for handwriting was grocery lists would I have bothered? And I also wonder how much of this is just a result of my childhood associations with books and pens. Twenty year olds are much more attuned to video than my generation is. Common objects that seem irreplacable do go out of existence. Many young people don't wear watches because the time is on their cell phones and computers. Many (now retired) engineers probably had similar experiences with slide rules and yet what twenty year old even knows what these are. The book and the pen have a longer history and are more powerful tools than the watch and the slide rule, but....

If it is legible to most people why make it better? with all of the typewritten/ computer generated materials I can not imagine why most people would even be concerned.

ZT

I'm always trying to write nice, but I typically write with speed and legibility in mind rather than beauty. Of course, when I write with a nice flexible nib or a great stub, it looks better. I always tell myself that I need to practice my handwriting and make it more beautiful, but I never seem to find the time. Maybe tomorrow!?

I'm with you on that.
Speaking for me... my handwriting sucks, so I really really couldn't begin trying to turn my handwriting into a work of art.

My handwriting is a pity and I hate it.

I find it horrible, unreadable and the worst : it's irregular. I simply can't write in the same style (well let call that style )
one day from another.

I'm looking forward for writing lessons cause I'm ashamed of using such beautiful instruments with such a pity hand

And that's why I'm know looking at this forum and some sites linked here right now.

As a youngster in school, I had a librarian whose notes to students were like prizes. They truly were beautiful.

Now, although I certainly haven't the majestic hand she did, my handwriting seems pleasant and unique. When I have seen the reaction people have had to a simple letter rather than an email, I know that the time taken was well invested. An email rarely touches the heart, whereas a letter can be cherished for years. I'm blessed to have received many such letters from people that meant so much to me, and those loved ones are now gone.

I do see your point, however. I knit sweaters for friends and family all the time. They certainly seem to appreciate it more than if I'd run down to the local department store and bought them one. But, I would never expect everyone to want to learn to knit. I guess it's the same for handwriting and devoting time to improving it. As with most things, if someone has an ultimate goal, it's worth it.

Hana, in regard to your worry about relying too heavily on lined paper, I found early on that I used lined paper under a blank sheet to help straighten out my writing. After a while I found that I did not need the guides as much any more and today I can write pretty straight without any trouble. It's a matter of training and muscle memory.

I have also seen people who held their pens more than wrongly for example the "claw" pen holding is totally wrong and people holding their pens in that way should learn to hold their pen correctly so it will help them eventually to write better and faster too. Teachers of today don't give a rat's ass of how pupils write or hold their pen. I have seen so many things that are wrong about penmanship in schools today that is scary and revolting at the same time. Computers are more and more used, same with instant messaging which explains the loss of the penmanship in general. I have rarely seen teenagers interesting themselves for fountain pens. They like more things that have no value like consoles, gsm phones that get outdated every six months etc and etc.

My handwriting quality's somewhat important to me: I want a speedy, yet attractive, italic hand. Unfortunately for me, I had been printing for about two years before I switched to italics a month and a half ago, so I'm finding it difficult to connect the letters properly.

Yay. I guess I'm a rara avis: I stopped writing on my computer after I found that my attention was too easily diverted; now, I write and proofread on paper before I type it up. As for fountain pens, I'm stuck with the inexpensive ones, but they're still more expensive than the sticks most people use, so it's hard to put one to everyday use (and become a pen nut): I broke a Sheaffer my dad gave me, and lost his Parker. Even worse, I've already dropped my new Javelin on the ground with its cap off (luckily, it was carpet, so it didn't experience any visible damage).

very very nice I would love to have that expertise.

I write as well as I can, but sometimes my handwriting is skewed by the need for fast note taking. Damn other people who refuse to write beautifully if slowly and so encourage teachers to given fast dictations!

As a newcomer to this forum, I am disappointed to see the number of people who indicated in this thread, that their main concern is legibility, or fundamental communication, and not beauty. The reason that I am disappointed to see this here in this forum is that I would expect more people from here, of all places, to realize that communication happens in a lot of different ways and on different levels, some of them perhaps not so obvious. Frankly, I would have to say that I also find a lack of competence in spelling and in basic grammar prevalent in modern society. I would even go so far as to say that the reason for the latter is the same as for the former. There has been a large school of thought in education for decades now that has morphed and been relabelled but in essence is what is known as "whole language". The basic idea of this principle is that the basic communication is what counts and by dwelling on "trivialities" like spelling, handwriting, and grammar, we only stifle creativity and damage self esteem. It has been controversial right from the get-go but here we are several decades after its inception and the evidence of the damage done is ample.
Notes for your own future reference aside, if your written communication with someone else, of any kind, even if it is a grocery note (for someone else to read), requires nothing more than legibility, then why would your verbal communication be any different.? Would you feel as confident facing that person in real life with mussed up unlaundered clothes, unshaven, slovenly, and ill-mannered ? If not, then why should your written presentation say anything different about you ? Every communication, regardless of what else it says, speaks volumes about who you are, and what your values are, and about your self esteem.
Just for the record, after a rant like that, my own writing is certainly not anywhere near as attractive as the exemplars provided by James. My point is just that it does matter to me and I am striving to make it that good, even if I know I never will succeed completely. I am hoping that my effort and the care that I have taken to try will matter.

Tim R

When I write some TODO-list or shopping list just for myself, I write them in BLOCK LETTERS IN ALL CAPS, but most of the time it is so readable writing, that even other people could read it. When I write Snail-Mail to someone, I write it in as good cursive writing as I can. When I write notes for myself, I use cursive writing. Maybe other people could read it, too, if I ever showed it to them.

To me, writing is about communication. I write for a living. 90% of my writing is done on a computer, and a typewriter before that. Most of my hand written documents are notations in my journal and rough drafts for papers. I am the only one that has to read it, so I really don't care if anyone else can. What is important is that people can read my TYPED documents. In some cases, a misinterpretation could be fatal. As such, I am FAR more concerned with the content of my writing (making sure that it is clear and the proper words have been chosen) than I am my penmanship. I do enjoy writing in my journals, but that is more of a hobby for me than anything else.

I have attached a sample of my own handwriting, which I consider to be legible but not beautiful penmanship. I must write too quickly to spend a great deal of time on letter formation. As you will see, it is also a form of cursive that incorporates elements of the printed letter rather than traditional cursive strokes, which others find difficult to read.

Until recently, my work was largely hospital-based, where legibility has become such an issue, that computers & word processing have largely replaced handwritten entries due to serious, sometimes life threatening problems. Nevertheless, in certain areas, such as the Emergency Dept, handwriting is still the norm, & approx 35% of the entries coming from there are COMPLETELY illegible. Really. It's abominable. We would often gather in groups of 2-3, and attempt to decipher the hieroglyphics in front of us. And in many cases, the difference between 0.5 vs. 0.05, mg vs. mcg, & “Pt is unusual” vs. “Pt is delusional” is not a trivial concern.
Endless committees were formed, meetings held, posters placed etc., all to no avail. Personally, I have always felt that this was most often volitional. With the exception of a few truly dyslexic individuals, it seems to me to represent an attempt, perhaps unconscious, to obscure the meaning of key entries, so that later on, should the entry be scrutinized for errors, there is plenty of wiggle room.

My recent switch to predominantly clinic-based work (25 vs. 2500 clinicians) seems to have borne this out, as illegibility is the exception rather then the rule. I think this is because obfuscation is no longer practical… you just walk down the hall and ask…what did you mean here? It almost never happens.

From a personal standpoint, my penmanship is by nature poor, it is a long story involving a nun, a ruler & a left handed boy made to switch to writing with his right, I’ll skip all that. But it is legible, & I try to improve it every day, as it brings me pleasure, as do some of my other compulsions such as sneaking good paper into the copy machine prior to printing up forms etc.

Just for fun, here are a couple of samples of the writing of one(me) who hasn't picked-up a FP 'in anger' for about 30 years.
I sent them to Richard B as I thought they might help with his customising of my new CS Wellington.

In the first line I tried to write a bit larger than felt natural, just to see if I could!

The second sample with the scratchy Med nib of my late wife's pen felt even more natural than the smooth fine nib in my Targa, suggesting maybe that I'm better-suited to a Med nib (even though I was getting a bit cramped at the bottom of the page).

I could clearly benefit from some of Kate's exercises!

After reading Tim's post (Chap with the camera),

I have to say that yeah - readability is more important than actual BEAUTY, if that makes any sense. Writing can be readable without being excessively pretty.

I don't know about others, but I don't have the time to put cutesy little swirls and ticks and whatever into my everyday writing. So long as I can read it, so long as others can read it, and it doesn't look like a pile of inky (Potty Mouth) and put my pens to shame, I don't care if it's not amazing. My main concern is that someone can read it. When I use my pens, I don't take them out dancing. I take them out to work. I like to keep my writing neat and readable, but I won't waste time in making it especially 'pretty' or 'beautiful', because in my mind, there isn't a need to. I'm not writing out a menu for the Queen Mary 2 or something. It doesn't need to be specially presented.

I guess I would say, that I prefer true readability over true beauty; but the impression of beauty over the impression of unnecessarily obtuse plain readability. And among those concers, as well, I add the issue of fluency. By this weird word I mean, not only speed, but ease and ability and accuracy and all that other stuff. I must be able to write as though my ideas flow out of my head and onto the page, and there is an ideal balance in the middle between speed and slowness, where mind and hand operate as one. Writing too fast and you start to feel like your head is making your hand hurt; writing too slow and you start to feel like you're losing ideas before you have a chance to get them down. I am starting to believe there's a subtle inter-relation between being careful with your handwriting, and being careful with your thinking, and I do believe that taking care with the one can often lead to improvements in the other.

I find the problem with handwriting, as opposed to using a keyboard, is that I often change my mind about which is the best word or phrase to express my meaning.... with the keyboard it is the work of a moment to go back and edit (and no-one knows!); with a pen, it looks a mess if you cross-out what you'd already written.

I was discussing this with my daughter today and she said that, if she feels a handwritten note would be more appropriate, she frequently does a printed 'draft' on the PC and then copies it in longhand
She is a bit of a perfectionist

At school we were sometimes encouraged, for important docs such as CVs, to draft lightly in soft pencil, write over it in ink and then 'remove the evidence' with a good eraser !

I definitely agree with you, Tim. Communication can be accomplished with an email using spell-checker. A handwritten letter is personal, and I feel honored when someone who has devoted the time to develop a beautiful hand sends me a letter.

How weird! Just today I sat down writing with different pens (2 clear Phileas F nibs - but one is definitely duff! and a vintage lever sheaffer)....writing to myself about whether it was better to try to write larger letters - I write very small usually - and whether to write in my usual - for now - upright style - or to revert back to a right slanted style. I used to vary between the two styles when I was at school, but seem to have gone for the upright style later in life.

What really did it for me, I think, is when in my first one or two jobs - both in "personnel" - now called Human Resources! - I had the task of opening all the application letters and sorting them into respective piles. If the job had been advertised with instructions to "write a cover letter, in black ink...", then I had to sort out all those without a handwritten cover letter - into the "No" pile - as well as including all those who had written in blue ink!! The most important thing I did, though, was to look at the handwriting and if I liked the way a certain letter of the alphabet was written, I would copy and copy it until I could write it like that. However, what happened was that for certain letters, I then had to hesitate and stop to think how I would write them - I guess I'd interrupted my "flow" - I occasionally still have that problem now, even all those years later!

Even though I love fountain pens and have a number of them, I do still shy away from using them for all my handwriting - relying more on my fibre tip pen (Cross Townsend)....but I'm getting there and now taking my FPs with me and making sure I get them out to write. The worst thing is when uncapping a pen, it won't write straight away - I feel such a klutz and if there is anyone watching, I'm usually in for a jibe about "well, if you will use those old fashioned writing implements...." - perhaps I just haven't found the right fountain pen that flawlessly works every time you get it out to write???? Maybe that's for another posting, elsewhere, eh?!

Hello to The Pen Lady UK, I have a question for you.

When you suggest that there had been instructions that an applicant should have written a cover letter, you mean to indicate that it was expected they should have done so in hand-writing? I'm surprised. I presume this was some time in the past? I can't imagine sending anything hand-written to any potential employer, for fear that would seem entirely unprofessional. Perhaps a formal thank-you note might be hand-written after an interview (and done on nice stationery), but the resume and cover letter would most definitely be typed, then printed by a computer. The signature alone would be hand-signed.

I hear that in Europe (and perhaps the UK too?) it's a bit more common to use graphology (is that the term) to assess candidates. Ask them to write a certain set of sentences, then judge as to whether they're "creative" or "conventional" or what-not on the basis of how big they cross the T and whether they join up the Q to the U, and so on. It's largely derided as utterly inaccurate, this graphological analysis, by most of the more respected psychological community, and certainly by the academics, but it soldiers on in (where else) Personnel departments. They of the personality test addictions and the "happy teamwork" counter-productive measures. Herm, different issue.

So, maybe you were using graphology? I have to admit, there has been one desperate instance in my own life when I resorted to it. Didn't help much, but still, it was worth the effort.

Just thought it was interesting that you were talking about, in some ways, judging on the basis of handwriting as a matter of course. I can hardly imagine an employer ever seeing mine.

Hi Cliff

You are right, it was over 30 years ago! But, no, nothing to do with graphology - although I do believe it was used then as now, certainly in the UK, to determine some things to do with personality. It was a simple "could the prospective candidates follow instructions?" exercise. If a cover letter in handwriting was asked for in BLACK ink, then that is what was expected! If they didn't do that - and bear in mind that some of these positions resulted in hundreds of applications! - then that was one way of sifting out the unsuccessful ones right at the beginning!

I have to say I haven't had my handwriting looked at in respect of a prospective job, but I have seen a number of job advertisements asking for a handwritten covering letter - think they tend to be for younger, 1st jobbers, and we have an extraordinary position here in the UK where many young people leave school still unable to read or write properly - it is absolutely shocking!!.....

OOPS she was too quick...well we don't disagree too violently in our replies!
While we await The Pen Lady's response, here's my 2 cents:

Certainly 25 or so years ago it was not that uncommon to be asked, in UK, for a handwritten covering letter.
However, only a few firms employed 'professional graphoñogists' to assess these letters...it was much more highly thought-of in Continental Europe.
It would be more likely that the potential employers just wanted to get an impression of the candidates ability to write reasonably neatly and, maybe, lay out a letter.

As mentioned elsewhere I did a course in graphology about 30 yrs ago, but was never convinced of its truly scientific basis, and it has, as you say, since been widely discredited among the psychology community. (But they don't like anything they didn't think of )

It is, however, at least a bit of fun, and I still believe that I can form a reasonably accurate impression(no more) of a person I've never met from their handwriting, especially when it diverges widely from the 'copybook' style they learned.
(The fact is that, by definition, the vast majority of us are pretty 'boringly normal' )
But then we form such impressions in many ways, anyway.....appearance, voice, body-language, etc, all help, but can be very deceptive, and affected by personal prejudices.

I have to say that I am also pretty sceptical of many more-accepted forms of 'psychometric testing', as is my daughter with a degree in Applied Psychology!

Human personality and behaviour is, IMO, too complicated to be 'measured and assessed', except over a quite long period of observing individuals, in varying situations. It's why most jobs have a 'probationary period'...!

Sorry, that's more like 10 cents

The more I read this forum, the more important my handwriting is becoming to me. I think this is to the relief of everyone around me!

Nathan Hondros

When I was a child I wrote with patience and deligence. There was no other way with grades riding on it and nothing more important than scholastics anyway. My letters clear, my signature proudly presenting my personae. Then I became an executive (suddenly it seems) and I gave up my childish ways (slowly on retrospect) and I began to write as a man. My ways were hurried and my flights amongst emergencies hampered only by the time it took to roll some ink onto a page with any pen laying around. Such my signature reflected my pride transfering from pen to tie. Now in dotage my pen again slowly inks pages. Perhaps, if I try very hard, I can stay the shaking of my hands by learning to write proud again.

I Hope This Serves You,
Clydesdave

I'm of the sort who wishes my writing had a pleasant aesthetic quality, but most often I'd be happy if it was simply legible.

My attempts in primary school were at best atrocious a lacked any sense of flow or feel, and my printing equally bad, but mostly readable. I hailed the advent of computers in high school and took typing and submitted everything possible in a mechanically reproduced form.

Then in university I took engineering and became a student of design. I took lettering as part of the drawing courses provided. It improved my block printing skills, so I switched to printing in my regular handwriting. However the speed was too slow when taking notes either in a lecture, or from my own thoughts.

So I evolved a blend of block printing, cursive joined writing, and isolated letters that I used frequently in mathematics. The result is largely legible to most people if I take the time to write it slowly, when written very fast it degenerates into something most would have difficulty deciphering.

However, always my writing has suffered from uneveness and a lack of consistency.

However, always my writing has suffered from uneveness and a lack of consistency.


[/quote]

I have the same problem too. Having said that, there's been a vast improvement since I made a point to practice.

Here's a sample. It's written with a Pelikan Junior (leftie version) with a blue Pelikan ink cartridge.

I try to make my writing beautiful -- which I think coincides with trying to make it legible. I don't see that there needs to be a difference between the two -- the most elegant, flourishing script in the world is just lines and sticks if it's not readable. So I guess the question doesn't really parse to me.

Maybe this is because I've never had difficulty writing legibly -- unlike my brother's chook-scratch hand. I'm very lucky -- I appreciate more and more, these days -- to have been taught copperplate handwriting in the first year of primary school and to have been set compulsory penmanship exercises throughout most of my primary schooling. This doesn't seem weird until I point out that I'm only 23!

Yeah me too!

Mine gets bigger as I speed up and / or smaller towards the end of long words. I even use different styles of letters in the same body of writing. (A big thank-you to my primary school teachers who never could make up their minds.)

Yours - looks fine to me.

Will

Before I found this thread I thought that people who collect fountain pens must all have lovely handwriting.

I'm so relieved!

Mine is random and usually messy too. I can make it nice for a while but I usually speed up to try to match the speed that the thoughts come out of the mists of my brain, which is a mistake! Not that I think fast.. but I can't write as fast as I think. I can type a lot faster, and to find that my handwriting is a lot slower than my typing was a bit of a surprise.

I'd like to have readable, consistent handwriting. I don't really mind if it gets to the point it is considered beautiful, I don't think I'll ever think it is anyway!

At school they tried to teach us all to write legibly and neatly, and encouraged us to find our own style, but mine was different every time I put pen to paper. I tried to copy some of the neat writing of my classmates but that made me slower, which was as bad if not worse than my writing being untidy, in the eyes of my teachers. I think after a while they gave up on me and I gave up trying.

So now here I am, the proud owner of a small handful of fountain pens, determined to enjoy them, seeing improved handwriting as an added bonus. I'm going to try those lessons from earlier (the ones with aa, ab, ac etc..) and try to slow down.. but also try to not worry about improving too much. I just enjoy playing with the pens really.

I can relate to pretty much all of that, DeLancey

I have seen definite improvements since getting more suitable pens, and practising the lessons I am learning.

I can definitely recommend the book "Write Now".

I am with jeen on this...maybe because my own writing is so far from perfection ....

While I really do admire the dexterity and control of those who write 'perfectly', I am not the slightest bit moved by it.

If I want to look at such perfection, there are print fonts which will provide it..... I like a bit of 'character' which, IMO, is shown in the 'imperfections' and variety which is evident in the handwriting of almost all of us.

(It's not even like the difference between the 'accuracy' of a photograph, which can be very artistically composed ....and 'digitally manipulated'... and the 'impressionism' of, say, an oil painting).

I am not knocking the skill and hard work which is displayed in such 'perfection', and I am trying to make my own writing 'look nicer', but I guess I just don't see pretty handwriting as an end in itself.

My handwriting is very important to me

However, I must admit to being in a slump for years.

I have always been impressed and slightly envious when I would see an example of someone's everyday handwriting that was crisp, clear and very readable, which mine certainly was not.
Even when I had something I wanted to look very nice ( or at least presentable) I was not pleased with the results.

A few years a go I made it a point to work on the improvement of my writing.
I did not do anything more than just write out a full page or two for practice when I had the time.
Something I still do.

As with many things in life I have found that with practice there is an improvement.

I would not say my hand writing is now perfect, but it is much more readable and that is an improvement

You always want to be legible. What's the point of scribbling on a sheet of paper if you can't understand it.

As a young child, I was always envious of all my peers who had neat handwriting. No matter how hard I tried, my handwriting always looked slightly off. I think through a combination of trying to attain that difficult level of neatness and growing into a perfectionist, my handwriting morphed into a pristine print (however plain it was).

In recent months, I've been endeavoring to achieve a balance between neatness and grace which has changed my writing into a pristine print with various (mostly unsuccessful) attempts at curls and flourishes.

There is a great writing program based on the calligraphic alphabet to make your writing legible ad beautiful! It is called "Write Now - A complete Self-Teaching program for better handwriting." It is by Barbara Getty and Inga Dubay. Theyare published through Portland State University. You can order it at Amazon.com. I found a copy on Ebay, as well. I started using this with a child that has dysgraphia. I liked it so much that I bought my own copy! Of course, the child is using a fountain pen. I used to have beautiful and legible handwriting and it went down the toilet when I started using a keyboard more than writing. I have already noticed an improvement. I use a fountain pen, as well as both of my children. You can have both legible and beautiful writing!!

I would give my right arm to be able to write like this!
No wait...better make it my left arm as I am right handed.
Ah well...back to practicing.

I find it strange but I have two different appearances to my handwriting; one is forward slanting and the other is left-slanting... why? why? It seems to depend what mood I'm in, whatever feels more natural at the time. However it is a little problem when it comes to writing letters. The way I write letters is in instalments usually so that a letter can be finished 2-3 days after I started it. In the intervening days my handwriting can flip styles.

I wonder if anyone else here finds that their handwriting changes from day to day or week to week. (I can stay in the same 'font' but the rhythm seems to suffer when I do this)