Hey guys,

I have a little problem here. My dads birthday was.. well quite some time ago now but nevertheless i wanted to send him a letter.. handwritten of course with my Sailor sapporo. well here's the thing: When I write for practice and just a couple of notes in class its fine and I like my hand (most of the time) but if i really wanna write something that is "serious" or that is important to me then I dont like my handwriting at all and it looks bad. I cant write the way I normally write then. Not that my handwriting is really good anyway but u know.. its just frustrating.

anything I can do about it?? Does somebody have the same problem as I have, a similar experience?

greetings,
martin

Why can't you write ? I am not sure to understand: is it the stress ?

I have an awful handwriting (sometimes I can not read myself: I write too fast), but it doesn't stop me to send letters to people I care. I try to write more slowly when I write for them .
Still, I never 'handwrite' business letters, I use email:
1/ Snail mail is too slow for business.
2/ I have to be sure people understand what I say/want/ask.

I have the exact same problem. My pencilled notes at work usually turn out quite acceptable (although never more than that), but the minute I pick up a pen to write something a bit more formal and meant to last my whole arm turns wet noodle/stiff nail by turns and my handwriting looks like sombody sneezed ink on the page. It's no end of frustrating, as you say. I have no idea how to remedy it; if you do find a way, please spread the word.

Sig

This sounds to me, like a straighforward matter of tension, because you are aware of the importance of your writing project, and you want to do your best.

I have a similar problem when I reach the last paragraph of a certificate or diploma, when tension inevitably increases. Relaxation isn't easy, but I find it easier to achieve, if I leave it until late at night when all is still and the 'phone wont ring. I find that if I do important lettering when time doesn't matter, and there are no distractions, I naturally relax and my writing benefits. Also, I avoid fast, edgy music and coffee - in fact, anything which might contribute to the great enemy of good handwriting - tension!

good luck!


caliken

Me too. My hand "chokes" and gets "stage fright." I just grit my teeth and am powering through it by writing a lot of letters and postcards. I scan my letters before I send them off, and after a couple of years I can say that I actually see an improvement. Post a query at the snail mail or postcard swap threads here, and/or write relatives and friends you haven't contacted in a while. After a while your handwriting will improve and your hand's stage fright will go away. In the beginning I even had problems taking notes in meetings, but that has gone away. Obstacles yield to persistent effort. It may take time, but time takes care of itself, so all you have to do is remain focused.

Wow, now it sounds like I'm preaching. Sorry. Just some suggestions.

Doug

Edit: When I say I just "grit my teeth and am powering through it," I don't mean tensing my muscles. I just mean going ahead and writing even if it means some deformed letters. I got a picture of a white knuckled fist clenching a pen and I though, "no, that's not what I'm trying to say." Just wanted to be clear... Doug

Very good advice, Ken, from one who clearly knows!

Remember also, that, taking what my mother used to say about her far-flung family's 'letters home'.....your father will (or should) be pleased that you have taken the trouble to write, to read that you are well, and 'doing well', rather than being critical of your handwriting.

Of course, if that is not the case, you have a different problem, and I can understand your feeling tense....but do it anyway!

As for improving your writing...well there is plenty of advice here in the forum.

I find that my hand tires, so I do a bit at a time, and that my writing deteriorates towards the r/hand margin, and bottom of the page, so it helps to re-position the paper when in those areas.

Compose your note on the computer, and then print it out and then use that as a copy piece for penmanship. Get in the mind set of penning, not composing, just like when practicing.

--John

If you don't like the idea of doing drafts on the computer, you can always keep a notebook for drafts. Write it out by hand once and then transcribe. Same idea, but all in handwriting.

I will echo the advantage of writing a draft first and then the finished document. I like to handwrite the draft as well, but I can see the advantage of using the computer - spell/grammar check is nice. I find that if all I am doing is copying the words, my handwriting is much more relaxed and neater. /Craig

Yes I think this is exaclty the problem. Thank you for your responses I will work with drafts it might help

I'm struggling with this very problem. My Grandmother saw my drills and penmanship exercises and liked what she saw so she asked me to write out a quote she's had for years in a nice hand...

*sigh* I've done it a bunch of times now because I get tense and screw it up somehow. So I've decided to just practice it over and over as an exercise until I can write it in a relaxed manner.

Also I think we tend to be our own worst critics. We see all the flaws, while other people see how "nice" it looks.

I have a problem similar to this, for me it is a combination of nerves and being over critical. When I am called upon to do writing in public, e.g. signing in a bank, I sometimes get nervous, my hand tenses and shakes and I lose control. If I try to relax I sometimes either manage to relax but become too sloppy with my writing or I can become even more nervous. I will admit that I am rather a nervous character in public anyway, that does not help.
In terms of being over critical, when doing things neat I will often see all the flaws and none of the virtues, it is a psychological hurdle that everyone is presented with when trying to be creative . I read somewhere (cannot remember where) that those who go ahead and do things without giving in to their critical side, and use their critical side in order to strive for perfection, are the ones who do great things. Those who give in and throw away their creations because they see them as imperfect never quite reach it. Don't forget that other people, or the viewers, are generally not seeing imperfections unless they are going out of their way to see them, only the creator sees the imperfections in their work.

Before I undertake any task that I know will make me nervous I breath deeply and try to calm myself and keep myself stable throughout the situation. I find that relaxation techniques are very helpful.

Can't tell you guys how good it is to hear I'm not the only one with this problem. It is clearly tension as said but when you only have one shot at the condolences card or something it does seem to matter that you give it your best.
In the end I reckon it's more about confidence than anything else. If you practise a lot and you KNOW you can do it - eventually it is less and less a big deal. It's a Zen thing. I ain't there yet!!
MD