Hello to all,
I am new to writing with FP's. I attended a school for physically disabled children and we werent really encouraged to use anything other than pencils, until our last three years when we were given ball points.
I write a fairly legible hand and would love to get into italic or proper cursive scipt.
I've been dabbling a little and the problem I have is that, as a left handed overwriter, I find it much easier, more fluent and faster to write with a backward slope rather than the standard forward one.
All the books and net sites have either straight up or forward examples.
Is it wrong to slope backward? I was told by my teacher that it indicated slovenliness and reading long passages were taxing on the eyes. (There may be something in this. Afterall, have you ever known a calligrapher slope backwards?)
What do you all think?
TTFN
T

My own personal opinion is that if we allow right handers to slope forward we ought to allow left handers to slope backward. I don't find a backward slope more difficult to read than a forward one.

Doug

I think it looks distinctive. In my opinion, it can be just as easy to read as a forward slope. And as for your personal characteristics, I am sceptical about graphology. A neatly written and well composed page can only communicate intelligence and respect.

A positive slope for a left-hander is as awkward as a negative slope for a right-hander. Your teacher might have assumed you were a righty and that it would be better for you to slope positive.

For righties, a negative slope would indicate that their ascenders and descenders are written straight up and down from their arm's perspective (that is, parallel to their arm) using finger writing. A better way is to use one arm as a lever with the elbow as the fulcrum, moving this lever to write ascenders and descenders, which produces the positive slope.

However, for you, a negative slope would be easier, although it looks nonstandard. For you to write italic or cursive would feel like a righty writing this from right to left:


At least you won't need to use an oblique nib holder for copperplate.

Most lefties have to really work to slope to the right. It takes lots of practice.

Can any of you right handers try sloping backwards for me, and let us know how hard it was, or not?

Doug are you a left hander? The pg of writing on your avatar (If that's what its called) is beautiful and slopes forwards.

Are there any lefties outh there who have mastered the forward slope?

I will try and do a couple of examples of my writing -forwards and backwards - and you can give me your honest opinion. That is, if I can ever figure out how to upload a photo!!

Thanks for all your support.
T

I'm a right hander and my handwriting is less nice in close up (but thanks for the compliment). Moderator Ann Finley is a lefty and she has mastered the forward slope -- here's a link to her Italic writing topic. This proves that it is possible for a lefty to write with a forward slope, but I'm thinking it is difficult to the point of being unreasonable to require. I'm not advocating sloppy or ill-formed writing, or discouraging any left hander from working toward a forward slant. I'm just saying that for me a backward slant isn't terrible. When I see handwriting with a backward slant, I just say to myself, I bet this person is a lefty. It is not suggestive of any deficit of character, and can in fact be quite distinctive and charming depending on its other characteristics.

Doug

A long time ago when I was reading something on graphology, it was said that (for a normal right-hander) the angle and degree of slope indicated one's degree of passion about life. Anal-retentives to the left, passionate fireflies to the right, and those even-handed balanced people who annoy the whatever out of the rest of us were straight up and down.

I image the reverse would apply to lefties?

Anyway, which ever way you slope, it's not right or wrong, it's just you. Revel in it.

I'm a leftie and my handdwriting slopes to the right. Maybe only slightly.......

I think that every lefthander writes differently. Maybe because I was docile and impressionable (and way back in olden times, we had handwriting drills in school), I sloped to the right until high school, at which time I started writing very small and upright for awhile. I slope to the right now, my once respectable Palmer cursive having deteriorated so much in middle age that I changed my writing position to underhanded from overhanded (no more ink smudges on the left outer pinkie), sloped my paper to the right, and learned to use italic cursive letterforms. Now, at least until a recent stressful period, my handwriting is generally restored to legibility and it looks workmanlike.

If your writing is legible and works for you, I'd not worry about it unless you decide you want to change it. I've encountered many, many illegible hands written by righties. Can you scan a sample of your writing? I'm sure you would get lots of positive feedback if you posted it here.

BTW, Doug has beautiful handwriting close up! Something, I believe, he achieved by practicing a lot.

There is an old book in my local library, a writing manual by a German writing master. It originated in the early 1520's. In it the author shows several hands, some sloping left, some sloping right, and some straight up-and-down. The author recommends that, whichever style you use, you use one style consistently.

Luck to you, Tawanda. The most important part of developing a good hand is to practice and write often. You are far ahead of most in that you are seeking to improve.

Wow chaps! So much support and encouragement.

DC - I like the graphology thoery very much, and will remeber that if anyone questions my slope!

Randal - Do you know what the book was called and who it was by? I'd be really interested in trying to see a copy.

I am going to practice often and think I will give up on the old forward slope because I do find it really hard. I'll either write straight or slant left. And, DC, I WILL REVEL IN IT!!!

I will try and scan some up in the next couple of days, but you'll have to bear with me, as I am a true technophobe and havent got the foggiest how to do it! It may involve bribing my husband wth a steak dinner...

Thanks again for all your advice
T