Are you ashamed or embarrased of your handwriting?

[ToasterPastry]

I've gone to the opposite direction. I'm embarrassed that it's too good. I've received several complements about it. But I frankly don't like it. It's very ornamental, especially when I'm bored. But I would prefer something a little more subtle. I keep working on it.

[Mille]

I've gone to the opposite direction. I'm embarrassed that it's too good. I've received several complements about it. But I frankly don't like it. It's very ornamental, especially when I'm bored. But I would prefer something a little more subtle. I keep working on it.

 

That's a luxury problem! No, actually, I understand what you mean. I guess you use a fine nib? Does your style change when you use a different nib?

 

And thanks for all the replies!

[Apotheosis]

A thought. Maybe peoples handwriting improved with a fountain pen just because they started to care?

OOoOo thats deep..and you are probably right

[Jeroboam]

My writing can be considered sort of bad as I tend to scribble in an attempt to write faster. No strike that, it's bad. But the thing is I get really annoyed when people can't read it. If you can't read a word, figure it out! Read the words around it and think about it for a second. Anyway, I'm trying to improve it. I do write better when I write something that others are likely to read.

 

B

 

 

I'm frequently told that my handwriting is dreadful, due to me writing as fast as possible most of the time. And I, too, get rather irritated when people can't read it with a modicum of intelligence it shouldn't be too difficult to work out.

 

To combat folks perception of my handwriting I came up with the theory that clever people have bad handwriting. Doctors, lawyers and the like have a reputation for bad handwriting and one has to be pretty smart to be a doctor or whatever, and my theory is that; People who think fast write fast and consequently the hand cannot keep up with the brain and thus in it's attempts the handwriting gets worse the smarter one is. Nice theory for us scribblers, no?

 

While it may not be true it is my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Pip,pip.

[FrankB]

I answered this poll very differently than I would have as a youth. I learned Peterson Penmanship in primary school. It is nearly identical to the Palmer Method. I never mastered it, and my handwriting looked like a clumbsy eight year old's for many years. I was awfully embarrased. In my mid-20's I relearned how to write using cursive italic. That writing style was tailor made for me and my handwriting improved dramatically. Now, in my middle age, I have clear, legible handwriting that I am very satisfied with.

Edited November 26, 2009 by FrankB

[gteague]

the elementary school i attended starting teaching cursive in 3rd grade. unfortunately, after the 2nd grade i moved to another school where they had taught it in 2nd grade, so i was immediately a year behind before i started. luckily my aunt was a schoolteacher and was able to teach me to at least recognize the letters, but we had only one week to do it which allowed for no writing practice whatsoever. add to this the unfortunate fact that i am by no means a patient or painstaking person by nature and it's a recipe for unreadability. i took typing at the very first opportunity and when i became a navy radioman we copied morse code on either the typewriter or by using block (capital) letters in our logs, so i never again felt the need to use cursive except for my signature.

 

i just got my first serious fountain pens this week and when i attempted to write cursive i had actually forgotten entirely how to write at least a dozen or more characters--worse, my muscle memory has retained completely wrong strokes. so it looks like i am stuck with printing.

 

i did get one pen with an italic nib and i'm hoping that using this nib will fake people into thinking my writing is not as horrid as it actually is. [g]

 

mark my ballot for both ashamed and embarrassed.

 

/guy

[Blerkz]

I'm frequently told that my handwriting is dreadful, due to me writing as fast as possible most of the time. And I, too, get rather irritated when people can't read it with a modicum of intelligence it shouldn't be too difficult to work out.

 

Pip,pip.

 

Me, too. Especially when they just glance through it and declare my handwriting "terrible, horrible and illegible". It's rather funny when someone walks past and says "Hey, nice handwriting!".

[KD5NRH]

I used to be ashamed of my handwriting, until I temped in a medical office for a couple months.

 

There was an interesting comparison there: a male psychologist with plain but exceptionally uniform and legible handwriting, and a female psychiatrist that did vile nasty things that no piece of paper should ever have to endure. Even the nurse who had worked with her for 10+ years frequently had to ask her if certain scrawls were instructions or doodling.

[Flourish]

I have decided that I am no longer ashamed of my handwriting, even after years of repeated attempts at improvement. I am now just simply deeply disturbed with my demented scribblings.

[Shangas]

There was a time when I was mortified to look at my own handwriting. But in recent years/months, I think my handwriting has improved to such a point that I actually like it. I attribute this to exploring different kinds of fountain pens. Plus, having so many awesome pens made me want to improve my writing so that my hand would be worthy enough to hold these exquisite instruments.

 

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being (Potty Mouth), 10 being exquisite, 5 being legible, I'd say my writing was a 7 or an 8. Legible, neat, somewhat stylish, but not framable.

[Pepin]

My handwriting is poorly affective but highly effective. Not beautiful like handwriting of the 1920s but very legible.

[Biber]

My handwriting is poorly affective but highly effective. Not beautiful like handwriting of the 1920s but very legible.

 

FINALLY!!!!!!! Someone who knows the difference between affect and effect! You have restored my faith in humanity.

 

B

[Ru4scuba]

My handwriting is poorly affective but highly effective. Not beautiful like handwriting of the 1920s but very legible.

 

FINALLY!!!!!!! Someone who knows the difference between affect and effect! You have restored my faith in humanity.

 

B

 

If thats all it took you're in good shape

[fountainpenfanatic]

my handwriting just is not nice to look at !!!

I think to most people it is readable but it just needs to look better, for most of my 45 years i have been in employment where i didnt need to write very much.. now i am a carer for my disabled wife and i aim the practice as much as possible, i have been collecting fountain pens for about a year and aim just to use them and to slow things down...

And who knows.... in time i might even be able to spell !!!

 

Regards

 

chris

[Biber]

My handwriting is poorly affective but highly effective. Not beautiful like handwriting of the 1920s but very legible.

 

FINALLY!!!!!!! Someone who knows the difference between affect and effect! You have restored my faith in humanity.

 

B

 

If thats all it took you're in good shape

 

Gee thanks for ruining my day. Now that darn twitch is back...

[Fernan]

A long time ago, I had a rather very nice hand. I cultivated it. Practiced.

 

Then came the computer. Wrote less by hand. Tried to write as fast as I did with a computer.

 

Then, one day, not very long ago, I gave a document to a co-worker, so she could make corrections. When it came back, I was surprised to notice that she had had trouble understanding my handwriting. Lots of misunderstanding. She tried to guess what I had written. Worst, in some cases, I couldn't make out what I had originally written myself. That's when I became really ashamed.

 

So I did something about it. I started practicing again. I learned to slow down.

 

Call it "slow writing", as in "slow food"... oh... and slow (wet) shaving in the morning.

 

We've just go to slow down, get a life, enjoy it.

Edited December 4, 2009 by Fernan

[crowdog]

I am embarrassed by it, because I think it should be better. Also when my wife rolls her eyes at it, it makes me doubt my cursive.

 

My parents were teachers, and my mom taught me how to write, and though my penmanship has improved, my cursive is still the bane of my existence.

 

I too hurry too much, and so am trying to slow my mind and pen down. If only I could write like I type.

 

I have been practicing, and I think the italic calligraphy pen, makes my handwriting look much better.

 

Marty

[oceansportrait]

It depends on how fast I'm writing. I'm in my last year of university, and I'm finding that my notes depending on the class, varies in the readability of my handwriting. If the professor's going on and on and I have no time to pause, my handwriting looks like chicken-scratch and I sometimes have a difficult time understanding what I've written. But, if it's a class where the professor doesn't speak as much, and I only write the main points, then I'd say it's not that bad. I think it's that gap that I'm most embarrassed about.

 

I've had people compliment me on my writing (for projects, etc.) so that when they miss a class, they ask for my notes thinking it'll be just as neat. However, if they catch me in a class where the professor's a motor-mouth, then they're surprised to find that I can be pretty messy!

[thebz1]

I always get compliments about how perfect and amazing my handwriting is especially for me being a 13 year old boy. I try to act humble about it though. My handwriting and fountain pen is actually my avatar.

[Mille]

Thank you for all your answers! This topic seemed to have interested a lot of members as more than a hundred people have answered.

 

Regarding the nib size, I did not want to have too many choices but only the basic ones. Good to know the preferences, although the result is not that surprising.

 

I have also noted that the number of people who think their handwriting is bad has gone up lately. Usually a poll like this stabilises relatively quickly. Besides it is a little sad that almost half of us think it is bad. Perhaps it is because we care more about it?