How does one achieve a straight line of writing ...

[CowboyBlue]

One of my biggest frustrations with my own writing is my seeming inability to write a straight line across an unruled sheet of paper. My handwriting is passable, but it staggers down to the right, drunkenly dropping as if sliding off a slick, tilted surface. I would LOVE to write my notes and short stories in nice journals, but "nice journals" implies unlined, quality paper.

 

How does one achieve horizon-adhering penmanship, without resorting to blatantly cheap notebook filler paper? By the way, the light blue lines on filler paper do NOTHING for the aesthetics of my writing with a lighter, softer shade of blue ink.

[Pictrix]

Have you tried slipping a lined piece of paper under the page you are writing on? So you can see the lines a bit through the top (unlined sheet?)

 

Some writing pads come with a lined sheet for just this purpose. But you can always make one yourself...

 

http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/writing.html

 

you can set the specs as desired.

[tmcneil82]

Awesome site! Thanks for the link

[caliken]

One of my biggest frustrations with my own writing is my seeming inability to write a straight line across an unruled sheet of paper. My handwriting is passable, but it staggers down to the right, drunkenly dropping as if sliding off a slick, tilted surface. I would LOVE to write my notes and short stories in nice journals, but "nice journals" implies unlined, quality paper.

 

How does one achieve horizon-adhering penmanship, without resorting to blatantly cheap notebook filler paper? By the way, the light blue lines on filler paper do NOTHING for the aesthetics of my writing with a lighter, softer shade of blue ink.

 

This subject has been raised before here with some excellent advice.

[FooWriter]

How does one achieve horizon-adhering penmanship, without resorting to blatantly cheap notebook filler paper?

It's always a challenge, I agree; but here are my thoughts, for what they're worth:

 

• When I really want something I'm writing to line up correctly, I do as others have suggested and slip a lined sheet under the one I'm writing on. This depends on the top sheet being thin enough to see through, of course.
  
• Starting at the top of the page, I make a point to try and keep the first line parallel to the top edge of the paper. From there, I just try to keep each new line parallel to the preceding one. That sounds obvious, but when you get caught up in what you're writing is when the writing starts to slip off kilter. If I notice that a paragraph has started to slide downhill, I reset by starting the next line on level.
  
• Your experience may be different, but I was taught to turn the paper at an angle when writing. I sometimes find that my writing goes off parallel because I have the paper at too great or too small an angle, causing the lines to climb or slide at the ends. So I adjust the angle of the paper to correct.
  

[Aunt Jill]

You mean little dime-store writing pads don't come with a dark-lined sheet to use as a guide anymore? Tsk tsk. Oh wait... there aren't any dime stores and they don't make those little pads anymore. Never mind.

 

You can print off pages with very dark lines to put behind your plain paper. Then it doesn't have to be so thin.

 

you can use your supply of scratch paper for practice, especially the pages where you can see on the blank side straight typed lines or other lines from the used side.

 

If you keep practicing (using up less-liked inks?) you might find your lines straighter. Don't think about it too much.

[Ondina]

Even though the paper is too opaque to see through, you can use a larger sheet of lined paper to "frame" the sheet you're writing on. These lines on the periphery can be very helpful if you "aim" toward them when you start a line. If you practice, after a while you won't need these. I had a real problem writing straight on unruled paper, but I'm pretty good at it now -- after some practice.

 

The other thing is that depending on the style of your handwriting, the lines of writing don't necessarily have to be absolutely straight. I've seen some nicely written letters that didn't use straight lines, but rather somewhat diagonal and arced lines. You get points writing by hand to begin with, so don't worry about it too much.

 

Doug

 

Pictrix link is very useful. The above one given by HDoug as well. When were 6 or 7, and started transitioning from lined/grided papers my mother would do the same; she would put a larger sheet of lined paper even if the one we were using was opaque. And instructed us to try to make our lines to get to the final guiding one. While the first tries may look like a wavy sea, it becomes sort of mechanical to mentally trace a straight line, is for whatever reason is like riding a bike. Once learned, it will be there forever.

[CowboyBlue]

Some very good advice, tips, and great links. Thanks!

[wykpenguin]

The same way one gets to Carnegie Hall. :roflmho:

 

The other way is to use guide sheets.