Running Out Of Room With Long Words In Cursive

[ThirdeYe]

This might be a strange question, but I'm trying to adjust my grip and I'm struggling to write longer words in cursive. It seems like I'm always running out of room, because I stable my hand by resting the side of my hand on the paper when I write only lifting it up between words to move it over slightly. Therefore, when I write a long word, I don't move my hand as I write and I can't finish words without having to lift up my hand and move it, making my words look like a mess. Does anyone have any pointers as to how to write long words in cursive? Do I have to be constantly moving my hand instead of resting it on the paper? Thanks!

 

Derek

Edited April 19, 2011 by ThirdeYe

[Italicist]

It's not a strange question at all, but a real practical problem that many people who want to improve their handwriting face, especially when changing from printing to cursive. Rather than resting your hand firmly on the paper while you write multiple letters, try to move your hand along gradually while still keeping it slightly in contact with the paper. That would give you the benefit of some stability while still allowing you to keep up with the progress of your words. Don't lean on your hand as you write, though, since otherwise it will be difficult to write more than one or two letters without squashing them into each other. Good luck with it, and best wishes.

[Pickwick]

The term cursive is the ability to write with speed. Are you attempting to join up each letter? A large number of people using this style including myself, in order to write at a fast pace combine a method of joining letters and at times seperate them.

 

At 8 years of age my teacher taught a form of script, akin to copperplate but designed to combine an elegant style and at the same time gave the ability to write faster, and also allowed the ability to not have to join letters together at times. There is a name for it but it escapes me.

 

You will often find this in some handwriting using script or copperplate by some writers in previous centuries, it enables the ability to write faster. Our thought process is moving faster than our hand.

 

I'm glad you brought this subject up, having used pen and ink for the past 65 years, I've never given this any conscious thought. So after reading your post I consciously started to write and found I moved my hand writing long words, but broke some of the joins. I wasn't able to join the letters of long words without moving my hand across the page.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kind regards,

 

Pickwick

[ThirdeYe]

Italicist - Thanks, I will try to adjust even more to avoid planting my hand while I write. I always found that it helped my handwriting look more stable, but it doesn't allow me to write long words correctly.

Pickwick - Yes, I try to join every letter. I have seen people use what you are referring to, with connecting only certain letters. I never quite understood how a person would determine which letters to connect, etc. Is it something that just happened naturally?

beak - Thanks for the link. I will check it out.

 

 

I've been playing with being able to move my hand as I write. When I try to use the same hand position as before, when I would firmly place the side of my hand on the paper for stability, except not with as much force (to try to move my hand constantly) I find that the side of my hand kind of "sticks" to the paper per se, still causing drag and not being able to move sometimes. It seems like the way for me to go is to use just my pinky for stability as it can glide across the paper without getting "stuck", does that seem like a correct way to touch the paper? With my pinky instead of the side of my hand?

[Pickwick]

Hi Thirdeye,

 

I suppose it does come naturally. I write a lot of letters and keep a journal and afraid my handwriting although legible, I tend to write fairly fast to keep up with my imagination!

 

Although I practise script, especially when I've acquired a new pen, or adjusting it.

 

If you follow Beak's advice, you'll find you'll master it. Like all art and skills it needs the discipline of practice. Would like to see how you progress, none of us are ever too old to learn.

 

Kind regards,

 

Pickwick

[Cynomys]

In their manuals on Spencerian penmanship, both Michael Sull and Platt Rogers Spencer recommend resting your arm on the forearm muscle several inches in front of the elbow. The palm of the hand is not in contact with the paper. Rather, the hand is resting lightly on the nails of the 3rd and 4th fingers. Sull also recommends not writing bare-armed as the forearm could stick to the paper and jerk on occasion, marring the lettering.

 

Prior to taking up the study of Spencerian penmanship, I too rested my hand on the side palm. After a bit (well, a lot, with constant attention to position) of practice with the dip pen, I was then able to transfer this technique to regular fountain pens (but not ball point or pencil).

[ThirdeYe]

In their manuals on Spencerian penmanship, both Michael Sull and Platt Rogers Spencer recommend resting your arm on the forearm muscle several inches in front of the elbow. The palm of the hand is not in contact with the paper. Rather, the hand is resting lightly on the nails of the 3rd and 4th fingers. Sull also recommends not writing bare-armed as the forearm could stick to the paper and jerk on occasion, marring the lettering.

 

Prior to taking up the study of Spencerian penmanship, I too rested my hand on the side palm. After a bit (well, a lot, with constant attention to position) of practice with the dip pen, I was then able to transfer this technique to regular fountain pens (but not ball point or pencil).

 

How long would you say it took you to adjust your writing style? I'm trying to do what you suggested, about resting my forearm and trying not to put weight on my hand. My nails don't really touch the paper, it's more like the side of my pinky touches it instead, which can still sometimes "stick" to it.

[Cynomys]

This is interesting to me. I just tried it and noticed that the contact point (near the elbow) necessarily produces a slightly curved writing line as the hand swings from left to right - the arm as a radius rod swinging about the pivot. Is this the reason, do you think, that it is also recommended to angle the paper up towards the right, because doing so brings the (straight) written line to be a tangent to a circle from the same pivot point at the centre of the writing line, and thus best agree with the natural curve produced by a fixed pivot? Hope I'm being clear - shall I diagram (the birth of another illegitimate verb?) what I mean?

 

Keep in mind that not only the elbow, but also the wrist pivots. In addition, the fingers flex and the paper is moved with the non-writing hand. As a result, the arm will not swing in a very wide arc at all. Thus, writing is a coordinated effort involving the entire arm and the paper as well.

[Cynomys]

How long would you say it took you to adjust your writing style? I'm trying to do what you suggested, about resting my forearm and trying not to put weight on my hand. My nails don't really touch the paper, it's more like the side of my pinky touches it instead, which can still sometimes "stick" to it.

 

To tell the truth, I'm still making the adjustment. Keep in mind, I'm 63 years old, so I have a long history of bad writing habits to correct.

 

I'm pretty sure that not everybody will actually use the textbook perfect method. I certainly wouldn't worry too much if it is the side of your little pinky and not the fingernails which touch the paper. The main reason that I know of to not rest your hand on the palm or the side of the palm is that doing so impedes the free movement of the wrist and, to some extent, the fingers. So it really shouldn't matter too much if it is the side of the little finger or the nails. That's my read on it, anyway.

[Inka]

This happens to me as well.

I try pulling the paper held diagonally across the writing surface, underneath the side of my hand.

If that fails I tend to lift my pen at a letters end so it's inconspicuous, then pick up on the tail of that letter-base where it's not obvious I've lifted the nib off the paper.

It's an ongoing thing for me too, I was just noticing it a couple of days ago whilst writing so I'm glad it's being mentioned here now, good to see that I'm not alone.