Help Learning Business Script For Scribbling Notes In Notebook

[Clefable]

Hi all. I am currently interested in learning the business script, main reason being that I want to be able to write quickly and with a regular fountain pen with a stiff round tipped nib.

 

Most of my job involves moving about scribbling down observations and data. This means that most of the time when I am writing I am either standing, or don't really have proper place to rest my arm or elbow. As such, I either rest my hand or my ring and pinky fingernails on my notebook (most of the time an A5 size, sometimes A4). Now when I say scribble, it means the stuff I write has to be written down quite quickly, but at the same time it has to remain readable and understandable for months and years to come (note, readable by me, I don't really care if other people cant read cursive).

 

Because of this I am thinking of learning business script, if anything to get into the discpline of writing consistently. Bonus points if it makes my handwriting legible to other people. Main problem I see is that one of the key features of learning to write any proper script is to write with my arms and shoulders, pivoted about my arm or elbow. As such, I am wondering if I should just practive writing correctly, and hope the training rubs off enough that I can write properly even without a proper desk. On the other hand, I would also like to ask if I should consider learning some other script?

[Nanny]

I am not sure what you mean by a "business script." I assume you refer to the Palmer method when you write about arm and shoulder movement. The original Palmer teacher's manuals called for writing with the tripod pen hold with the tips of the ring and little fingers riding along on the surface of a desk with movement from the shoulder. Is this a reasonable posture when you are standing?

 

I am an advocate of the italic method of handwriting (see www,bfhhandwriting.com). The writing movement for this method is in the fingers and hand, which is how most people write today. As you are looking for speed with a plus of legibility, it would be worth your while to consider italic. Feedback from my instructional material indicates that it takes as little as two or three weeks to change your handwriting. It probably will take a few months before a change would become automatic.

[Columba Livia]

There is a very good book for learning Business Script that I'd like to recommend. It's called F.W Tamblyn's Home Instructor in Penmanship. It's a modern work, written in the 1930s and reprinted today. I have no connection with the publishers, I just used the book and found it really useful.

I have found being able to use arm movement very useful, because finger movement quickly becomes cramped and limiting, especially if you're trying to take notes, but you can use both amr and finger movement together. There is no need to not use or not teach arm movement just because some people might write with their fingers today.

I'll show you what about an hour a day, one and off (but usually most days of the week) over 11 months or so did for my handwriting. This was what my handwriting used to look like (and this wasn't even quick notes, this was written at my leisure):

http://i.imgur.com/bRDPpyz.jpg

And afterwards:

http://i.imgur.com/zPZdkHz.jpg

There is a choice of different caps and (some) lower case letters in the material too, so if you really really really don't like a particular letter, there may well be something else.

I found the key to be to thoroughly read through the material before starting and then do two 1/2 hour sessions in a day, as many days of the week as I could. At first it seemed like my handwriting was getting worse, but after sticking

Here are a few pictures of and from the book:

http://i.imgur.com/qDT4q8z.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hZR0rNV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L22ewfw.jpg

With respect to writing while standing up, here is something from the New Spencerian Compendium about writing while standing up:

http://i.imgur.com/blF7tny.png
^
http://www.iampeth.com/books/spencerian_compendium/compendium_page64.html

I am not sure what you mean by a "business script."

Business writing is a monoline script which developed from the lightly shaded semi-angular style (Spencerian or Duntonian) which developed in America in the latter part of the 19th century (Although note that the semi-angular style could easily be written unshaded and frequently was).

There were many different people teaching it in the later 19th and early 20th century: Palmer and Zaner-Bloser (Charles Paxton Zaner and Elmer Ward Bloser) being two of the best known, but there were hundreds of other professional teachers of handwriting/calligraphers teaching business writing.

It's a more modern form of writing than Italic, since the Italic hand is based on medieval scripts written with a quill at a time when life moved at a much slower pace (no railways, telegraphs, steam ships or typewriters!) whereas business writing was intended right from the start for monoline writing instruments and rapid legible personal writing: it comes from the late 19th and early 20th century: an age of motor cars, railways, typewriters, radios, aeroplanes &c. This can be seen in e.g how Italic has numerous forced pen-lifts and a far more angular joining system leading into a tendency when written rapidly to result in a jagged saw-tooth triangular look. The bizarre banning of loops is also a weird dogma pursued by some (e.g Getty-Dubay). Of course, Italic is still a fine hand for calligraphy.

If you're not familiar with the golden age of calligraphy in America, including Business writing (Palmer method et al) a good book to check out is An Elegant Hand: The Golden Age of American Penmanship and Calligraphy:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1584560673

Edited August 2, 2013 by Columba Livia

[Clefable]

Wow thanks, really detailed advice. I will probably go with one of the Iampeth books though, since trying to get the Tamblyn booked shipped to my location would cost too much.

[AndrewSimmon]

On 8/2/2013 at 3:02 AM, Columba Livia said:

There is a very good book for learning Business Script that I'd like to recommend. It's called F.W Tamblyn's Home Instructor in Penmanship. It's a modern work, written in the 1930s and reprinted today. I have no connection with the publishers, I just used the book and found it really useful.

I have found being able to use arm movement very useful, because finger movement quickly becomes cramped and limiting, especially if you're trying to take notes, but you can use both amr and finger movement together. There is no need to not use or not teach arm movement just because some people might write with their fingers today.

I'll show you what about an hour a day, one and off (but usually most days of the week) over 11 months or so did for my handwriting. This was what my handwriting used to look like (and this wasn't even quick notes, this was written at my leisure):

http://i.imgur.com/bRDPpyz.jpg

And afterwards:

http://i.imgur.com/zPZdkHz.jpg

There is a choice of different caps and (some) lower case letters in the material too, so if you really really really don't like a particular letter, there may well be something else.

I found the key to be to thoroughly read through the material before starting and then do two 1/2 hour sessions in a day, as many days of the week as I could. At first it seemed like my handwriting was getting worse, but after sticking
Learning business scripts effectively requires a structured approach and the right resources. One of the best ways to retain key points is by scribbling notes in a notebook, helping reinforce concepts and improve recall. A well-designed learning experience platform (LXP) can also enhance this process by providing interactive tools and personalized content. For a detailed guide on building an LXP from scratch, check out https://ddi-dev.com/blog/case/how-to-build-learning-experience-platform-lxp-from-scratch/ combining digital resources with traditional note-taking can significantly boost comprehension and retention in business studies.
Here are a few pictures of and from the book:

http://i.imgur.com/qDT4q8z.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hZR0rNV.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L22ewfw.jpg

With respect to writing while standing up, here is something from the New Spencerian Compendium about writing while standing up:

http://i.imgur.com/blF7tny.png
^
http://www.iampeth.com/books/spencerian_compendium/compendium_page64.html

Business writing is a monoline script which developed from the lightly shaded semi-angular style (Spencerian or Duntonian) which developed in America in the latter part of the 19th century (Although note that the semi-angular style could easily be written unshaded and frequently was).

There were many different people teaching it in the later 19th and early 20th century: Palmer and Zaner-Bloser (Charles Paxton Zaner and Elmer Ward Bloser) being two of the best known, but there were hundreds of other professional teachers of handwriting/calligraphers teaching business writing.

It's a more modern form of writing than Italic, since the Italic hand is based on medieval scripts written with a quill at a time when life moved at a much slower pace (no railways, telegraphs, steam ships or typewriters!) whereas business writing was intended right from the start for monoline writing instruments and rapid legible personal writing: it comes from the late 19th and early 20th century: an age of motor cars, railways, typewriters, radios, aeroplanes &c. This can be seen in e.g how Italic has numerous forced pen-lifts and a far more angular joining system leading into a tendency when written rapidly to result in a jagged saw-tooth triangular look. The bizarre banning of loops is also a weird dogma pursued by some (e.g Getty-Dubay). Of course, Italic is still a fine hand for calligraphy.

If you're not familiar with the golden age of calligraphy in America, including Business writing (Palmer method et al) a good book to check out is An Elegant Hand: The Golden Age of American Penmanship and Calligraphy:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1584560673

thanks