Speed In Learning Cursive Drills

[greeeeb]

Hi Folks,

 

I am on and off in learning cursive from a palmer book--business writing. The oval and slanted lines drills are pretty hard; but once I feel I got some control in doing them, I lag behind in speed. The drills sometimes ask for up to 200 stroke to the minute or so. I feel it is unrealistic.

 

Any experience or advise?

 

Thanks.

[Randal6393]

Not realistic any longer, one might say. Palmer cursive is a business writing style, competing against the new technological marvel, the typewriter. So speed is essential, the goal of the writing is legible and fast output. Of course, the typewriter wins every time. (Why do I hear "And John Henry laid down his hammer and he died" in my head at this point?) So now seems advisable to focus on legible and not worry too much about speed.

 

Enjoy,

[greeeeb]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Now I feel better and assured

[ac12]

The other thing is you need to find your own speed.

I write in strokes. And if I go too slow, I am drawing, and my writing line gets wobbly. If I go too fast, I get sloppy.

So someplace in between is YOUR writing speed.

 

In my case, my personal overall writing speed, for optimal legibility and desired flourishing, is at a rather leisurely pace. Individual strokes may be somewhat fast, but overall writing speed is NOT fast.

If and when I do write fast, I have to simplify my hand and be careful that I do not get sloppy. And taking notes in a lecture, is ugly.

 

As your muscles gain muscle memory, this personal writing speed will likely increase.

Edited February 18, 2016 by ac12

[Tasmith]

I use Michael Sull's Movement Exercise Practice Sheet and Cross-Drill Exercise Practice Sheet daily for warm ups from his American Cursive Handwriting self-study workbook for about 10-15 minutes and I can really see an improvement in my handwriting and hand and arm strength after doing them. If I skip a few days, I see my writing getting sloppy.

 

http://www.johnnealbooks.com/prod_detail_list/757

[greeeeb]

Thanks for the replies.

 

My main problem is taking class notes: if I slow down, I loose track of what the lecturer is saying, and if I write fast without paying attention to my writing I end up frustrated about the output.

 

@Tasmisth

the exercises in Skull'd book are similar to Palmer's book?

 

Thanks.

[ac12]

I suggest looking into note-hand or short-hand. I really wished my mother had made me learn short-hand, as trying to take notes FAST in college, just destroyed my handwriting.

[greeeeb]

I think it is a hard one. Is there a short list of words that is sufficient to learn? I am in computer science school.

 

Thanks.

[ksm]

This time I'll be the devil's advocate: Computer Science school? Are you sure you don't want to take up touchtyping?

[greeeeb]

Hi KSM,

 

well, I am slow at typing and I am not a touchtyper. I tried to learn it but it does not work for me. Also, we write math and we draw, and you can not use computers effectively to type these in class.

 

People have the picture that anyone work in computers and high tech must be fast in typing and good at utilizing technology and at multiTasking. At a large scale, that is the case. However, not all of us are good at that, and computer science in essence is applied math and problem solving, not only programming. I said I am not fast at typing, but that does not affect my studies. Quality is not correlated with speed

 

When I want to write a program, I go first with paper and pen to put a comprehensive sketch of my solution: I need to conceptualize a solution first, then write it on a computer in details. A solution to a problem maybe better than other solutions, you need to assess bottlenecks and possible improvements in your program, and paper and pens are what I (most of us) use.

 

You do not know how valuable assets papers and pens are. Some students do not have pens and have technology, but that does not necessarily make them better.

 

 

Thanks.

[ksm]

OK.

 

FYI I'm a programmer (database and backend), I've learned to touchtype before my highschool. I've been able to write my notes in LaTeX (in VIM ), one of my friends did the same while studying math, he is even more dysgraphic than me, so he was allowed to use LaTeX on exams.

 

I use pen and paper for first informal design too. But I know my legible handwriting is too slow for making notes.

[greeeeb]

KSM, my fella:)

 

my writing improved lately, thank God. I am in grad school now. But when I was in undergrad school, I lose grades because of my handwriting. I remember solving a hw, then handing it to my friends to copy it (they do the same for me, too:); they get better grades in hws, although we submit the same solution.

 

As for computers, I started using computers almost in the fourth semester of my undergrad years--I am not in love with computers, I am in love with the problem solving aspects in using computers. My friends used to help me with basic to mid computer skills, and they still do, although I can program better than most of them.

 

VIM and I are not friends, but I think me and you could still be friends

 

Take care.

[knarflj]

From my experience, the trick to taking notes is not so much how fast you write, but learning to condense and restate into your own words. I print all my notes (well, it's probably a semi-cursive based on print, because when you write quickly some letters just join up naturally) using something similar to bookhand: http://www.jp29.org/bh.htm It's almost as quick to write as most cursive, and I find it easier to study from or to skim to find information quickly.

 

Mind you, I use cursive a lot, too, just not for note-taking.

 

Jenny

[greeeeb]

I agree with you, Jenny. Condensing is good. However, the professor writes insufficient information and spell the rest with explanations. To be able to grasp what he says I need to write down my understanding of what he says; otherwise I may not know that I did not understand. That is the problem!

 

My school days are about to end soon. But I need legible writing in the future for, possibly, an academic job. Wish me luck!

[greeeeb]

I suggest looking into note-hand or short-hand. I really wished my mother had made me learn short-hand, as trying to take notes FAST in college, just destroyed my handwriting.

 

I was looking for shorthand. I know now that there are many systems: Symbol based like gregg and pitman, and alphapitic based like quickhand. There is another called zinman's.

 

I think I will go and try quickhand (which is cursive based) or zinman's (I do not have information whether it is alphabet or symbol based).

 

Anyone familiar with the last two?

 

Thanks.