Best Cursive Style For Writing Letters To Family, Pen Pals, Etc?

[nicagrace]

Hello everyone!

 

This is my first post on the site. I am so happy to have discovered Fountain Pen Network; I've spent the last several hours looking through the various forums!

 

Sorry if this topic has been covered before, but I wasn't able to find anything with the search results. I'm an avid pen-pal letter writer, and I've been wanting to improve my penmanship. I was thinking of looking at 'Business' style ala Mills. I was intrigued by the Spencerian style, but I'm wondering if that would take up too much space while writing a lengthy letter.

 

What styles do you tend to write with for personal correspondence? Thanks in advance!

[sharonspens]

Never really thought about "style"; I just use the cursive I've used for years. My writing changes with the pen, though; stubs and italics definitely up the ante.

 

Sharon in Indiana

[PaperDarts]

I admire different cursive styles but really I've never bothered to go beyond my regular everyday handwriting for any purpose. But as sharonspens says, using an italic or stub helps. When I use my italic nibs I find that I write more slowly and carefully, and no doubt that's a boon for the recipient of the letter.

 

And welcome to the FPN, you'll no doubt have fun here!

[ac12]

There are MANY styles of cursive.

The one that I learned in grade school is D'Neilian.

Few others are: Business script, American Cursive, New American Cursive . . .

Just look for one that you like the look of.

And feel free to take letter forms from other styles.

[amberleadavis]

The best cursive IMO, is the one that actually use and is legible. I love getting letters even if the cursive is not the grandeur that we see here on FPN. I'm just so excited to get a real letter.

[nicagrace]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I figure I'll just keep up with my typical cursive, which is legible, and practice on the side. I'm just inspired by so much of the beautiful penmanship I see on this site!

[ReadyFireAim]

I've been practicing Spencerian and playing with flex pens a lot.

Before that I tried a stub & it changed the look of my writing drastically without much effort.

 

My own hand is a mix of everything.

I found a capital F that I like a couple of months ago and have been using.

I made up my own capital Q.

My capital I has changed 4 times and I've never been able to find an A that I like that much.

 

I may not have answered your question very well.

 

Sometimes I just work on one thing like slant, spacing or height.

For a week I was working on crossing the T to my liking.

[Runnin_Ute]

Not entirely sure what I was taught back in the early 60's, but it may have been D'Neilian. But over the years it has evolved, and whatever it is now is sort of a hybrid that includes a block printing style I picked up in the eary 70's when I was in junior high in a shop class where we had to us all cap block printing on architectural type drawings. For many years it was mostly that. Over the last four years or so it is more a cursive style.

 

It is my everyday hand, used for most purposes including writing to pen pals around the world. I often use a stub nib that gives it a little extra flair.

[qvxb]

I print, using upper and lower case letters. My cursive is not legible at times. I hope that one hundred years from now, future readers will appreciate that. Note that there's a fine line between optimism and delusion.

[Retro-user]

Huge fan of Palmer method cursive here for my letters.

[Sasha Royale]

I think you should use whichever style suits you, modified in the manner that personalizes the writing. Mix styles to accomplish "Nicagrace" style. Be legible, but be YOU ! If you want to make a favorable impression, include money.

 

Instead of a card, I write notes of thanks in a 3½ X 5½ Clairefontaine notebook. The recipient is treated to the paper, in a convenient-to-use size, my written sentiment is carried, and re-read, as long as the remaining paper lasts. A couple of years ago, I invested in a carton of 50 such books, from Goulet Pens. Got a good bulk price, and a grape Tootsie Pop.

[CraigR]

Welcome to FPN! My everyday script is American Cursive, with some personalization. I like to use a stub or stub italic nib to add some flavor. My current writing has evolved over the years and has involved many hours of practice.

[Kolagnostos]

I too do not choose a style when I write. I remain with my own native style. I feel that nib and ink are wonderful ways to add variation.

 

My own penmanship continues to evolve and improve as I practice. My practice is active correspondence. *smile*

 

However, I do enjoy changing things up for the envelope portion. I very much enjoy using my ink dip pens for that. It's like eye-candy when you open you letterbox!

[hh1990]

For anything longer than a few sentences, I stick with my take on cursive because a fast turnaround important to me. I leave my trying attempts at calligraphy for short thank you notes or signatures.

[Studio97]

Cursive that is legible is good. My style looks like an EKG when I'm writing fast. My wife couldn't read half my letters when I was in service. Her mother tried to read them to her.

Edited October 6, 2017 by Studio97

[rwilsonedn]

You don't have to be consistent, after all. Maybe some letters should be printed, others might be better in a modern cursive style, and some just cry out for Spencerian or copperplate or something of the sort. As others have said, they are your letters, not someone else's.

ron

[Bookman]

I recommend legible and I recommend clean pages free of cross-outs or interlineations, and thus I recommend you narrow your style nominees to the ones that accomplish these at a minimum. After that, keep your correspondent in mind. We FPNers in a snail-mail exchange will always appreciate highly stylized handwriting. Uncle Floyd Turbo might find it needlessly distracting; Aunt Blabby might even find it show-offy. Know your audience.

[BLeeds]

Hi. If I may say so you might want to take a look at my blog, where I have written a short essay about how to improve your handwriting. The ideas presented are collected from various experts and my own experience. The essay is at the top of the list in the right margin.

 

I also wrote an essay, in which I wondered why the handwriting on the pen sites is so consistently awful? Sign of the times? They don't care? I'd love to have your thoughts.

 

Bruce Leeds

Edited November 8, 2017 by amberleadavis
Removed offsite link.

[IanRM]

Ive looked at your blog. There are some wise words there. You are very critical of other people though but don't show any samples of your own handwriting? There is one frequent poster on this website who you might say has got terrible writing but I find it very artistic. Im sure you know who I mean. ;-)

Hi. If I may say so you might want to take a look at my blog, where I have written a short essay about how to improve your handwriting. The ideas presented are collected from various experts and my own experience. The essay is at the top of the list in the right margin.

I also wrote an essay, in which I wondered why the handwriting on the pen sites is so consistently awful? Sign of the times? They don't care? I'd love to have your thoughts.

Bruce Leeds

Edited November 8, 2017 by amberleadavis
Removed offsite link.

[pgmrdan]

Not entirely sure what I was taught back in the early 60's, but it may have been D'Neilian.

 

Brad,

 

I was also taught in the early 60's and D'Nealian is what I was thinking I was taught until I saw a couple of sources say that D'Nealian came out in the mid-70's. I do like the looks of D'Nealian so I may study that to get my writing back in shape.

 

FWIW,

Dan