#handwriting tips

[thestudyingmonster]

why I write in cursive (and why you should too)

I follow a lot of studyblr's. However, 99% of the posts I see have their notes written in print. I've been writing in cursive since I was 6, and I'm wondering why other studyblr's don't do the same. Yes, in America, people are taught to write in print, and cursive is barely taught in schools. However, as an European, writing in cursive is mandatory and it is taught in all of the schools. You can even get bad marks for writing in print on exams and tests (yikes). As much as I love how print looks, I wouldn't ever think about switching to print, not just because it is mandatory. Here are the reasons why:

1. Writing in cursive is a lot faster than writing in print. I tried writing in print and noticed something. I wrote 10 times slower. I couldn't even finish a sentence without complaining how slow it was. "But it might've been because you're used to writing in cursive!" Well, I'm not the only one with this issue. Since in cursive the letters are connected, you don't have to lift your pen so often.

2. It improves brain development. Some years ago, the College Board found that students who wrote in cursive for the essay portion of the SAT scored slightly higher than those who wrote in print. Cursive handwriting stimulates brain synapses and synchronicity between the left and right hemispheres, something that can't be said about writing in print.

3. You can always jazz it up. There are so many ways to write in cursive. New American Cursive, Handwriting Without Tears, D'Nealian Handwriting, Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, you name it. You can always personalise your cursive by adding little things like flourishes, making the dot in the i and j into a loop (like I do), experimenting with different stroke sizes... You never get tired of it.

4. It's like writing English with a French accent. It just looks so elegant and beautiful.

5. You'll stand out from the crowd. In a sea full of print scripts, it's refreshing to see something new.

Sources:

The Benefits of Cursive Go Beyond Writing

5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Know Cursive

Types of Cursive Handwriting

[nadjastudies]

Do you have any tips on how to improve sloppy or untidy handwriting?

Hey there!

I remember a few months ago when I realized that my handwriting wasn’t the way I wanted it to be and I was in the same situation that you are right now.

Well, first of all, it’s pretty important to find a handwriting style that suits you. Do you like it small and neat or big and cursive? If you know what type of handwriting you’re looking for you can easily look for it on the internet! Search printables or handwriting tags and write down each letter as clear as possible (like one line full of “a”, then one line “b” etc.), then repeat that.

Try to make it a unique style and experiment with the size and the gaps between the letters.

I know it takes a lot of time but you’ll see big differences after a few days :) Look for inspiration and keep trying!

Best of luck, Nadja xx

[bookmarksandbrushpens]

How did you get your cursive to look so nice and steady, and do you have any tips for beginners? I love your blog btw 💝

Hi! And thank you!! So my handwriting looks the way it does because I’ve been journaling for so long that I’ve had a lot of practice. Practice is the number one tip I have, but I’ll link some posts and asks that have some practical advice as well. 

Handwriting Resources

French Ruled Paper

An ask with links to helpful videos

An ask with some practical tips of mine

This is a frequently asked question of mine so I’m hoping to put together a more in-depth resources post soon!

[optomstudies]

Hey,so i think i've mastered holding my pencil and the right finger/hand movements while writing.But i just can't keep my words straight or stop my writing from slanting.i just can't keep my letters the same size or keep them on the line.

Hi there! 

If you can’t keep your words straight, change the orientation of your book to accommodate your normal arm and wrist posture. Instead of keeping your book straight, try different angles. Some people even rotate their books almost 90 degrees anticlockwise (right handers). 

Just a reminder that you should keep your wrist as neutral as possible - there should be little movement when you write, because writing is all in the fingers. Preferentially rotate your arm instead. 

Writing slants naturally. If you want to fix your slantedness then I would suggest fixing everything else first (see below) (because staying on the line is the more essential skill) before practising a lot of vertical downward strokes. 

Keeping them on the line is a matter of practice. To help you at first, I recommend you use lines that are extra thick. This way, there is a lot of leeway for error. Once you get good at keeping your letters on a thick line, make the lines thinner and try again. 

If you use thick lines which are a different colour (than black), you’ll be able to see how consistently close you are to getting the top of the line. At first you may overshoot and go below the top of the thickened line, but aim to keep all your letters just touching it. 

To keep your letters the same size, I would suggest using grid paper which has a small size e.g. 0.5mm or ideally 0.4mm. This way you have a line at the top and the bottom of your letters, so when you practice with that paper, you’ll be able to keep the letters consistently the same size. 

Try writing single letters first (a a a a a a) then mix it up and then change the letters in front and behind, because in normal handwriting, the letters before and after can change/mess up how you write the letters (ab ba ac ca ad da). 

Hope that helps! ^__^

[ploverstudies]

How do i improve my handwriting? Yours is beautiful!

hello, and thank you! i haven’t specifically focused on improving my handwriting myself, but here are a few tips that might be helpful!

a guide to better handwriting:

figure out what you want to improve

what do you want to change about your handwriting? do you want it to be neater overall, to be able to write neatly while writing quickly? do you want to change the size of your writing, or even completely change your handwriting?

for inspiration on different types of handwriting and motivation to improve, i have a general tag on a variety of different types here, and one on super neat types here!

remember that everyone has their own unique handwriting, and you should feel comfortable with your own. try to better your own writing, rather than trying to copy someone else’s (this sounds completely hypocritical of the point above, but there’s a difference between inspiration and copying!).

analyze your current handwriting/writing tools

in order to improve, seeing what you have to work with will help you find the tools and methods you’ll need.

which hand do you write with? this is important, since if you’re a lefty (like me!), finding the pen that works for you will be a bit harder.

how much pressure do you use? how much space do you put between words? what is the size of your writing?

what writing utensil do you prefer, pencils or pens? using the most comfortable tool for you will make improving your handwriting a lot easier, since your hand won’t be cramping up all the time!

as a lefty, my favourite pen is the pentel energel needle tip in 0.5, because it dries fast and doesn’t railroad as much. i also recommend the muji gel pens, and for pencils the pilot opt mechanical pencils, both in 0.5. 

how to go about improving

in order to improve your handwriting, practice is essential. however, it doesn’t mean that you have to write ‘the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ a hundred times over (although if you want to do that, go ahead)! 

if you have the time, try to write your school notes, essays, or even memos as neat as possible. it may seem a bit difficult and uncomfortable at first, but over time i found that i got used to writing neatly. 

also, trying to write neatly while under some pressure is also something to try out. by this, i mean small, five minute freewrites in class, not when you’re taking an important exam that makes up for half of your grade. this helps improve writing efficiency and will allow you to write neater while writing quickly at the same time. 

a good way to do this is to give yourself a paragraph to copy (from a book or whatever), and to allow yourself 3-5 minutes to rewrite that excerpt while trying to stay neat as possible. if you can’t finish the paragraph in the allotted time, that’s okay! as you continue to practice, you’ll begin to write quicker, and in time complete the paragraph with time to spare.

this doesn’t seem important, but it is: make sure your hand is at a normal temperature when writing/practicing! i find that when my hands are cold, they’re more stiff, which makes it harder to make writing flow, and when my hands are too hot, they get sweaty, thus making my grip on the pen more difficult.

some more tips from cool people!

how to improve your handwriting quickly by @emmastudies

a video on improving handwriting by @studyign

how to get neater handwriting by @stuudytips

tips to better handwriting by @cutestudystuff

i hope this was helpful! this is my first time making a masterpost (sort of), so feel free to message me if anything is confusing!

[janetstudies]

Hello ♥︎ I just started reading your blog and... I fell in love with it. I would like to ask you (and I'm sorry if you had done this before, in this case, could you send me a link? 🙈 ) about your "essentials" and maybe some tips for neat, beautiful and cute notes? Maybe some tips on neat handwriting?✎ it would be just amazing! Thanks in advance! ♡♡♡♡

Hello! I’m so sorry it took so long for me to reply :-( thank you so much, that means a lot to me ♥ No, I haven’t really been asked this question before so here are a few tips I live by -

ESSENTIALS/TIPS:

I don’t really have a specific set of “essentials,” I love a good notebook but I’m not so picky whenever I buy pads/papers/notebooks. Remember that it doesn’t really matter whether you have an expensive notebook or not, what matters is what you write in it/that you even have a notebook in the first place (a lot of people don’t have the means to buy even a single notebook).

While I’m not so picky when it comes to notebooks, I’m incredibly picky when it comes to pens. I believe that the pen used while writing has a direct correlation to the handwriting produced (LOL). I actually don’t like gel pens with too thin a point - this means 0.1, 0.2, even 0.3 pens at times. I use 0.3 Zebra Sarasa pens and 0.38 Muji gel pens and they work really well, but I don’t use them for writing notes; only for lettering and decorating my bullet journal.

Find the pen that matches you. In my case, these are Faber Castell ballpoint pens (0.5/0.7), 0.5 Muji gel pens, 0.5 Dong-a U-knock gel pens. I prefer pens with points greater than or equal to 0.4 but I don’t like them too thick, just balanced. Like what I said: the pen you use affects your handwriting.

PRACTICE. This really important. I used to suck at lettering - y’all should see what my lettering looked like when I was just starting out. While I’m not saying that I have beautiful lettering now, it’s definitely improved as opposed to what it looked before. I had my classmate teach me the basics and I practiced every day; had him check my work and correct what should be corrected. (Kudos to him - he was REALLY patient with me even though I was probably really annoying, having my lettering checked Every. Single. Time.) I eventually got better as I practiced more. My point is: practice!

Regarding practice: don’t get annoyed if you don’t get the results you want on your first try. Practice makes perfect, and as you work on your handwriting/lettering it’ll get better eventually. I know it’s a pain to see mediocre handwriting/lettering every single time you practice, but I swear - it’ll get better. Just keep on persevering and you’ll get the results you want in no time.

Use inspiration. See pictures of notes with lettering you like? You can try and practice your handwriting by copying/imitating the lettering in the photo - it’s fun and satisfying, especially as you come close to completely imitating how the person wrote his/her lettering. This way, whenever you letter titles or anything else your hand will literally turn on autopilot mode and because you practiced on imitating someone else’s lettering the result will turn out to be just like theirs. I’ve no idea if y’all even get what I mean I couldn’t phrase it any way else lmao but yup, it worked on me like a charm - I practiced imitating my classmate’s writing and eventually succeeded: I could do my notes exactly the way he did his. He was pretty chill with it; he was even proud I could do it considering the state my lettering was before haha. (I’ve no idea if this is considered ‘muscle memory,’ but yep.)

A FEW POSTS REGARDING HANDWRITING/LETTERING:

Focusign’s Tips for Writing Prettier Notes

Guide to Aesthetically Pleasing Notes by Areistotle

How to Maintain Good Notes by Skeletonstudy

The Organised Student’s Note Taking System

The Organised Student’s Pretty Notes

Upgrade Your Notes by Studylou

[studyaroundthetokki]

Using Fountain Pens For Notetaking – Wut?

I have several fountain pens, and have just recently gifted one of my trial ones to a friend. You know who you are *cough*@tenalach*cough*. I like them for the obvious aesthetic reason, the wide selection of inks and numerous other little things for personal use... but I had always thought they were not very practical for everyday use. However, unless you're getting some rare edition several hundred (or thousand) dollar pen... there are a lot of practical pointers, reasons and facts that make them a great everyday carry.

Expensive..not really: The lowest price entry I know of is the Platinum Preppy fountain pen which writes very nicely and costs around $3.00 US. Its refills are easy to use and come in a variety of colours. It's a great introductory pen and comes in a variety of sizes. Ink is something that is fairly cheap as well, especially if you have a converter, but most cartridge models are inexpensive if you use a medium or fine nibbed pen

2. Ink comes  in every colour and variety of writing experience you can think of. Want a quick drying ink that shades from yellow to deep brown? Noodler has your back. Want something that shines with glitter? We got you covered, in multiple colours over several brands. Want something basic that dries quickly but you can still use with your fancy new pen? No prob, Bob.

                               Fast drying: Pilot Black/Blue

                               Eye-bleedingly bright pink: Noodler's Dragon Catfish Pink

3. It reduces hand fatigue. I originally got into using them because of my fibromyalgia and the pain that I get after a very short time with regular pens. Some gel pens are okay, I'm a big fan of Pilot, but it's really hard for me to write any length of time with most utensils. I like to handwrite notes, letters, grocery lists, ect. A good fountain pen won't cause the same sort of pain and fatigue.

4. It's fun. I write more than I used to. My handwriting has drastically improved. I finally found a pen that I love, as well as several inks that really suit my personality. I've learned the sheer pleasure in high quality (not always that more expensive either) paper. I pay more attention and recall things I write better because I'm enjoying the experience.

Suggested Pens by $$$

$ Platinum Preppy, Pilot Varsity

$ 10-20 Pilot Kakuno, Pilot Metropolitan

$ 20-40 Lamy series, Pilot Prera

$40-60 TWSBI 580AL (this is muh baby, but even the EF is kind of thick compared to Japanese fountain pens).

*I am partial to Pilot products, but they also lay down just about the thinnest line you're going to get with their EF nibs which make them superior for notetaking imo. The ink is very fast drying. However, you're restricted in color selections unless you buy a converter, which not all models take. The TWSBI 580AL can use any water-based ink you can find since it doesn't use cartridges.

Additional Notes:

Fountain pen ink is water-based. Some have more pigmentation than others, and thus are resistant to liquids spilled on them. You have to do your research.

Japanese pens write finer than most other styles. This is a pro or a con depending on what you are looking for.

Lamy pens have a very strangely shaped grip section that helps you learn to hold a fountain pen correctly. Some people like it, some people hate it. They have a nice variety of cartridge ink though.

A Platinum Preppy is a good safe bet for someone who just wants to mess around and see if they like this type of writing instrument.. for $3.00 you're getting a pen that writes better than quite a few expensive models I've used. It also has a ton of colors.

Websites:

Gouletpens.com – Great company, great selection of ink, paper and pens. Carries from $-$$$$ priced pens. They're a home grown company and I totally recommend supporting them if you can. They're great! I always shop from them if they have what I'm looking for. However, they don't have things like washi tape or stickers if that's what you're looking for. Any other purchase? Go with Goulet, seriously.

Jetpens.com – Tons of stationary of all kinds. Cute stickers. Notebooks to fit just about any price range. It's all reasonably priced and they carry a variety of items any student could use. They are my go-to company for cheap but high quality products, especially stickers.  

[bookmarksandbrushpens]

Hello Emma. I recently got into handwriting a lot more, both at my job and outside of it, and while I don't exactly write a journal (due to lack of discipline), I often write down thoughts, jokes and every now and then letters. My handwriting is mostly legible, but it's nowehere near being easy on the eye. Yours, on the other hand, is a pleasure to read. Could I ask you for some tips or guidelines to improve in that regard? Thank you.

Hi! So my biggest tip is simply to practice, the more you write the neater you handwriting will become as your hand gets used to consistently forming letters. But for some more practical tips I suggest looking at some of my previous posts:

Handwriting Resources

French Ruled Paper

This ask has links to some handwriting videos I like 

This ask has some practical tips I came up with

Hope this helps! And as always feel free to message me with more questions!