Improving handwriting can enhance readability, competence, and personal style. Analyzing current writing habits and learning proper technique can help, as can practicing regularly and seeking additional training if needed. Proper posture and technique can also improve speed and brain function.
Bad handwriting can be frustrating for others to read, make you appear less competent in job applications and exams, and can even be a sign of an underlying medical problem. There are ways to improve your handwriting, however, starting with analyzing your handwriting to find out what the problem is. Once this is done, you can learn proper calligraphy techniques and then practice regularly until your new writing style becomes a habit. If you need extra training, workshops and courses from a university or calligraphy tutor can be very helpful.
Analyze your writing
The first step in starting to improve your handwriting is to analyze it and determine why you write the way you do. Many people find that they have been trained to write incorrectly or are simply out of practice as they write more than they write. Other people have health problems that cause dysgraphia or poor handwriting. Brain damage from stroke, dyslexia, and dyspraxia from Parkinson’s disease can make it difficult to write correctly, as can some medications that affect coordination.
In addition to understanding why you write the way you do, try to notice what you like or dislike about the formation of your letter. You may notice that your letters are skewed too much in one direction, that some are noticeably larger or smaller than others, or that the spacing between your words is uneven. If you write with very long loops in your letters, they may overlap the underlying lines.
As you do the analysis, observe what your body is doing as you write. Many people with poor handwriting have very tense and tense hands and shoulders, which causes them to press pen to paper very heavily, leading to cramped and misshapen writing. When you know which parts of your writing style you don’t like, you can focus on consciously changing them as you practice.
proper techniques
Once you’ve determined what you want to correct about your handwriting and have had any underlying medical conditions treated, you should learn and practice proper handwriting technique. It involves using your shoulders and arms to perform pen or pencil movements, rather than just your fingers or hands. You shouldn’t press your hand into the paper as you write, but rather keep it free and raised above the paper. This can keep your hands from getting tired and also makes your writing more relaxed. If it feels too awkward to write at your normal size with this method, try tracing large letters on a mirror, chalkboard, or worksheet
Posture is also an important part of good handwriting. Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor and your stomach a few inches from the desk or table. This gives your arm enough room to move properly. If you’re right-handed, hold the paper to your right, and if you’re left-handed, hold it to your left. Make sure you keep the paper straight, as tilting it to one side or the other can cause your writing to become excessively skewed. Once you’re comfortable with the basics of good handwriting, you can start focusing on improving individual issues you have, such as improper spacing or loops that are too large.
practitioner
Try to practice every day, remembering to use the correct posture and way of holding the pen or pencil, and consciously focusing on correct writing. Also pay attention when writing things like shopping lists or reminders. If you’re in school, you can occasionally take class notes by hand instead of on a computer. If you still need more practice, consider getting practice books or worksheets, available online and offline for kids and adults. If you don’t feel like you’re improving or want to learn more elaborate styles, you may want to consider taking a handwriting or calligraphy class. Many schools, community colleges, and universities have handwriting workshops and classes, and there are also people in many areas who offer personal handwriting tutoring.
Benefits
There are many benefits to improving your handwriting. Besides simply being more comfortable to read and nicer to look at, proper handwriting can be written very quickly and is more personal than typed work. It also makes you appear more educated and competent, which can be a big plus when filling out job applications and in business communications. Plus, practicing the fine motor skills needed to write is good exercise for the brain and can help improve hand-eye coordination.
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