Ditch the Chicken Scratch: Fun and Effective Ways to Better Handwriting
You CAN improve your handwriting!
Even decades after I was a child, I vividly remember the thrill of putting squiggles on paper and proudly telling my mother what it said (of course, she always played along). There was, for me, the potent mystery and allure of “grown-up” cursive writing with its magical flowing curves and lines. As soon as I was old enough to write real words, I relished the delicious anticipation of my grandfather being able to read my letter when he received it hundreds of miles away. And after that was the joy of knowing he would always write me back!
I’ve heard hundreds of excuses for not writing by hand, and one of the most common is “My handwriting is terrible! No one can read it.!” Unless you have a physical impairment that causes pain or inability to hold a pen, you can improve your handwriting. When mine deteriorated several times over the years, I discovered some easy ways to get back on track. You don’t have to aspire to lovely, flowing cursive. Let’s just get you from chicken scratch to legible. If you want to go beyond that—or aspire to calligraphy— you certainly can, but taking baby steps is the best way to start. Improving your penmanship will positively impact both your personal and professional life, I promise.
Here are some tips and tricks:
Step One: Understand Your Starting Point
The first step in my journey was admitting that my handwriting needed work, and understanding where I was starting from. I wrote down a few sentences, examining my handwriting critically. My letters were unevenly spaced, my lines slanted inconsistently, and my letter shapes were erratic. Time to face the music and get back on track.
Step Two: Gather the Right Tools
A craftsman is only as good as her tools, right? I began my journey by selecting a pen that felt comfortable and offered good control. After testing various options, I settled on a gel pen with a medium point, but many of you will prefer a fine point. I also found that smooth, lined paper worked best for practice, but again, this is up to you. It’s great to occasionally write on cursive worksheets designed for elementary school children. A sheet ruled with dark lines placed under your writing sheet can serve as a guide if you can see it through the top sheet. I’ve listed some other resources below.
Step Three: Pay Attention to Posture and Grip
How you sit and hold your pen can drastically impact your handwriting. I consciously try to maintain a straight posture, keep my feet flat on the floor, and position my paper at a comfortable angle. The traditional tripod grip—where the pen is held between the thumb and index finger and resting on the middle finger—offers me the best control and stability.
Step Four: Practice, Practice, Practice
Next comes the actual work—practicing. I started with simple line exercises, drawing vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines, along with curves and loops. This helped me gain better control over my pen.
Next, I worked on letter shapes, filling pages with alphabets and concentrating on making each letter as perfect as I could. I also tried to be consistent in the letter height, width, size, and slant. This improves both the legibility and the aesthetics of your page. Over time, I noticed my letters becoming more consistent in size and shape. Again, the practice sheets designed for children have samples of correct form and may even show the direction and order of lines to form each letter and to connect them together.
Step Five: Patience and Persistence
Improving my handwriting was a slower process than I had anticipated, so I had to embrace the mindset that this is a journey, not a race. Sometimes it was tempting to settle for my old scribbles, but every time I glanced at a page filled with my improved writing, I found the motivation to continue.
Step Six: Have Fun and Acknowledge Progress
Within a month, I began to see real progress. My letters were neater, my words more readable, and one elderly (and honest) friend to whom I wrote often stopped complaining that my notes were hard to read. Occasionally I’ve tried writing in different styles, maybe slanting in a different direction.
Like any activity done with patience and focus, practicing my handwriting was therapeutic and offered me a peaceful retreat from the world's hustle and bustle. It has also given me a newfound appreciation for the beauty and artistry of penmanship. I still haven’t tackled trying to learn calligraphy, but that’s in my future.
Remember that improving penmanship isn't just about having pretty handwriting. It's about enhancing communication, expressing individuality, and experiencing the pure joy of creating something beautiful. So pick up that pen and start writing.
Handwriting Resources
YouTube.com is chock full of instructional videos that demonstrate ways to improve your handwriting. Just type “how to improve handwriting for adults” in the search box and you’ll have lots from which to choose.
One of the best guides I’ve come across in ages is called Snail Mail: Guide to Cursive Writing Practice by Christine Richards. I reviewed it in this newsletter in a post titled “Snail Mail 101” last month and it’s a great place to start.
Download a free cursive handwriting guide from K5Learning.com HERE.
Download a free worksheet with lines to practice your handwriting from MusePrintables.com HERE. Poke around to find the worksheet you like best.
You might also enjoy my earlier article “8 Reasons Why We Need To Teach Cursive To Our Children.” Please share this or, better yet, share my whole free newsletter with anyone you know would loves handwritten notes and wants support in their writing life: https://heartspoken.substack.com.
Next week, we’ll explore handwriting analysis and what your handwriting might be saying about you. Be sure to Subscribe using the button below so you’ll be notified when this is posted.