How to Improve your Handwriting by John Davis

Youve decided you want to improve your handwriting and youre probably hoping a fountain pen will
do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would. Maybe youre just adventurous and you want to try
your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwriting improves). Good for you!
A fountain pen may make your writing look a bit better, but if your writing looks as if frenzied
chickens got loose on the page, chances are this wont be enough. Most likely, youll need to retrain
your arm and hand.
After coaching handwriting and teaching calligraphy over the years, Ive learned to see the
characteristics of those wholl be able to pick up the necessary motions quickly from those wholl have
to work a bit harder.
Tight, crampy letters drawn with fingersCrampy, uneven letters are often the result of drawing the
letters with the fingers rather than using the whole arm to write.
People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers. They
"draw" the letters. A finger-writer puts the full weight of his/her hand on the paper, his fingers form the
letters, and he picks his hand up repeatedly to move it across the paper as he writes.
Writing done using correct muscle groupsIf you use the right muscle groups, your writing will have a
smooth, easy flow and not look tortured.
People for whom writing comes more easily may rest their hands fairly heavily on the paper, but their
forearms and shoulders move as they write. Their writing has a cadence that shows theyre using at
least some of the right muscle groups. They dont draw the letters with their fingers; the fingers serve
more as guides.
This exercise may help you determine which category is yours: Sit down and write a paragraph.
Doesnt matter what. Pay attention to the muscles you use to form your letters. Do you draw each letter
with your fingers? Pick your hand up repeatedly to move it? Have an unrecognizable scrawl? Does
your forearm move? Chances are, if you learned to write after 1955-60 (depending on where you went
to grade school), you write with your fingers.
My goal isnt to make you into a model Palmer-method writer or a 14th Century scribe. If you can
compromise between the "right" methods and the way you write now and improve your handwriting so
youre happier with it, then Im happy, too.
Some people even hold their pens like this!A few people hold the pen between first and middle fingers,
which feels really awkward to me, but Ive seen it work.
It will take time to re-train muscles and learn new habits. Finger-writing isnt fatal, but it is slow and
often painful (if you have to write much). The first thing you must have (beg, buy, borrow or steal it) is
patience and gentleness with yourself. The second requirement is determination.
If you finger-write, that is the first, most important thing you must un-learn: Do not draw your letters!
Do not write with your fingers! Put up signs everywhere to remind you. Write it in the butter, on the
shaving mirror, stick notes in the cereal boxes. But learn it!
I hesitate to include this, because it sounds much more difficult than it is . . . but . . . lets look at the
most basic things: holding the pen and positioning the hand.

Fig. 1--most commonFig. 1. This is the most common pen-holding position, with pen between first and
middle fingers, held in place by the thumb.
Most of us hold the pen between the thumb and index finger, resting the barrel on the middle finger
(fig. 1). This works better than holding it between the thumb and the index and middle fingers, with the
whole assembly resting on the ring finger (fig. 2). If you do it the first way, youre off to a good start. If
the second, youll be okay. In both, the remaining fingers are curled under the hand.
Fig. 2--Two-fingers-on-top positionFig. 2. The two-fingers-on-top method for holding the pen while
writing.
Pick up your pen and look at your hand. Youll have better control and a better writing angle if your
pen rests over or just forward of the bottom knuckle on your index finger, not between thumb and index
finger (see fig. 3). (I hold my fountain pens in the latter position, but when I pick up a calligraphy pen,
it drops obediently right over that big knuckle--go figure!)
Fig. 3--Correct position over knuckleFig. 3. Note that with this position, usually used for calligraphy
(or among really disciplined writers), causes the pen to rest atop the knuckle of the forefinger.
For handwriting, the pen position is less important than for calligraphy. I recommend working in your
familiar position unless its really bad. Whats essential is that you be comfortable, the pen feel
balanced and you have no tension in your hand. Rest the heel of your hand and the angle of your
curled-up little finger on the paper.
Hold the pen lightly; dont squeeze it. Pretend the barrel is soft rubber and squeezing will get you a big,
fat blot. (If you were using a quill, youd hold it so lightly that the actual act of drawing the quill along
the paper would create the proper contact.)
Many books recommend you write with your table at a 45-degree angle, but thats impractical for most
of us. If you can prop up a board or write with one on your lap, thats a good place to start, but a flat
surface is fine. Once you try an angled surface, youre likely not to want to quit, so be careful-- here
goes a whole new budgets worth of art supplies!
Sit up straight, but not stiffly; dont sit hunched over or slumped. Dont worry too much about this
position stuff; the important thing is what makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. Your writing arm
needs to be free to move, so squished into the La-Z-Boy probably wont be productive.
Hold your fingers fairly straight and write slightly above and just between your thumb and index finger,
right where youre holding the pen. Dont curl your hand over and write to the left of your palm; thats
a crampy, miserable position. More lefties do this than righties.
Dont hook your hand backwards like thisCommonly called the "hook" position, this is often seen in
left-handers. It makes it harder, but not impossible, for them to use a fountain pen, because their hands
tend to drag over the wet ink.
When youre practicing and you reach the level on the paper at which it becomes uncomfortable to
continue to move your hand down the paper to write, move the paper up. Once you recognize your
"writing level," the paper should move up at that spot rather than your hand moving down the paper.
(This isnt critical. If you notice it and it bothers you, thats what you do about it. If it doesnt bother
you, skip it.)
Ive found only one reference to using the right muscle groups to write, and this is critical. I cant be

the only person who knows this; Im neither that smart nor that good. Calligraphy instruction books
address hand position, desk position, lighting, paper, you name it--but for some reason, not using the
right muscles.
As youve probably surmised, the "right muscles" are not those in the fingers. You must use the
shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles. This muscle group is capable of much more intricate action than
you think and tires much less easily than fingers, besides giving a smooth, clean, sweeping look to the
finished writing. Though it seems paradoxical, since were accustomed to thinking of small muscles
having better control, the shoulder-girdle group, once trained, does the job better.
To get a feel for the proper muscles (and start training them correctly), hold your arm out in front of
you, elbow bent, and write in the air. Write big. Use your arm and shoulder to shape letters; hold your
forearm, wrist and fingers stationary and in writing position. Youll feel your shoulder, arm, chest and
some back muscles doing most of the work. Thats good. Thats what theyre supposed to do. Try to
duplicate it each time you practice.
Shoulder girdle runs from collarbone around to shoulder blade and spinePeople always look puzzled
when I mention the shoulder girdle. If you raise your hand in the air and make large circles, note the
muscles you use in doing so (here, shown in darker pink). Thats the shoulder girdle.
Write in the air until it becomes as natural as breathing. Itll be awkward and feel silly at first. If you
have a little kid around, get him/her to do it with you. Youll both have fun, you wont feel so alone,
and itll be good for the childs handwriting, too. If you dont have a kid, tell your co-workers youre
improving your financial karma or hexing your boss.
As you become comfortable, reduce the size of the air-letters you make. If you have access to a
chalkboard or a stick and a fence (or even a finger and a wall), write on them. Theyll give you a feel
for the muscles you need to use and writing on a vertical surface makes it virtually impossible to
finger-write. (If youre one of the people who cant write on a blackboard because you keep wanting to
shrink the writing down so your fingers can do it, this is really important for you.) If you keep wanting
to hunch up close and put your hand on the chalkboard or wall to write, resist the urge! Youll be
indulging those dratted fingers.
Remember: Your fingers should move very little and your wrist even less. Your forearm does most of
the guiding, while your shoulder provides the power.
At some point, youll want to try this with a pen. Hold it gently. Place it on the paper in an ordinary
lined spiral notebook (the lines act as ready-made guidelines for size and spacing). If you can get hold
of a first-graders Big Chief tablet, which offers big lines with a dotted line between two bold lines, use
it. Theres a reason children start out writing big and the letters get smaller as they get older and more
skilled-thats the easiest way to learn.
Start making Xs and ///s and \\\s and OOOOs and overlapped OOOs and spirals and |||||s. Do not draw
these strokes and figures! Use the same shoulder-forearm muscles youve been practicing with. Make
your lines, loops, circles and spirals freely. Work into a rhythm and make it a habit.
Make slashes as uniform as possible in both directionsWhen you start making slashes and circles,
theyll be uneven. With practice, theyll become more uniform, and uniformity is your objective.
Your goal is smooth, uniform, evenly spaced lines, loops, circles and spirals, without drawing them.

This is where youre most likely to get discouraged. If you use a spiral notebook for practice, you can
leaf back and see your progress. At first, your strokes and lines will be badover-running and underrunning the lines, too small, too big, crooked, uneven, just ugly. Check your position; check your
muscle groups; and try again. And again.
Concentrate on keeping wrist-hand-fingers largely stationary and in proper alignment. Let the big
muscles do the work. It will be more tiring at first, because youre using muscles that arent
accustomed to that kind of work. Itll be hard and frustrating, cause your body will want to do it the
way its done it since first grade even though that way is wrong. It may help to concentrate less on
the accuracy of the shapes youre making than on the muscles making them. Retraining your arm is the
goal, not making pretty little circles and lines first time out.
Aim for uniformity and consistency in all exercisesUniformity and consistency are your aim in all the
exercises, whether loopy or slashy. Though it seems uncomfortable, these exercises will make a huge
difference in your control and smoothness.
When you start putting the strokes and lines on paper, start out big. Three, four, even more lines in your
notebook. (Big Chiefs are handy for this.) This helps ensure that you continue to use the shoulder
girdle. Dont try to make pretty letters at this stage. Do the exercises as much as you can-shoot for
every day. Ten or fifteen minutes a day should show results in a few weeks for most people. And note
that both air-writing and paper exercises can be doodledduring meetings and while on holdwaiting for
somebody!
Concentrate on that shoulder girdle. Let it do the work. Write big. Write words and sentences at the
same time youre doing strokes and exercises. You need both working together to succeed.
Gradually, as your control increases, make your strokes and letters smaller until theyre the size you
normally write. Youll know when you get there. By this time, you probably wont have to make extra
effort to incorporate this stuff into your writing; itll be automatic. And your writing should look much
better (and be easier and feel better, to boot).
Thanks to computers and tablets, good handwriting seems less important than ever.
But handwriting is an important developmental skill, and your handwriting says a lot about you.
We spoke with calligraphy expert Laura Hooper of Laura Hooper Calligraphy, a calligraphy expert who
offers handwriting classes in cities around the country. Hooper shared seven tips to help anyone
improve his handwriting.
1. Get The Right Materials
Before you start writing, invest in materials that will help you practice.
Some people believe that a fountain pen is superior for handwriting, but this may not necessarily be
true for you. Find a pen or pencil that feels comfortable to hold, and that flows smoothly without
having to push it too hard onto the paper.
Once you find a writing utensil you like, you can start to experiment with different-sized nibs and
thicknesses, as well as colors. People who are left-handed may be interested in buying specially
designed left-handed pens, which are fast-drying to prevent smudging and hooked to allow lefties see

what theyre writing.

Aside from a pen, youll want a notebook, preferably one with grid-lined paper. This will be useful
when youre practicing capital and lower case letters, and will allow you to keep track of your progress.
Hooper also suggested buying a light box. For personal correspondence or holiday cards, a basic light
box is handy, she said. It allows you to put guidelines underneath what youre writing on, and youll
have nice straight lines to help you as you work.
2. Stretch
Before I start working, I usually flex my hands and roll my wrists a bit so theyre loosened up,
Hooper told us. Especially if I havent written in the past few days, you get a little bit tight just like
any other muscle.
In the beginning, youll be working muscles you never thought you needed to write in your wrist,
forearm, and shoulder. Do a few minutes of stretching to loosen yourself up.
3. Develop Good Posture
Sit up straight and use your non-dominant hand for balance for more control while youre writing.
Without thinking about it, I use my non-writing hand for balance, Hooper said. This allows me to
steady myself so I have better control with my right hand.
When youre practicing, sit at a table at a hard-backed chair not on a couch or in a recliner. Hooper
said that having the right posture and giving yourself ample room is important when youre re-learning
how to write.
writing handwriting journalShutterstockMake sure your grip isn't too tight, and steady your page with
your non-dominant writing hand.
4. Assess Your Grip
Pick up your pen and check out your grip: the writing utensil should rest between your thumb, index,
and middle fingers, resting lightly on the ring finger knuckle, according to Hooper.
Hold your pen and pencil closer to the nib, but not too tightly your grip should be supportive, but
without unnecessary tension. Dont squeeze your pen because this will just make your hand cramp
unnecessarily.
If this doesnt feel comfortable for you, dont worry theres no perfect way to hold a pen. It really
depends on the person, Hooper explained. We have a lot of adults in our class, and when youve been
writing for over 20 years, its difficult to correct what someone has been doing for that long.
5. Retrain Your Wrist and Arm
Most people write with their fingers, which means that they draw the letters. Calligraphy artists and
professionals, however, dont use their fingers at all. Keep your arm and your wrist in the same
position for every letter and motion, Hooper advised. Youre not wiggling your arm and your wrist
around its very controlled.
To practice, hold your pen and write big letters in the air. The muscles youre using are the ones youll

be using to write on paper. Picture yourself writing on a chalk board. You have to use your arm and
your wrist to write because if you were drawing the letters with only your fingers, the letters would be
too small for someone across the room to read.
Writing this way will also make your writing more fluid. What I try to instruct my students to do is
pulling the pen rather than pushing it up and down the paper, Hooper told us. A finger writer puts the
full weight of his or her hand on the paper and picks up the hand repeatedly to move it across the page.
A calligrapher will let his or her letters flow freely.
Once you get used to this way of writing, your fingers will move very little, allowing your forearm to
guide the pen and your shoulder to lightly push it into the paper for a much more streamlined style.
6. Slow Down
One thing I see a lot in my classes is that people write really fast as though theyre trying to do it as
fast as they can, Hooper said, but its not a race. The point isnt to see how fast you can do it, but how
nice you can make each letter. Go slow and concentrate on making each letter look its best.
This is especially true when youre practicing by yourself, which brings us to
writing practice calligraphypennyshima/FlickrFocus on making your lines and loops as uniform as
possible while practicing.
7. Practice, Practice, Practice
Start by writing a row of lines and loops, concentrating on making the shapes evenly spaced with
identical-sized lines and spirals.
Gradually as your control increases, you can start writing out the alphabet, and then connecting the
letters together in groups (ab, az, am, etc).
Make your letters larger than you usually would to get your arm and wrist accustomed to doing most of
the work. Once the movement starts to feel more natural, slowly decrease the size of the letters to your
normal writing style.
The key is to practice, Hooper said. Seems really simple, but its true. I recommend getting a set or
printing out a set of grid lines and writing each letter several times as carefully as possible. Then move
onto letter combinations.
After youve gotten a good handle on letter combinations, start writing the phrase the quick brown fox
jumps over the lazy dog over and over again. The sentence contains every letter of the alphabet, which
gives you lots of opportunities to practice making every letter as perfect as possible, as well as
connecting your letters together.
Keep practicing whenever you can, and youll see a vast improvement in your handwriting.
As Ive mentioned before, its International Correspondence Month. Ive made a dent with my box of
envelopes, but I still have about 15 letters to go before the end of the month (totally doable, if you ask
me!). I make goals like this for myself quite frequently, and Im excited that this one is sticking!
Ideally, Id love to write this many letters all the time, but its a matter of carving out the time. Its not
as quick or convenient as sending an email, but it certainly means more to get something hand-written

than a quick 2-liner in your inbox. At least, thats how I feel.

istillloveyou-tutorial-better-handwriting-6
With the rise of the digital age, good penmanship has gone down the crapper. If I had a quarter for
every time I heard the whine I wish my handwriting looked better, Id be living it up in my multimillion dollar dream home. Its an epidemic of bad handwriting! Most schools arent teaching cursive,
either! Im glad to be in a state that still requires cursive as part of the third grade curriculum. Not only
does it teach kids a slice of history, but it promotes better literacy (often times kids that dont learn how
to write cursive have issues reading script fonts), better fine-motor skills and concentration. It may be
impractical to hand-write everything in this modern age. However, we should shift our perception of
handwriting from an archaic means of communication to something meditative, meaningful and
personal.
Calligraphy and penmanship have very similar foundations. So lets talk about 5 ways to make your
everyday handwriting better.
1- Practice
Handwriting, like any skill, wont get better without practice. Were all great at typing, right? Its
because were using it ALL the TIME. Why does our handwriting atrophy, you ask? Simply because
we are not practicing. Its not being used in the every day, so if you want to improve your handwriting
chops youre going to have to carve out purposeful practice.
istillloveyou-tutorial-better-handwriting-1
Spend at least 15 minutes a day writing out the alphabet, or writing your to do lists.
2- Use the Right Tools
Handwriting isnt as tool-intensive as calligraphy, but if you have crappy pens, youll have crappy
results. You know those cheapie bic pens? Yeah, we dont have those in our house. Theyre awful. The
gel-like ink doesnt flow easily and smoothly off the paper, requiring you to apply more pressure when
writing. Also the narrow shaft of the pen requires a tighter grip. Both aspects are a recipe for hand
cramping and fatigue. I personally prefer the pilot precise v5. Its a skinny pen, but the ink flows
smoothly from the pen allowing for a light grip and a light touch.
istillloveyou-tutorial-better-handwriting-8
If you want to invest in some pen awesomeness, I would highly recommend the Kaweko Sport or the
Lamy Safari. Theyre easy-to-use fountain pens with nice weight and grip to them.
If you want something a little more advanced, the Noodlers Ahab Flex Pen (the green pen in the
pictures) is really fun. Its a fountain pen with a little bit of flex, but you have to know what youre
doing when it comes to inking the pen (more colors and great how-to videos here). Sometimes you
cant control the kind of paper that you use, but if you want to buy a nice paper, try Clairefontaine lined
paper. Its deliciously smooth. You can alternatively use a 90-100GSM high quality color laser paper.
3 Slow Down
This is something that I tell my calligraphy students constantly. You cant expect consistent results

when youre going too fast. The key is to go slow enough that you can anticipate the next move before
it happens and so you can create consistent movements. I pick on Chris all the time for his handwriting.
His handwriting is pretty hard to read because hes usually rushing to write as fast as he types. Pretty
penmanship will never be as convenient or as fast as typing. Its a fact. So slow down!
istillloveyou-tutorial-better-handwriting-4
I like the quote from Modern Family (Old Wagon episode from Season 2), Slow is smooth and
smooth is fast. Youre less likely to mess up style or spelling if youre taking the time to think about
each movement. Therefore youre going to be faster than if you rushed, messed up and had to start
over.
istillloveyou-tutorial-better-handwriting-2
4 Proper Positioning
If you had respectable elementary school teachers, they should have stressed this fact a TON from
kindergarten through 6th grade. Holding the pen properly is a big deal. Bigger than you may think.
Hold the pen nicely between your thumb and index finger and rest the pen lightly on the spot between
the knuckle and tip of your middle finger. This light grasp will keep your hand from cramping and
fatiguing which leads to a deterioration in handwriting. See the above video for an example of how that
looks.
5 Consistency
Practice doesnt make perfect. Practice makes permanent. You want to practice with guide sheets to
maintain consistency. If you can hone in on your consistency, your handwriting will get so much better.
istillloveyou-tutorial-better-handwriting-7
What does this mean exactly? Use guides. Practice with guides. Ruled paper is your best friend. You
want your lowercase letters to stay within the same x-height (save for the ascender and descender
strokes). You want your uppercase and ascending lowercase letters to be at consistent heights. You want
your descenders to have a consistent height. Practicing with guides will help ingrain that consistency
into muscle memory. Download cursive and print alphabet guide sheets below to help you practice.