The page should be smooth — not rough enough to catch the tip of your pen and create snags in the line of your letters, and not so smooth that the tip of your pen goes sliding about without your control. Use lined paper sized appropriately for your comfort level — wide-ruled if you write large letters, college-ruled if you write small letters. Note that in many professional contexts, adults are expected to write within the limits of college-ruled paper, but feel free to use wide-ruled if you are still young and in school. Experiment with different types of pens to see which one works best for you. There are several styles, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. [1] X Research source Fountain pens use liquid ink and have a flexible writing tip that allows for stylized, better handwriting. While it delivers a beautiful line, a good fountain pen can be pricey, and it takes a good deal of practice to perfect the fountain pen technique. Ballpoint pens use a paste ink which some find unappealing compared to liquid ink; however, they can be extremely inexpensive. Note that you’ll get what you pay for with ballpoint pens — a cheap pen will deliver poor handwriting, so it may be worth it to spend a little extra money. Rollerball pens have a “ball” delivery system much like a ballpoint pen, but many people prefer them because they use the higher quality liquid rather than paste ink. However, they don’t last as long as ballpoint pens do. The gel ink used in gel ink pens is thicker than liquid ink and results in a smooth feel and line that many people enjoy. Gel ink pens come in a wide variety of colors but can dry out quickly. Fiber tip pens use a felt tip to deliver ink, and many writers enjoy their distinctive feel when drawn against a page — smooth, but with a little friction or resistance. Because the ink dries quickly, these pens are a good option for left-handed writers whose hands smudge their words from left to right.
Sit in your chair with both feet flat on the ground. Sit up straight, keeping your back and neck as straight as possible. You can take breaks from time to time if the posture is difficult, but over time, the muscles will develop and allow you to maintain good posture for extended periods. Instead of dipping your head down to look at the page while you’re writing, keep your head as straight as possible while casting your eyes down. This will still result in a slight dip of the head, but it should not be hanging down toward the page.
As you practice writing, make small adjustments to find the angle that feels most comfortable to you and allows you to write most legibly.
Clench your writing hand into a gentle fist and hold the position for thirty seconds. Then spread your fingers wide and stretch them for thirty seconds. Repeat four to five times. Bend your fingers down so the tip of each one touches the base of each finger joint where it meets the palm. Hold for 30 seconds, then release. Repeat four to five times. Place your hand palm-down on the table. Lift and stretch each finger up one at a time, then lower it. Repeat eight to ten times.
Place your index finger on the top of the pen, about one inch away from the writing point. Place your thumb on the side of the pen. Support the bottom of the pen against the side of your middle finger. Let your ring and pinky fingers hang comfortably and naturally.
Don’t write using your fingers alone; you should engage the forearm and shoulders as well. Don’t pick up your hand to move it every few words; you should be using your whole arm to move your hand smoothly across the page as you write. Keep your wrist as stable as possible. Your forearms should move, your fingers should guide the pen into different shapes, but your wrist should not flex very much.
Focus on keeping your lines the same length and at the same angle. Circles should have uniform roundness across the board, be the same size, and should close cleanly. At first, your lines and circles may seem sloppy. Your lines may be of varying lengths, they may not all be drawn at the same angle, etc. Some of your circles may be perfectly round, while others are more oblong. Some may close neatly, while others may have an overlapping hang-off where the pen mark ends. Even though this activity seems simple, don’t be discouraged if your lines and circles are sloppy at first. Keep working at it for short periods of time on a regular basis, and you will see a distinct improvement with practice. This increased control over lines and curves will help you shape clearer letters.
Write each letter at least 10 times in capital and ten in lower-case across a lined page. Go through the alphabet at least three times each day. Work toward uniformity across the board: each individual “a” should look the same as all the other “a”s, and the angle of the letter “t” should be the same as that of the letter “l. ” The bottom of each letter should rest along the line on the page.
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs. Jim quickly realized that the beautiful gowns are expensive. Few quips galvanized the mock jury box. Pack my red box with five dozen quality jugs.
Don’t rush your words. Although in some contexts — for example, if you’re taking notes for a class or business meeting — you may have to write quickly, whenever possible slow down your writing process and focus on creating uniformity throughout your letters. Over time, as your hand and arm grow more accustomed to this new writing motion, you can speed up your writing while trying to maintain the same legibility as your slower practice-writing.
Bring the techniques from your practice sessions into the real world: carry a good pen and pad of good paper with you; look for writing surfaces at an appropriate height; maintain good writing posture; hold the pen properly, with the page at a comfortable angle; and let your fingers guide the pen while your arms do the work of moving it across the page.
Purchase a cursive handwriting book from the “school” aisle at the store, or go to a teaching supply store if you cannot find it there. If neither of those options pans out for you, buy one online. You can also find the letters easily online for free.
At first, leave each letter isolated. Write a row of ten capital A-s, a row of ten lowercase a-s, a row of capital B-s, etc. , making sure that each iteration of the letter stands alone. But remember that in cursive, letters connect to one another. After you’ve grown comfortable practicing the letters in isolation, repeat the previous step, but connect each letter to the next. Note that there is no convention in cursive for uppercase letters being connected in a row; therefore, you would write a single uppercase A and connect it to a string of nine lowercase a-s.
Front to back, working to middle: a-z-b-y-c-x-d-w-e-v-f-u-g-t-h-s-i-r-j-q-k-p-l-o-m-n Back to front, working to middle: z-a-y-b-x-c-w-d-v-e-u-f-t-g-s-h-r-i-q-j-p-k-o-l-n-m Front to back skipping one letter: a-c-e-g-i-k-m-o-q-s-u-w-y; b-d-f-h-j-l-n-p-r-t-v-x-z Back to front skipping two letters, and always ending with : z-w-t-q-m-k-h-e-b; y-v-s-pm-j-g-d-a; x-u-r-o-l-i-f-c And so on. Create as many different patterns as you’d like — the goal is simply to focus thoughtfully on creating the connections between different letters. The added benefit of this exercise is that since the letters do not create actual words, you cannot speed through the writing. By forcing yourself to slow down, you will practice writing the letters and connecting them in a deliberate and thoughtful manner.
You may be tempted to rest your hand after every letter or two. Not only does this interrupt the flow of the word, but it can also result in inkblots if you are using a fountain or other liquid ink pen. Write as slowly and deliberately as necessary to make sure you don’t have to rest your pen in the middle of a word. The cursive script should progress through a word at an even, smooth pace.
