Better or not?

[jbradley]

I started with this Fountain Pen thing a month ago because I was told it will help my handwriting. I have to admit, I like them. I have written more in the last month than in the last year! But, the question is, is my writing better or not? First picture is from April 5, the second from May 4. Whadaya think?

 

[Mr5x5]

I'd say it has improved.

 

[maxman]

It looks to be more even and less "rushed" looking.
The first attempt is kind of all over the place.

 

[nemo]

I hope you don't mind me saying that it looks pretty much the same to me. I'm no handwriting expert but the similarities are everywhere.

 

[syngent]

Actuallu there is some improvments at the foundation... look at your words un relation to the lines... first pic has you on and off them, second has a lot more consistancy, if you slow down for a few weeks really trying to focus on each word you may see improvments at the letter level as well

What does look better is the part that took me the longest to fix so I'd say your ahead of the curve

 

[RichieRich3902]

I think it looks better!

 

[wherndon]

I do see some improvement. I am in the same boat, but I could not write at all when first started.
Keep up the good work!
I love this place.
regards,
Bil

 

[jbradley]

I hope you don't mind me saying that it looks pretty much the same to me. I'm no handwriting expert but the similarities are everywhere.

Not at all. I don't know that it will ever be drastically changed, I think it will be the same, but better, more refined?

Thanks for the encouragement and help guys!

 

[syngent]

Mine went from close to what yours is to drastically better

There are some exercises at palmermethod that can help Allens handwriting got amazing using those

 

[brianw]

Now that James has his handwriting under control.... what's the next stop ? The keyboard?

 

[rockviper]

The writing looks pretty similar to me, maybe a little improved in the latter entry. Slowing down is probably going to result in the biggest change as you spend more conscious (<--keyword) time forming the letters.

Now that James has his handwriting under control.... what's the next stop ? The keyboard?

I vote for spelling

 

[Slivovitz]

The samples look, if not identical, close enough that I wouldn't want to choose one over the other. Mind you, they're quite legible. I think too many people get embarrassed because their handwriting doesn't meet some ideal model.

Personal opinion, just because somebody has to be a contrarian, the idea that fountain pens will improve your handwriting gets overly hyped among enthusiasts. When I look at my handwriting from a long time ago, at a time when I hadn't even considered using a fountain pen, it's very close to what it is now. Things that were written in a hurry or under stress could get pretty illegible; when I was calm and had time it was close to being good. The only real difference was that I'd gotten into the habit of printing some of capital letters, but now I've re-learned all the cursive forms.

What may improve your handwriting is that you've bought an expensive writing tool (by the standards of a regular ballpoint user, even $15-$25 is expensive) and some neat bottled inks to go with it. That can motivate you to justify the expense by making your handwriting live up to it. On the other hand, if you want to improve it by doing exercises and following a lesson plan, you can probably improve even using a ballpoint.

Fountain pens are more fun to write with than ballpoints, they're generally smoother, give you a wide choice of nibs, and the inks look better on paper. They won't work miracles for you, though.

 

[rickcharles606]

The second looks a little better, if for no other reason...it's blue ;-) Slowing down does help quite a bit, as the others have said. For me, consciously thinking about how the letter you're writing joins the next and how you want to form the next letter is helpful. Guess that's why slowing down helps me, lol. Good luck and keep at it ;-)

 

[syngent]

Now that James has his handwriting under control.... what's the next stop ? The keyboard?

I'm good with a full sized keyboard, it has all the grammar buttons laid out nicely and accessible It's touch screen cell phones that are horrible, They dont have commas apostrophe right there i have to stop writing, click a button to get them to show up, then click it back to text and keep going hence the "..." which is always on the screen. Of course I could always learn to use swype properly and it wouldn't be an issue, or try another keyboard.


I will say I do have pens I write better with then others, My Dani takes a lot more to control, then my P51 does.

 

[celestino]

Actuallu there is some improvments at the foundation... look at your words un relation to the lines... first pic has you on and off them, second has a lot more consistancy, if you slow down for a few weeks really trying to focus on each word you may see improvments at the letter level as well

+1 i would have to agree with James. It looks good Johnnie and keep practicing!

 

[DougK]

The samples look, if not identical, close enough that I wouldn't want to choose one over the other. Mind you, they're quite legible. I think too many people get embarrassed because their handwriting doesn't meet some ideal model.

Personal opinion, just because somebody has to be a contrarian, the idea that fountain pens will improve your handwriting gets overly hyped among enthusiasts. When I look at my handwriting from a long time ago, at a time when I hadn't even considered using a fountain pen, it's very close to what it is now. Things that were written in a hurry or under stress could get pretty illegible; when I was calm and had time it was close to being good. The only real difference was that I'd gotten into the habit of printing some of capital letters, but now I've re-learned all the cursive forms.

What may improve your handwriting is that you've bought an expensive writing tool (by the standards of a regular ballpoint user, even $15-$25 is expensive) and some neat bottled inks to go with it. That can motivate you to justify the expense by making your handwriting live up to it. On the other hand, if you want to improve it by doing exercises and following a lesson plan, you can probably improve even using a ballpoint.

Fountain pens are more fun to write with than ballpoints, they're generally smoother, give you a wide choice of nibs, and the inks look better on paper. They won't work miracles for you, though.

Agreed. My handwriting improved because I was able to relax my hand and arm while writing and not fight the friction of a ballpoint on the page or an uncomfortably skinny or fat grip. I also had to slow down slightly and that helped improve my writing as well. Not that I needed an excuse, fountain pens are just fun.

 

[strop]

What is it you want to accomplish? Your first example is completely legible! Using a fountain pen isn't a magic fix, as much as we all propse! It certainly does make writing more enjoyable, more relaxing, easier and more fun, not to mention it is just cool. For those whose writing is illegible because they write very fast, using a fountain pen will often make their writing legible simply because they are forced to slow down and concentrate more on what they are writing.

If what you are after is a more classical stylized script, then you have to specifically practice that. I suspect that is what you were after. Go for it! There are any number of books and programs taht can give you the practice exercises to do. Kind of like golf. You can practice till your hands bleed but it won't improve your score unless you practice the correct swing.

 

[global_dev]

I was writing with fine and extra fine nibs and my handwriting was ok. When i jumped to a 1.5 calligraphy nib, my handwriting appearred markedly more fine. Even my wife did a double take.

 

[jbradley]

What books and programs would you recommend? My writing will never be "pretty", but I wouldn't mind more legible. But I also wouldn't mind a classical script. Just so everyone knows, I took my time with both of these. Nothing like it would be if I were taking notes with a client or in a meeting.

 

[Craig9802]

There's a few drills and exercises on www.palmermethod.com, which I'm going to work on a bit. Honestly, I had even forgotten the cursive forms of some upper-case forms - who in the heck actually writes a Q like that? Anyway, my handwriting actually improved a lot just by sitting down with an example I liked (an old letter from my Dad, in my case), and practicing slowly and with focus. After a few hours, spread out over a few weeks, I noticed a substantial improvement. I still have to remind myself to slow down for the situations where it's important to me to write well.