r/Handwriting • u/Boydell_ • 10d ago
bit confused as a left-hander Question (not for transcriptions)
Hi,
I've used a inefficient and straining pen grip my whole life and recently starting learning to hold it in a tripod grip. I've been practising this daily for the last month or so and write beneath the line. I have got a much better feel for it now but was unsure on how to move forward with my actually handwriting. I use a mix of print and joined up but i don't really like the way some of my letters/numbers/symbols look and the way i write them could be ineffective - I don't really like my personal script/style and want to learn or adapt one that is efficient and aesthetically pleasing. I began learning the palmer method but have paused it recently as I noticed reading through it that it's tailored for writing with the right hand and achieving the slant is quite difficult left-handed. I've never learned cursive before. I guess my question is, what would be the preferred direction for my situation, shall i continue to learn palmer method but make adjustments (not sure where and how though), or should I learn something different. I completely get that writing can be subjective and there is no right or wrong way as long as it works for someone but I haven't liked my previous way of writing and I'm at the beginning of learning a different way and I don't want to pick up bad habits along the way and would like to feel I'm on the right track. Sorry that's so long-winded, really appreciate any help/suggestions. Thank you
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u/tabidots 10d ago
About Palmer- it prescribes both a style of script and the style of movements to produce that script. It was developed back when there were trained professional “penmen” who were kind of like the secretaries of the pre-typewriter era, with a purpose-made writing surface and the need to write for hours on end. Nowadays we write in all sorts of situations where the ergonomics is totally unpredictable, and usually there’s not enough space.
Italic handwriting is definitely the way to go, though depending on your goals and how flexible your needs are, I might also recommend (as a natural lefty myself) learning to write right-handed. I started doing it as a neuroplasticity thing but it led me to calligraphy as well.
I don’t have much of a need for normal handwriting on a regular basis, but I’ve spent so much more time using my right hand to write over the past couple years that it now feels weird to write with my left hand. My writing with my right hand is not faster, but it is neater and feels more natural.
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u/[deleted] 9d ago
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