I’ve been looking at books of handwriting that talk about the history of the art as well as modern manuals that are supposed to help me improve my handwriting. Both of course are really quite fascinating.
The historical books, while somewhat dry, are leading me to believe that there is probably a very interesting story of intrigue and politics and religion in there somewhere. What the two manuals I have teach are the Italic script. The Italic originated in Italy–for some reason I never made the connection until it was spelled out for me–during the Renaissance. It is based on chancery script and can be both formal–for use in official documents and manuscripts–or informal–for everyday use in notes and personal letters.
The Italic sprang up and was made popular by the Humanists. They found the Gothic script being used in Germany and France too difficult to write and read. Legibility and ease became the rule of the day. Of course, there were handwriting masters and besides teaching handwriting, they tried to use geometry to come up with the perfect shape for each letter. Once printing presses became numerous though they started losing their jobs and began to complain about how no one could write legibly anymore.
My two handwriting manuals, Fluent Handwriting by Nan Jay Barchowsky and The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting by Fred Eager, are each useful in their own way. Fluent Handwriting has great exercises. Here are some of my practice sheets:
I found the Eager manual more useful in explaining things like which letters can be joined and how. He also made it a point to say that the writing in the book was only a model, real writing doesn’t, and shouldn’t, look like the model. Handwriting needs a model so one knows how to form and connect letters properly but after that, handwriting should be individual and full of personality. That helped me feel better since in my practice I was having trouble with o’s and d’s and I couldn’t quite get the angle of the baseline join right–mine were too round and then I’d overcompensate and make them too sharp. Here is my before and after handwriting sample (click for bigger size):
I don’t think I had bad writing to start with though it could use some cleaning up. And there wasn’t a significant improvement, though I had only practiced and hour. I was also concentrating so hard on the second version that I forgot how to spell!
I will keep practicing a little more until some of the new things I learned become easier and more natural. I find that after so many years of handwriting habit behind me, changing it is a bit of a challenge. I feel sort of silly about it too. But it is fun to play now and then, so why not?
Looks like significant improvement to me! The second paragraph is far more legible. My favourite writing tip is to relax the shoulder and use the whole arm, not just the hand. I find it creates a more consistent and flowing line. It’s easier to do on a slant (excuse #35 to buy an old-fashioned writing desk!).
LikeLike
I ought to do this, as a matter of some urgency! My handwriting is truly appalling. I’d suggest it to my son, who believes as a religious principle that every single letter should be joined to something, if he didn’t have enough to be working on right now…. Maybe in a few year’s time. ๐
LikeLike
I admire your efforts and wish I had the patience for this kind of practice. I do think its useful to write well, legibly at least, and it would be wonderful to have neat, elegant handwriting. I used to do a lot of letter writing by hand, but I’ve done very little in the last few years – email makes everything so much quicker!
LikeLike
Penmanship, a thing of the past as I understand it. In today’s schools it is all about keyboarding, not writing. You should check out Script and Scribble: The Rise and Fall of Handwriting by Kitty Burns Florey. It is a book on the history of penmanship. I have not read it yet, but from the reviews I gather she too chose to improve her hand writing using the Italic method.
LikeLike
I never thought about the history of handwriting, but I think I would find it interesting. When my daughter sees me write in cursive she calls it “scribble writing.” I think it’s a shame that schools don’t teach script anymore; my daughter will probably only learn it if I teach her. Typing is so much faster, but it lacks the personality that handwriting can convey. I love handwritten letters, they have such a personal touch.
LikeLike
Starting off with questions. First, are you left handed? Second, what kind of evil person are you that you would write such an intriguing post, as to leave me reading and digging in my library at 1:20 in the morning?
I thought Lynne Truss had discussed origins of Italics in “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”, but can’t find that reference. I realize more and more that her book – for all the education crammed into it – is not a reference, since I can never find what I need without re-reading it entirely.
I realized I may have confused it with “Writing: The Story of Alphabets and Scripts”, a small but detailed work, by Georges Jean. Writing about Aldus Manutius of Venice (1449-1515) we read, “Seeking to reproduce handwriting, Aldus was also inspired by the writing of Petrarch to create Aldine, or italic, an elegant, slanting cursive script.” Apparently he created very beautiful scripts used in book making for centuries.
You also made me dig into my “to be read” pile and find “Travelers of a Hundred Ages: The Japanese as revealed through 1,000 years of diaries”, which I have only sampled. What I tasted, was good.
Prefacing this next comment with, “your writing is much prettier than mine”, your tight letters ‘e’ with no visible loop made me reach for “Shodo: The Art of Coordinating Mind, Body and Brush” by William Reed, a book which inspired me to ponder Shuji long before I got to practice it – and to which I credit my swift rise to teacher status.
In one chapter he writes, “Signs of this stress appear early on in the form of collapsed internal spaces (ใใใใใฎใคใถใใป็ฉบ้ใฎๆฝฐใ), in both Japanese and English handwriting.” I think this collapse is most noticeable in the letter E because it is a smooth loop, whereas A, O, S, and such involve dramatic changes of direction. I hope you aren’t under undue stress. ๐ Although he clearly states this is a symptom, he believes that concentrating on relaxing and correcting this will help treat the cause.
My calligraphy practice has directly affected my English writing as well. Writing for elementary level students has also forced discipline upon me.
Thank you for inspiring me: I hope I stay awake at work tomorrow. ๐
LikeLike
Schools don’t teach penmanship anymore? I didn’t know that. I guess my kids must have been the last of the breed to have it taught. I knew civics was gone. What next? I like searching for postcards from the early part of the 20th century at antique stores. Most of the handwriting is so beautiful.
LikeLike
Sylvia, really? I’ll keep practicing then! I have problems with the relaxing part as Bikkuri observes in his comment. One of the manuals suggests a slanted desk. I can see how it could be very useful.
Litlove, my husband has horrible handwriting that even he has trouble reading but he sees no reason to improve it since if he needs to write legible he prints. If it is any help, practicing is kind of fun.
Verbivore, thanks. I’d like to make it to elegant but I will be happy with neat and sort of pretty.
Joseph, hearing about Script and Scribble is what got me started on this! I have not read it yet though, just heard an interview with the author. My library doesn’t have the book and it is still too new to get it through interlibrary loan.
Jeane, it is a shame that schools don’t teach script any longer. I think a nice cursive script is becoming a lost art.
Bikkuri, sorry! I didn’t mean to keep up late! I am not left handed even though my writing tends to look like I am. Petrach is one of the creators of the handwritten Italic script if I am remembering correctly. Travelers of a Hundred Ages sounds interesting. I love reading diaries. Do you know is it available in English? As for my e’s , an astute observation! I am not mentally stressed, but I tend to get tense in my shoulders for some reason when I write. One of the things I need to work on is relaxing but I feel out of control when I do and almost immediately tense up again. I will try concentrating on my e’s and see if it helps me relax. I’ve always admired that you do calligraphy. I am glad for your inspiration. And thank you for insightful comment!
Grad, no, most schools do not teach penmanship any longer, but instead teach keyboarding. I didn’t know civics was gone until my boss was complaining about it the other day because law students these days tend to not know how the government works. I was flabbergasted. I am intrigued by your postcard collection.
LikeLike
Well, I stayed awake at work, and at my after school class, and through my evening class, and at my fiance’s folks’ place for dinner; however, the fifth graders were totally out of control today and I wish I had fallen asleep during that class. ๐
I know exactly what you mean about the struggle to relax when writing. I think the key is to note the subtle difference between being relaxed and being slack. With practice you will develop more skill, and from that you can choose to have confidence; confidence being a key factor in good relaxation. With the brush, anytime I focus too much on one aspect I lose control of others. Sometimes I intentionally focus too much on the shape, or the flow, or the rhythm and let the other parts go just as an exercise; and, after practicing a work a good thirty times or more, I start having the confidence to relax and make it happen.
Travelers is in English. My sister got it in America and then gave it to me.
LikeLike
I could really benefit from some handwriting practice — or perhaps I should say my students would really benefit! Although I wonder how long it will be before students start submitting all their work online, at which point I can type comments. We’ll see. But because of all this handwriting talk, I have been trying to pay more attention to it and to make my handwriting prettier — a basically hopeless task, but I can make some small improvements probably!
LikeLike
I really think it’s great how you are spending so much time with your writing practice. My husband is a calligrapher and when we were first going out I thought I’d try to learn some calligraphy to impress him. Let’s just say calligraphy is not for me! Ha.
I’ve seen how my handwriting has changed over the years when I look at my journals and I really do believe the fact that I use the computer so much nowadays has made my handwriting more sloppy. Maybe this means I need to spend more time with the journals! ๐
LikeLike
Bikkuri, glad you managed to stay awake! Fifth graders won’t let anyone sleep. Such great encouragement you offer! Thanks! I can see why you are such a good teacher ๐ And I am glad to hear Travelers is in English. I will have to look for it.
Dorothy, LOL. Do you ever give someone a lower grade because their work is so illegible? And you never know, a little concentration on handwriting goes a long way to making it prettier.
Iliana, thanks! I don’t have the patience for calligraphy. Or rather, I think I would be too much of a perfectionist and would never be able to finish anything! It’s fun to look at journals isn’t it? My handwriting has slowly deteriorated in mine as well. Maybe you are correct and we should spend more time writing in them!
LikeLike
Stefanie, you have had me rooting around in cupboards, tins and drawers for my old calligraphy sets to see whether I remember the basics. Not found yet but the weekend is nearly upon us so will have more time.
Beware though, it is not just about the pen and nib but the paper is very important too and having siad that I think I may have opened the proverbial can of worms because once you get into paper, its qualities, texture and feel, then you are lost. Totally.
LikeLike
I used to have quite legible handwriting, but it has become atrocious. I’m pretty sure it’s because, like everything else, I don’t practice it much anymore (sometimes, though, I blame it on carpal tunnel and old-age achiness from all the writing I’ve done all my life), and when I do write, usually I’m taking notes or writing creative pieces that only I need to read, and I can make out what I meant to say. But your post intrigues me so much Now that I’ve got all these pen pals, I’m really worried that they can’t read what I have to say. I think I’ll go in search of some handwriting manuals myself.
LikeLike
I have horrid handwriting, and I’ve always wanted to improve it. I’ve wondered if once you get to a certain age, it is actually possible to change your handwriting. I may just have to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration.
LikeLike
Wow I’m impressed by your dedication! Obviously the 2nd example is a net progress from the 1st… your new penpals should feel honored of such an effort! My own handwriting really depends of my mood at the time I write: sometimes very clear and almost childish, sometimes completely stressed-out and illegible!
LikeLike
Bob, I hope you found your calligraphy supplies. The can of worms, as you call, was already open. I have more fountain pens than a person actually needs and I am in search of beautiful stationery.
Emily, for a long time I haven’t cared about my handwriting edging toward scrawly because my two chief correspondents had handwriting requiring a cryptographer to decipher it. But with the additions of other pen pals who all have apologized for their handwriting, I couldn’t help but want to make an effort.
Lisa, it is possible to change your handwriting, it is just more challenging and takes a lot of concentration.
Smithereens, I find the more tired I am the worse my handwriting is. It seems to affect it more than my mood even. Don’t be too impressed with my dedication, we’ll see how long it lasts!
LikeLike
perhaps you could next venture into writing with various instruments…you know, ballpoint pens vs. dip pens vs. quills vs. pencils. i could definitely use some advice on using dip pens and nibs. after my 11 yr old laptop imploded, i find i’m relying more on pen-n-paper communication than trying to find time (and a computer) to email, read blogs, etc.
LikeLike
I saw a Steve Jobs talk online at some commencement in which he said that studying Calligraphy at Reed College in Portland (after he dropped out) led him to add several fonts in the early Macs.
LikeLike
Erica, lol, you should not tempt me like that! ๐
Beck, what an interesting tidbit. I never would have pictured Steve Jobs as the Calligraphy type.
LikeLike
Iโm a big fan of Fred Eagerโs bookโIโve been working at it for 2 years.
Iโm also delighted to see Sylvia commenting at the top, as Iโm a fan of her blog. I may need to subscribe to this one as well ๐
LikeLike
For the person who mentioned SCRIPT AND SCRIBBLE and its author, Kitty Florey: I am the person that Ms. Florey studied Italic with. My web-site (which was moving while she wrote the book) is now at http://www.HandwritingThatWorks if you would like to visit it as a companion to SCRIPT AND SCRIBBLE.
LikeLike
Correction — my web-site address is http://www.HandwritingThatWorks.com (I left off the last part!)
LikeLike