Re: OT - Have you ever changed your handwriting style?

On Mar 8, 4:58 pm, irwell <h...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sat, 8 Mar 2008 08:17:53 -0800 (PST), adam_swansb...@xxxxxxxxx
wrote:



Those this is OT, I suspect it may be of interest here. Between the
ages of 5 to 11, I was taught to write in what was called "italic" at
my English primary school. At the age of 11, I moved to a grammar
school, where the pupils came from a variety of schools that taught
different styles of handwriting.

I was intrigued and impressed with some of these styles, to the extent
that I ended up copying elements of them. Between the ages of 12 and
13 I experimented with my handwriting style, incorporating elements of
other styles that I liked. By the age of 14 I had ended up with my own
version of what is known as "looped cursive". (Apparently cursive
handwriting is now falling out of fashion in the UK).

My reasons for changing were twofold: firstly, as a teenager, I
considered looped cursive to be more adult in appearance than my own
italic handwriting; secondly, I found that I could write faster with
cursive, as the greater number of joins seemed to me to make it flow
faster. I do remember my English teacher deploring the change in my
style, though. "I don't know what's happened to your handwriting
lately, Adam. You used to have such *beautiful* handwriting!"

Italic writing required a broad-nibbed fountain pen, so that you could
reproduce the thick and thin strokes of the italic style. As a left-
hander, I found it difficult to reproduce these strokes. When I
ditched italic and switched to a thin-nibbed pen, I found my writing
flowed more easily, and I no longer felt clumsy when using my pen.

After my chosen handwriting style matured, I was occasionally told
that it was "very well-formed" or "had a lot of character". All in the
eye of the beholder, of course.

Has anyone else, I wonder, ever permanently changed their handwriting
style, for whatever reason? And what name did your school give to the
style of handwriting that you were taught?

Adam.

 We were taught a type of copper-plate handwriting
in elementary. I was forced to learn shorthand in the
Army, this was one the best things to happen as it
meant control and speed with legible results.

One of our elementary teachers introduced a
type of calligraphy, she gave us each a pen with a small
reservoir and a j-nib, showed us how to make thin strokes
on the way up and broad strokes on the way down.

I disliked the scratchy broad nib we were obliged to use for italic. I
much preferred the thinner, smoother nib I used when I switched
styles.

Between the ages of eight and eleven, our school was required to enter
the italic handwriting competition for the county. Invariably I would
omit a word or cross something out. Then the teacher would require me
to write it all out again, though we both knew I had no chance of (and
no interest in) winning it. Every year a classmate named Maryan Gillie
won the county prize. It came to be predictable. As for me, I usually
prefer substance over form, so these competitions held no interest for
me.

What did you do in the army that required you to learn shorthand? I
imagined the army was for action-men/women, not pen-pushers like
myself.

Adam.
.

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