Left Slant - Odd?

[Pietru]

I'm right-handed when it comes to writing things down, but I've recently (past six months) noticed that my handwriting slopes to the left. It might be because of Bliblical Hebrew studies (probably not) but I can't imagine why it would have carried over into my normal handwriting. If I make the effort to slant to the right, I immediately fall into a faux-Copperplate style.

 

Any other right-handers out there who write with a left-side slant?

 

 

 

http://oi42.tinypic.com/5uerm9.jpg

 

[smk]

I believe the geometry of the pen to paper for a right handed penman makes left slant natural.

 

While I don't find the handwriting sample easy to read, the overall appearance is quite pleasant - especially the generous inter-line spacing.

 

BTW, my wife writes with a left slant and so do her siblings.

 

Salman

[barleycorn]

This may seem like an obvious question but how do you hold your paper? If you write with the paper upright or turned slightly clockwise that may be the cause of the left slant. Try turning the paper a bit counter clockwise. If this results in an upright or reduced left slant then try a little more. Try to ignore the slant of the paper and write normally.

 

If this does not work print an italic template guide which leans to the right 5 to 10 degrees. Practice your writing at this angle for a while and the left slant should diminish. The other posibility is how you hold your pen. If you try to hold the pen at a angle below horizontal this should also encourage a right slant. By consulting a writing tutorial online you can see how "proper technique" compares with yours.

 

While there is no right technique for everyone, sometimes writing with ballpoints or pencils encourages bad habits. Start with an italic writing position and figure out what is comfortable for you. Some right handed people have a natural left slant to their writing. As long as it is neat and legible, that is all that matters.

[Mickey]

I believe the geometry of the pen to paper for a right handed penman makes left slant natural.

 

I beg to differ. First, the left slant makes nearly half of all strokes push strokes, the more critical principal stroke and the one most likely to snag. (Even Spencerian and Copperplate put the up strokes off [below] the main pen axis.) For a rapid cursive hand, having the majority of strokes at any other angle to the pen barrel makes better sense. Of course, with a ball-point, gel, pencil, etc., this argument does not apply, but the subsequent ones do.

 

Having the longest strokes in line with the pen barrel encourages (requires) either fatiguing finger flexing or demands that the writer learn to engage the larger muscles of the arm and shoulder to avoid RSI, and while whole-arm writing is generally a good thing, the technique or approach is not easy to learn or master. With the more typical right slant, the primary motion is achieved through the coordinated (intuitive) movement of fingers, wrist, and elbow flexing, which is far easier to learn than so-called whole-arm writing.

 

Back slant can be writing by curling the wrist, much in the manner of left-handed overwriters, but that is contrary to your geometrically natural theory and the constant wrist flexing and unflexing raises the potential for carpel tunnel problems. Alternatively, one could rotate the paper, but that also seems to fail the geometrically (optically) natural theory.

[Lyander0012]

I took an interest in studying and analyzing others' handwriting as a supplement to my studies (I'm a psych undergrad), and, from what I recall, a left-slanting handwriting indicates introvert tendencies, a desire to not stand out or interact with other people when not necessary.

 

I'm not saying that that's the case here, though. It could really be that there's just something in the way that you hold or angle your paper when writing that's causing your writing to "backslant", so to speak.

[smk]

 

I beg to differ. First, the left slant makes nearly half of all strokes push strokes, the more critical principal stroke and the one most likely to snag. (Even Spencerian and Copperplate put the up strokes off [below] the main pen axis.) For a rapid cursive hand, having the majority of strokes at any other angle to the pen barrel makes better sense. Of course, with a ball-point, gel, pencil, etc., this argument does not apply, but the subsequent ones do.

 

Having the longest strokes in line with the pen barrel encourages (requires) either fatiguing finger flexing or demands that the writer learn to engage the larger muscles of the arm and shoulder to avoid RSI, and while whole-arm writing is generally a good thing, the technique or approach is not easy to learn or master. With the more typical right slant, the primary motion is achieved through the coordinated (intuitive) movement of fingers, wrist, and elbow flexing, which is far easier to learn than so-called whole-arm writing.

 

Back slant can be writing by curling the wrist, much in the manner of left-handed overwriters, but that is contrary to your geometrically natural theory and the constant wrist flexing and unflexing raises the potential for carpel tunnel problems. Alternatively, one could rotate the paper, but that also seems to fail the geometrically (optically) natural theory.

 

Left slant for right handed penmen puts the nib in nearly the same orientation as an oblique holder does for scripts with a right slant with the result that the upward strokes are pushed w.r.t. to the nib in Copperplate and Spencerian when a right handed penman uses an oblique holder.

 

The 'pad below the elbow' anchor allows for the same amount of movement in all directions, hence the same principle applies to up and down movement along the length of the arm (for left slant) as it does to the angular movement required for right slanting scripts.

 

I don't see why anyone would need to change the regular tripod hold for the slant - Its about the movement of the arm, up-down vs. left-right.

[Mickey]

 

Left slant for right handed penmen puts the nib in nearly the same orientation as an oblique holder does for scripts with a right slant with the result that the upward strokes are pushed w.r.t. to the nib in Copperplate and Spencerian when a right handed penman uses an oblique holder.

 

The 'pad below the elbow' anchor allows for the same amount of movement in all directions, hence the same principle applies to up and down movement along the length of the arm (for left slant) as it does to the angular movement required for right slanting scripts.

 

I don't see why anyone would need to change the regular tripod hold for the slant - Its about the movement of the arm, up-down vs. left-right.

I understand the geometry perfectly, but outside of our little ink-slinger's ghetto, how many people are willing to learn whole-arm writing.? Also, if you look a little closer at the geometry, you'll discover that the perfectly in line stroke with an oblique holder is the pull stroke. The push stroke is (by design, I believe) 15 or so degrees offset (thus, less likely to snag). Because of the orientation of the loops in standard cursive, a similar offset (with a straight pen) would slant the writing even further than is typically observed.

 

Put more simply, those of us in the forum put up with a slightly unfriendly push stroke to be able to do Copperplate or Spencerian. It's doubtful the general public would for basic cursive.

 

My reference to an altered grip concerned writing without an oblique holder, in the days before such devices, when the preferred grip had the palm more level with the desk, a hand orientation which turns the point to the right. In the modern tripod, the palm is at about a 45 degree angle to the desk, setting the point on the left. Properly, this is not a discussion of grip so much as wrist position, but the two things are often grouped together.

[PBKC]

I used to write like that quite often - I switch handwriting styles often while looking for the most comfortable. When I do write it's always with the paper slanted counter-clockwise, sometimes to the point of the left edge of the page parrallel to the edge of the desk, and used to sometimes write that way with a left slant, so I don't think rotating the paper will "correct" it. I personally don't see the problem as long as it's comfortable for you and legible.