Sloppy Writing with FP or Not

[domino]

I was just wondering, Is it just me or writing with a FP makes no difference at to how

sloppy I write! <_< I keep reading that a FP is supposed to make your hand writing

better. I honestly see no difference. Its the same wether its a FP, roller ball , or pencil.

I read that kids in Europe are made to write with FPs.

 

Once that nib starts to groove and slide, theres no turning back and I just wanna go fast!

Any thoughts?

[BillTheEditor]

If a person has good handwriting, a fountain might give it some character (but there's no guarantee). If a person has bad handwriting, a fountain pen won't fix it (and that is guaranteed!).

 

There are plenty of threads already in the Penmanship section on handwriting improvement, including exercises, recommendations for books, etc. Have you looked through them for ideas?

[OldGriz]

What makes your handwriting better is practicing the correct way to write...

Nothing else is going to help... I don't care if you use a fountain pen, pencil, ballpoint or a big pointed stick in the sand.

If you don't practice the correct techniques of writing your handwriting skills will not improve.

 

There are a bunch of great books out there that can help you learn to write better and improve your poor handwriting.

Remember, you are going to have to relearn certain muscle memories that make you write the way you do now... but it can be done...

The lighter touch of the fountain pen will make this easier, IMO. I know I definitely write nicer with my fountain pens than I do with a ballpoint. I do not write very rapidly to begin with and my fountain pens are well tuned to suit my style of writing. I write in a semi-classical Palmer style as taught in parochial schools in the 1950s... I do not have a large handwriting and prefer a smooth fine wettish (6.5/10) nib that keeps up with the speed at which I write.

 

As for the "off to the races" problem you claim to have, that is something that you have to mentally work on.

 

I hope this helps a bit

[Wolverine1]

Domino - Old Griz is absolutely right.

I started writing with pencils and ballpoints during college,and my handwriting wentto hell. (I had used a fountain pen while growing up in India and Australia.) Then, after graduation, I got into using fountain pens,and the handwriting was still sloppy. Around 2000 or 2001, i joined Pentrace,and learnt about a book called "Write Now" by Kate Gladstone, that a lot of folks on Pentrace had used to improve their handwriting. And since then, I have used that book to practise,and my handwriting has improved significantly. It still isnt as good as that of some of our FPN friends, but, I have improved. I think, it will improve further if I got off my lazy you know what, and practised more on a regular basis.

Edited May 12, 2007 by Wolverine1

[Shangas]

If you're new to fountain pens, then it might take some time.

 

If I may, I'd like to point out some differences between fountain pens and ballpoint pens.

 

The MAIN DIFFERENCE being that fountains are a lot smoother than ballpoint pens. Most people these days use ballpoints. They have to jam the ball into the paper to get the gel-ink flowing. With a fountain pen, the ink is water-based, and will flow freely. Jamming the nib into the paper is only going to break it. The important thing with writing with a fountain pen (in my experience), is to write fast and write light.

 

If you hold the pen in one place for too long, more ink seeps onto the page. If you like nice, bold writing, this will not be a concern to you. If you like your writing thinner and more legible, then you need to pick up the pace, otherwise it's going to look like a paint-roller.

 

The other thing is lightness of touch. Lightness of touch reduces the stress on the fingers, hand and wrist, and it also allows for faster writing...not to mention the fact that it saves the nib If you've been writing with a ballpoint pen for a while, it may take you some time to get used to writing with a fountain pen. It IS TRUE, sometimes, it may just be YOUR handwriting. A change of pen is unlikely to help in that sitution. What will help are handwriting instruction books on how to improve your hand to a more legible level. Once it is, then move back to fountain pens.

[Renzhe]

A major difference between fountain pens and ball pens is that there is minimal to no pressure required to produce a good, definite, stable line (assuming the fountain pen is working correctly). This relieves pressure from the hand (although it might be difficult to control at first) and eventually your handwriting might get better from being more relaxed. Another thing is that you can hold the pen at a lower angle to the paper, which allows your fingers to be in a less cramped position.

 

The 1742 ex David Guarneri del Gesù violin allowed Jascha Heifetz to more easily produce his desired sound, but if you hand it to a beginner, you will get in return only what the beginner has the ability to produce. Similarly, good writing instruments allow you to write better. They don't make you write better.

Edited May 12, 2007 by Renzhe

[planetjag]

I tend to write better with a FP, but that's mainly because I feel like I should write better with one. I automatically write slower and take a little more care because I feel like I'm doing something special.

 

It's a bit like I'm savouring the experience of writing, rather than just getting words on paper as quickly as possible.

 

jonathan

[CD7]

What I do is print out some sheets of correctly formed cursive alphabets.

I trace a letter and then freehand draw the letter underneath. On down the line.

It's just a relaxing exercise I started when I realized I had forgotten how to write in cursive.

[Shangas]

Similarly, good writing instruments allow you to write better. They don't make you write better.

 

Very true. It can be the best pen in the world, but that doesn't mean that it will instantly make your writing the stuff of illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages. It just means that you CAN DO IT if you so desire.

 

If this doesn't make any sense, then think of it like a fast sports car. The world's most expensive and stylish and fastest sports car probably isn't going to make you a better driver, but it does give you the ability to drive as fast as you like. If you feel that you MUST improve your "joined-up" (as they called it in school), handwriting...then it's probably best to go back to basics...especially if your handwriting looks like something reminiscent of a polygraph machine.

 

Just take your time with simple stuff first. Write the alphabet, write 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog', then, try more complex stuff like a diary-entry, for example. Once you have your writing back in order, then you can start looking into serious fountain-pen use.

[georges zaslavsky]

What makes your handwriting better is a good penmanship during your early age. How to handle the pen correctly first then writing to write letters clearly at slow speed then at a fast speed with dictations or during meetings. I discovered an advantage of some fountain pens like the vintage duofold, the vac or omas is that they are ideal pens wether for writing with the right or left hand.Some nibs are typically made for right handed persons. I myself became ambidextrous by using a waterman forum pen. A pen that allows you to write ambidextriously is a great pen. I can also write with my left hand with my medium oblique 149 and my medium stub 146.

I was used to write dictations fast with a fountain pen, and I prefer to use a fountain pen over a roller ball any day.

Edited May 13, 2007 by georges zaslavsky

[Judybug]

I was just wondering, Is it just me or writing with a FP makes no difference at to how

sloppy I write! <_< I keep reading that a FP is supposed to make your hand writing

better. I honestly see no difference. Its the same wether its a FP, roller ball , or pencil.

I read that kids in Europe are made to write with FPs.

 

Once that nib starts to groove and slide, theres no turning back and I just wanna go fast!

Any thoughts?

 

Domino - can you post a scan of your handwriting? I think everyone could offer better suggestions if we could see your writing.

 

Judybug

 

[domino]

Ok, here's the scan of my sloppy writing. Please note that I even skipped a line!

in my haste. :embarrassed_smile: :embarrassed_smile: :embarrassed_smile: :embarrassed_smile:

Suggestions are most welcome.

 

[Ghost Plane]

I can read it, which is more than I can say for half the people working around me. So what's your problem? It's even symmetric and doesn't wander uphill like mine.

[HDoug]

Looks pretty darned good to me! Especially if that's your fast writing.

 

Doug

 

P.S. My grandmother told my mother, "The quality of a knife is in the user."

Edited May 14, 2007 by HDoug

[Shangas]

I'll get to the point and say that I couldn't read all of your writing.

 

It's not the best that I've seen, nor is it the worst. I had a friend in school who was ambidextrious...Dear God...Teachers ran at the sight of his handwriting...

 

It is at least partially legible. I could make out most of the words and I managed to guesss the rest of them. I can see why you're worried about the state of your writing.

 

I still think going back to basics and buying some school handwriting/penmanship books would help you improve. Whenever something is so disasterous that you think you need help, it's best to go back to basics and start over and combine what you already know with stuff that you might have to learn again. Perhaps not the ideal comparison, but that's what I do when I forget how to play a piece of music on the piano.

[ViolinWriter]

Also, don't despair. I thought a fountain pen would restore my handwriting to "legible", as it was before I "lost" my fountain pens and inks in a move. I was wrong.

 

Well, I thought I was wrong.

 

A month passed. Then a few more months passed.

 

Finally (YIPPEE!!!) I hit "easily readable" after 6 months. Really nice looking writing started at 7 months. Now I am closing in on a year, and my sister, yes that sister with the perfect handwriting, declared my handwriting "decent". A few weeks later she said, in a rather archly surprised tone, "Good!"

 

I was walking on clouds. She's NEVER said I have good handwriting before. Ever. Never, ever, never.

 

So, it does work. My improved penmanship is due to the Writing the Bible project. I am almost at the end of Exodus, and I'd be further along if life hadn't interfered. The trick was finding the right section or barrel diameter and pen size. Enjoy the journey. Along the way, you'll get to experience the joys of using many pens, many papers and some really nice inks.

 

Then one day, you hear the hushed admiration of a very short sentence. "That looks really, really nice."

[caliken]

Also, don't despair. I thought a fountain pen would restore my handwriting to "legible", as it was before I "lost" my fountain pens and inks in a move. I was wrong.

 

Well, I thought I was wrong.

 

A month passed. Then a few more months passed.

 

Finally (YIPPEE!!!) I hit "easily readable" after 6 months. Really nice looking writing started at 7 months. Now I am closing in on a year, and my sister, yes that sister with the perfect handwriting, declared my handwriting "decent". A few weeks later she said, in a rather archly surprised tone, "Good!"

 

I was walking on clouds. She's NEVER said I have good handwriting before. Ever. Never, ever, never.

 

So, it does work. My improved penmanship is due to the Writing the Bible project. I am almost at the end of Exodus, and I'd be further along if life hadn't interfered. The trick was finding the right section or barrel diameter and pen size. Enjoy the journey. Along the way, you'll get to experience the joys of using many pens, many papers and some really nice inks.

 

Then one day, you hear the hushed admiration of a very short sentence. "That looks really, really nice."

 

ViolinWriter

As a musician, you probably have the perfect temperament for developing lettering skills, as the same long-term patience and determination is required in both disciplines. Remember that our best lettering will probably be around long after we have gone. One of my favourite quotations is from the calligrapher Tom Gourdie with regard to practicing lettering (and the same applies to music)

 

"no one ever got a prize for coming first"

 

caliken

 

[Brianetta]

A fountain pen makes my handwriting neat, and there's a reason for that. If I hold a ball point at the angle that I hold a fountain pen, it doesn't make any marks on the page. I have to hold it at a steeper angle and press harder. I cannot write neatly whilst doing that.

 

I learned to write with a pencil when I was three, and used a Berol Handwriting Pen when my school started to teach me at five. Once I turned 10 I used a cheap cartridge fountain pen. All of these instruments can be held at a low angle and still write. Now the whole world seems to use ball points. You can buy them in packs of twenty for a pound. I'd been using them myself for the last fifteen years. Gel pens were better, but once I rediscovered the fountain pen, the handwriting I was taught to write with rematerialized. Fantastic.

[LorenRad]

As I was reading through the thread, I came across another disparaging remark about ball point pens. If you have ever written with a PapreMate lately, you will know how pleasant a ballpoint can be. I write with a very light touch and really have enjoyed the PaperMate for many years. I write with fountain pen these days because I enjoy that also. Someday my pendulum may swing back to ballpens; who knows!

 

Secondly, Judybug, I notice you have a new avatar. I have been away for a while and just got back. Nice avatar, but I have to confess I have been captivated by your earlier one. Now, I know this is no forum for topics other than fountain pens and such, so I'll mind my manners.

[PAKMAN]

Fountain pens have helped my hand writing. In some ways I write slower and more carefully because of the nature of the fountain pen. The angle of attack is better with the fountain pen. It also seems like I should try harder when I use a fountain pen. Any pen with a very thin line makes my hand writing look bad so using medium fountain pens and stubs and italics vastly improve the look. Now granted if I get in a huge hurry to write down something it doesn't matter what I write with it will be a mess.