Improve Your Handwriting

Working on your handwriting is slow, tiring and easy to put off. That is why wanting it enough is the first real step. Once you are, these eight habits make the work lighter.

Set yourself up

If you are left-handed, choose pens with fast-drying ink. The ink then does not smear under your hand as it moves across the page.

Next, check your grip. The right grip is simply the one that is most comfortable for your hand. It eases the strain on your joints, lets you write smoothly and keeps your hand from tiring over longer stretches.

Find something worth copying

Look at accounts on social media that share attractive handwriting and try to mimic what you see. If you would like a classic model, learn the basics from an old penmanship manual. One well known nineteenth century book taught the subject in classrooms for years.

Practise with a purpose

Print free handwriting worksheets and work through them. Copying neat letter shapes over and over is dull, but it is how the hand learns.

Then turn practice into something you look forward to. Keep a diary, and treat the writing as a way to relax and ease your mind. Or write a letter to a friend or a member of your family. A real reader gives the effort a reason.

Keep it small

You need no special kit. A comfortable pen, a few printed sheets and a few minutes a day are enough.