Can't read my handwriting

Can't read my handwriting

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Hello

I am ashamed to say my handwriting has got so bad that i sometimes can't read my meeting notes.

Was wondering about buying a fountain pen as an incentive to write slower and better.

Would be interested to know if other members have the same problem and what fountain pens you would recommend.

It has been years since i used a proper pen ( or indeed a quill ) and all i can recall is ink on my fingers :-(

Thank you for reading

Replies (20)

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By Manchester_man
22nd Sep 2014 13:19

I am the same I'm afraid.

I find that it's because I rush, my brain is going faster than my hands (slow hands as opposed to fast brain I might add :-)

I had to very quickly write a half page of notes to explain something to a college last week, when I was on my way out of the door, running late. I was shocked the next day when I looked again at my 'notes'.

I think it's a result of going to fast and also (in my case anyway) with most of my notes/letters/ working papers etc being done on a computer, I've pretty much got out of the habit of handwriting anything, therefore I'm out of practice.

Sadly, I think the next generation will be much worse!

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By jndavs
22nd Sep 2014 13:22

Practice

I think that it is more to do with muscle memory rather than the pen you use.

As far as I know, the only cure is practice.

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By Michael Beaver
22nd Sep 2014 13:34

Try and see

I recently did an evening course specifically to improve your writing.  One of the first things we did was try loads of different pens.  

Each pen has a different weight, nib, ink flow and balance.   

If you go and try loads of pens chances are you'll find one that improves your writing by being more comfortable to hold and works better with your style of writing. As it happened, I ended up moving to a fountain pen (a LAMY) which was much more comfortable.

Other than that, jndavs is right in that you have to practice the style in which you want to write over and over and over until your muscle memory has it right and it comes automatically.

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By Ken Howard
22nd Sep 2014 13:38

Try a Lamy Left Hander

My son is left handed and his handwriting is a disgrace.  When he started secondary school, and had to use pen instead of pencil, it was barely legible.  I researched left handed pens, not necessarily fountain pens, but Lamy left handed nib fountain pens kept cropping us as recommendations.  I bought one to try it out, son's handwriting improved massively, and I tried it myself, even though I'm a right hander, and my handwriting was much better too.  So I bought another for myself, which I now use as my day-to-day pen for meeting notes, signing paperwork, etc.  The left handed nib is simply a much finer nib and has rounded edges so it doesn't scratch - simple really.  I can still write just as fast, but for some unknown reason, I write a lot neater - must be mental!

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AS
By AS
22nd Sep 2014 13:39

Yes

I have the same problem so I use a fountain pen which has made a difference. It is worth a try.

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By The Innkeeper
22nd Sep 2014 13:46

We are a high tech

practice but whenever I need to take notes or actually sign something I always use a fountain pen. Does occasionally cause a raised eye brow with clients but I find those clients of approximately the same vintage as myself agree with its use and even confess to using a fountain pen as well!

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By Howard Marks
22nd Sep 2014 13:58

Unreadable notes

My problem comes from not taking any - then having to email the client a list of questions the following day.

 

I don't need a pen, I need a dictaphone!

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By DA Baker
22nd Sep 2014 14:31

It transformed my writing

Try a Pilot V5 needlepoint liquid ink rollerball. Have a look at the reviews on Amazon. Apologies, for some reason I can't post the link.

 

 

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By gregsoley
22nd Sep 2014 14:58

Me too

I have the same problem, which I believe is due to lack of practice. Virtually all of my work these days is carried out on a computer and I always prefer to type out notes whenever possible.

As an aside, many years ago there was an audit clerk at my firm who had the neatest handwriting you have ever seen. It was so neat that the senior partner at the time actually asked him whether the neatness of his working papers was causing him to take longer on jobs.

 

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By itp3asso
22nd Sep 2014 16:05

just take an ipad in with you
and use a downloaded recording app to tape the whole thing .. then listen back to it and minute only the salient points.

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By Vaughan Blake1
22nd Sep 2014 16:46

Parker 51- best designed fountain pen ever!

No longer made but buy on old one on flea-bay.  Been using mine most days since 1975(grandad had it before me sometime in the 50s) and due to the cunning design I never get inky fingers.

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Replying to Vaughan Blake1:
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By MSD1968
22nd Sep 2014 21:59

Parker 51

Vaughan Blake1 wrote:

No longer made but buy on old one on flea-bay.  Been using mine most days since 1975(grandad had it before me sometime in the 50s) and due to the cunning design I never get inky fingers.

Lovely pen! I have one with black ink for "signing off". Day-to-day writing in purple ink from a Pelikan Souvran M600 - much mirth amongst clients. Good quality paper needed for notes, though - Rhodia by choice - or else it the ink bleeds, feathers and shows through which does nothing to improve legibility which was the point after all.

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
22nd Sep 2014 17:20

Danger of fountain pens

Biro's are awful for handwriting but if one is used with a thicker grip and a broader tip my writing does improve a little.

Fountain pens also improve my handwriting, which was poor at school and which university degraded even further, now I do not even form individual letters. However unlike biros if you drop a fountain pen on the ground enough times eventually it will land on the nib which tends to lead thereafter to ink marks over the page and /or no flow of ink to the nib. (Even after straightening the nib with pliers my cheap metal Parker Frontier does not really work)

I am of an age and went to a secondary school with a teacher of English who insisted submitted work was done using fountain pen, this ought to have helped improve my writing but sadly it has always been beyond redemption.

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By James420
22nd Sep 2014 21:06

.

Nobody2 thank you for the thread. Interesting reading. 

Have you thought about getting a tablet computer (eg Samsung) and write with a stylus? 

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By adf2410
22nd Sep 2014 21:22

Try a Pilot V-Pen

It's a disposable fountain pen - really smooth and no leaking ink.  A joy to write with!

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Replying to carnmores:
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By jjswjjsw
23rd Sep 2014 18:13

Pilot V-Pen

adf2410 wrote:

It's a disposable fountain pen - really smooth and no leaking ink.  A joy to write with!

 

A second vote here I also find clients ask to keep them if they've borrowed one from me. My handwriting definitely looks better with one and is slightly more legible!

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By Vaughan Blake1
23rd Sep 2014 08:55

Colour choice?

I use blue-black now. (more manly than washable blue and more 'real looking' than black). Tried brown once, but after it had dried it looked like I was signing my letters in blood!

Turquoise and purple are a bit flamboyant and green seems to be the preferred choice of poison pen letter writers!

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By MSD1968
23rd Sep 2014 09:57

Brown ink
I agree that brown ink is like blood when dry. However, perhaps, it is appropriate for audit reports? Or any written interaction with ICAEW?

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By Alan Davies
23rd Sep 2014 10:29

Other benefits

I use a fountain pen now (it hasn't improved my writing at all!) and there is one other significant benefit - when people come to my desk and have to write something they pick it up and then put it down and get a different pen rather than picking it up and walking away with it as happens with a biro! 

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By SteveHa
23rd Feb 2018 08:44

I've used fountain pens since I was in the junior classes at school. Back then it was Schaeffer, but since then I've been through the gamut. Currently carry a Parker and a Lamy for day to day use.

My handwriting is as lousy as ever.

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