How to Improve Your Handwriting

Welcome back everyone!

A few years ago (in seventh grade), I decided I was going to change my handwriting for the better. Previously, I had a messy scrawl that often left my teachers confused- in elementary school, I would always get negative comments on my report card about my illegible handwriting. There was a girl in my English class whose handwriting I loved, so I studied it and tried to replicate it. At first I had to write really slow to do so, but it became more natural over time. Soon, I had a whole new distinctive style of handwriting, and other people would even compliment me on it.

To be honest, my handwriting was better in middle school than it is now. My classes are so much more fast-paced so I often have to scribble notes while my teachers are lecturing a mile a minute, but I still try to take pride in my writing and make things super neat and organized when I have the time to slow down a bit. Either way, I’m still proud of myself for the major improvement in my handwriting I’ve seen over the years, so keep on reading if you want to change your writing as well!

Find samples of writing you like – I suggest looking at Pinterest, but you can look anywhere. If you have a friend whose writing you’d like to emulate, that might help since they can give you pointers on how they’ve gotten their writing to look like that. You can also look at studygram accounts on Instagram for inspiration.
Try and copy the samples exactly – At first, try to copy the pictures you’ve found exactly. Imitate the width and height of the letters, the differences in the way certain letters are formed (a’s, y’s, etc.), if it’s more linear or loopy/cursive-like, etc. Don’t worry about actually putting it into practice yet, just get a feel for it.
Work it into your everyday writing – Start to write using this handwriting style in everyday life. If you’re not comfortable enough with it to write full-on notes and schoolwork in it, just start with to-do lists and little things.
Start slow, then try writing faster – The hardest thing for me was and still is being able to write neatly but also speedily. I would experiment with speed by choosing a few phrases to write and starting with writing them slowly, then rewriting them and trying to speed up your pace each time. I know it sounds silly, but it helps.
Add your own personal flair – Sometimes you’re just naturally going to have different writing than what you imagined, so you may end up adapting your desired style a little bit. Embrace it! That’s what will make your new handwriting uniquely yours, instead of just a carbon copy of the samples you chose.
Be consistent – This is the most important thing for continuing to have nice handwriting. Try to consistently keep one style, and it will become a lot easier to use it- it will also be easier to pick up speed in doing so.

I hope this helps out anyone looking to adopt a new handwriting style! I’ve been writing a lot in cursive recently and trying to pick up calligraphy/handlettering as well, so you might see some more posts related to these topics in the future 🙂

Brooke