Two of my correspondents do so in forms of calligraphy, and I love to see their beautiful handwriting, a true art form. Others write in their own handwriting, the adult development of the writing they were taught in school. I love to see that too. Their writing is an expression of their personality.
There was a time when companies employed handwriting “experts” who supposedly were able to determine the character of job applicants from their handwriting, and people were or were not hired on that basis. I think that was unutterable hogwash and I’m glad that its time is past now that handwriting is no longer used in that way as young people depend more on the keyboard.
There is, of course, some real analysis of handwriting though it couldn’t be used in that way. Such things as letter forms, angle of writing and its size can tell something about the writer. One can, in very broad terms, date handwriting. There was a period when handwriting was copperplate. After that a simpler hand was developed, making business correspondence and recording faster and easier.
When my husband was taught writing in the fifties, there was still an emphasis on light upstrokes and heavy downstrokes. Some of the letter forms he was taught varied from those in other areas. There are different forms of the letter “r” and the capital “Q” for instance. To some slight extend these might be a guide to where a writer comes from.
Do any of us write exactly as we were taught? I know that in my teens I began to change some letters to develop my own individual style. More recently, when I began to try to improve my writing reversing those changes were part of the process. It was hard to consciously make those changes. If writing fast I would often revert. Even now I sometimes slip back – hardly surprising after a lifetime of writing in one way.
What’s your experience of writing? Are you a calligrapher or a writer?
Goodwriterspens's Blog 
Unfortuantely a writer. I lack the patience of a calligrapher. My handwriting or style, is best described as “chicken scratch.” I only write in cursive, printing is not writing; however, my cursive is a combination of printed letters and cursive but looks more like old German script Kurrent. I can read it but I doubt anyone else can. I would love to change this but have failed every time the effort is made.
I shifted from New Zealand to England and then back when I was 9 – 10 years old, so I was taught two different styles of cursive writing and even now in my 60s I have a degree of confustion in how I form certain letters, most obviously in capital A and E, alternating randomly between Latin and Greek forms. People sometimes buy me calligraphy books, but until I retire I doubt I’ll have the time to devote to this skill. All I know is that although untidy with a fountain pen, my handwriting is considerably worse with a ballpoint.
I would love to see your handwriting and be a correspondent. Mine is partly what I learned in school, calligraphy and French handwriting I copied.
Thank you for the excellent article.
On my side, and reason why in the past I looked for thin flexible nibs, is that I enjoy calligraphy namely copperplate.
Kind regards.
Rui
It’s a sign of the times th
Sorry , had to 🤷 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDhYJKc8oVc
Sorry…had to 🤷 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDhYJKc8oVc
Dear Deb,
Every point you make applies equally to my handwriting. I’ve never had the patience to use a pure calligraphic style for daily writing, and my hand shakes too much for masterful penmanship. As you well know, my hand is a poor man’s version of yours and, like many other writers, includes several forms of the same letter. The quality depends very much on the pen I’m using.
FWIW, I think a decidedly calligraphic hand runs the risk of appearing pedantic or obsessive when employed in normal correspondence (not wedding invitations, etc.)
Stay well.