wikiHow to Have Good Handwriting

Like fingerprints, handwriting styles are unique to each person. Many people dislike their
handwriting, but with a little practice you can love yours. The key is not to rush so you can
keep it consistent. Grab out your favorite notebook, and let's get started.

Part One of Two:

Re-Training Your Handwriting

1 Look at some computerized fonts or your friend's handwriting for ideas. Open a word
processor such as Microsoft Word, and change different font styles to see which
looks best and try them out. If you find a font you like, type out every letter (capital and
lowercase) so you can copy it later.

You can also practice good handwriting by borrowing notes from people who have
good handwriting. See how they have written each letter and word and copy it.
2 Practice the letters you have the most trouble with. Don't try to change everything all
at once. Start with the letter that is sloppiest. If your A looks like a giraffe with eight
legs, change it. It'll be easier to see progress this way, too.

Place a letter sample on the side of your paper. Have a short line next to it for
practice. Continue this for the whole width of the paper. Skip a line and then do this
again with a sample for copying each time. Never do a row of letters; you will tend to
copy the one you just finished.

3 Practice letters with similar strokes. Take for example lowercase letters "g," "c," "o,"
and "e." They all have that same rounded shape. Good handwriting is consistent, and
all these letters should have the same round-ness about them. Once you've worked with
letters separately, work with them in their groups.

"M," "n," "u," and "w" is another common set of letters that may need working. You may
also want to consider making your tails consistent ("y" and "g," for example) or your
longer letters the same, like "h," "p," and "b."

4 Practice writing the same sentence over and over. Now that the letters are easier,
what about writing them in actual works? It is usually best to write down a sentence
and then start writing that same sentence a few times slowly. As it gets easier, aim to
write faster and faster.

The key is to remember to try to keep each letter the same size. For example, tall
letters like "t," "l," "k," etc. should all be the same height. Then letters like "a," "o," "e,"
etc. should all be the same height, too. You'll need to concentrate at first, but it gets
easier! Keep the letters rounded and take your time.
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" has all the letters of the English
language. It's a good sentence if you want to work on every letter!
5 If you want to start writing in cursive, practice connecting letters. Practice
connecting the letter before and after with another letter you know well in the same
group, such as "adc," "aca," "ada," "gag," etc. When you get good at that, start working in
different groupings.

Hard to make letters like "f" in cursive can be done with notebook paper turned
sideways using the line as the down stroke for the f. lowercase b and q are other
ones that can be successful with this approach. They all have the loop going to the
right unlike "g," "j," and "y."

6 When joining letters, try to be consistent in terms of angle, length, and height. This
 will make it easier for people to distinguish between letters and joins. Ensure that spaces
between words are consistent, too.

A sloping desk encourages more rounding of letters. If your angle isn't what you want
it to be, consider changing the angle of your paper or the surface you're writing on.

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Part Two of Two:

Avoiding Frustration

1 Accept your writing for what it is. You're never going to be perfectly happy with your
writing, but you've got to realize that you can write, and that is something to be
thankful for. Just find a style that suits you, regardless of what it looks like.
 Good handwriting is like a "good painting" subject to fashion, technology and
personal judgment. The Mona Lisa was not considered to be a good painting for many
centuries until Franco-Italian nationalism made it the focus of attention. Similarly, we
consider the serif Renaissance style of handwriting to be barely legible and now
encourage our children to write in a sans-serif style resembling digital fonts like Arial.
Neither can be considered "good" in the long term, but there have been times when
each was seen as ideal.

2 Know that illegible handwriting doesn't make you look dumb. There is an inverse
relationship between legibility and credibility: doctors are universally respected for
their knowledge yet derided for the illegibility of their prescriptions; manual laborers
receive less respect even though it is generally very easy to read their handwriting. If your
handwriting is hard to read, don't stress it. No one is judging.

A similar pattern can be seen between male and female handwriting: the latter tends
to reflect the shapes of letters as taught much more closely than male writing, yet
people are less likely to be promoted if their handwriting is seen as childish, simplistic
or lacking individual identity.
3 Don't give up. If you try your best, you will definitely see an improvement in your skills.
Keeping a diary or journal is a good way to practice without it feeling like a chore. Go
off of the computer for a bit and write instead. Make small efforts to see large changes.

Everything gets better with practice. When you have a bit of spare time, write down
everything you can. Write letters to your friends, even if you don't send them. Write
notes to your friends in class; or even write notes to yourself. Think of it as doodling.

4 Don't rush your writing. Take it slowly at first; when you practice more only then will
you get faster. When it comes to handwriting, to be neat takes time. You'll get into the
habit of writing clearer and you'll be able to read what you've written. In the end it will pay
 off.

Write slowly and take the time to make sure each letter is the perfect shape. Speed
will come later. Don't stress about it now. You have to walk before you can run. This
isn't a race; you have years to perfect your handwriting skills.

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Community Q&A

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Does the pen I'm writing with affect my handwriting?
Answered by wikiHow Contributor
It might. Experiment with different types of pens: ballpoint, roller ball, gel, etc., and
different tip sizes and figure out what works best for you.
Thanks! 27 2
Does it take a while to improve your handwriting?
Answered by wikiHow Contributor
Yes; it takes practice to improve your handwriting and to make it as nice as you want it
to be. It may not take that long if you have decent handwriting, but worse quality will take
more time. It's also fairly much about your own determination to improve.
Thanks! 141 32
Is there a proper way to hold a pen or pencil?
Answered by wikiHow Contributor
No, but try holding it in different ways to see if that improves your handwriting.
Thanks! 83 20
How do you completely change your handwriting?
Answered by wikiHow Contributor
Transition from your current style of handwriting to your desired outcome by making
your current handwriting (gradually, as this takes time) till it looks more like your
preferred new style. See further How to Change Your Handwriting.
Thanks! 101 26
How to instantly get good handwriting?
Answered by wikiHow Contributor
You can't instantly get good handwriting. Like most skills, it takes time and effort to
develop. Practice is key.
Thanks! 24 5
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What pen are you using in the pictures?
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