Children are taught since primary school to master the skill of neat handwriting. Some schools taught it through joined writing, others through cursive, but it’s something that every person owes to their early school days. Some find it very difficult to master this skill or find that their handwriting has deteriorated over time to nothing more than squiggles on a line. Otherwise, your goal might be visually aesthetic writing rather than just legible.
Either way, handwriting is a very important skill because although a majority of modern life is done online, handwriting will always be prominent in our lives – perhaps through exams, forms, or written essays. So how can you improve your handwriting?
You’ve decided to improve you handwriting – read these simple steps to begin your journey. Find out what it is about your writing that is not tidy. Perhaps it’s the spacing or the individual letters. Correct these mistakes by using traceable templates or lined paper which maintains a particular line space. Handwriting is a skill that requires lots of practise – the more you practise the neater handwriting you will achieve. Incorporate more handwriting into your daily life. Keep a close watch on your grip of the pin – it should be relaxed and easily mobile.
Continue reading this article for more tips and advice to improve you writing and reach you goal of a neater page. We also explain just why neat writing is so important.
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How to Write Neatly
In order for your writing to not just be clear and legible but to be clean, you may need to work through several steps. Read the tips below to help you achieve your goal.
Write More
Just like most other skills, the task of writing neatly comes with practise. That is why this skill is taught to children from a very young age. In our increasingly automated world, it’s understandable that the amount we write daily has been massively minimised.
So, in order to improve your handwriting and make it neater, hand-write more. Although it sounds very simple, you may find it difficult re-incorporating pen and paper into your lifestyle. Below is a list of four tips to apply in your school-life:
- Try completing homework on paper rather than online. For example, create a poster instead of a PowerPoint.
- Create written notes in class, in a jotter, rather than typed up notes.
- Create essay or assignment plans on paper. This will not only act as neat writing practise but also help you brainstorm better as well.
- Try to write the full essay down on paper. Although this may be a very long piece of writing, maintain motivation because it will help you see results in your writing and will also help you practise for exams.
Maintain Motivation
Sometimes, even if we have the correct strategies and resources to help us improve our writing, we choose not to make a difference. You may find that as you trace a letter, you are not concentrating enough on each stroke. If this is the case, then pull your mind back to the present. Study the template and recreate it from your memory. This will help improvements occur much quicker.
And don’t quit. You’ve decided to improve your handwriting – now don’t give up on your goal. If you can’t seem to notice any progress, think again. Does one letter look particularly cleaner than it used to? Does one stroke come easier than it used to? Progress takes time so don’t give up.
Consider using rewards – take a short break between worksheets to do something you enjoy.
Use Templates to Improve Handwriting
If you are committed to entirely changing your handwriting, to the smallest details, you may choose to restart and tweak your writing style, so your letters look neater and more default.
You can find traceable templates online to help your hand obtain suitable muscle movement that allows you to maintain the writing style you have been practising. However, in order for this method to work, you must do the template tracing drills and worksheets frequently and concentratedly. Over time, you will find your writing to be more similar to what your template has taught it to be.
Find some very useful printable handwriting templates on worksheetworks here.
Keep Your Grip Relaxed
Don’t tense and tighten your finger too much – they will only hate you for it. This is also likely to make your writing worse, not better. Maintaining a gentle relaxed grip allows the most movement for your fingers.
Clenching your fingers around the pen barrel and overly flexing your fingers will only lead to your hand becoming more tired more quickly. This may also decrease you writing speed as well as appearance.
Next time you’re writing, check your hand every five minutes. Are your fingers relaxed? Are your fingernails lightly placed at the tip? This will help you have a more regular and neat writing style.
How to Write Faster?
There are many similarities in the tasks you can do to help quicken the speed of your handwriting and those you can do to help beaten you writing. For example, practice writing every day. The muscles in your hands and fingers will become more accustomed to writing, helping you to pick up the pace.
You may also try investigating how turning the paper affects your writing speed. It’s difficult to find someone who writes on paper that is placed directly perpendicular and at a 180 degree angle to themselves. Try tilting a paper to find a comfortable wrist placement. This may help maintain a quick writing pace for a longer time.
In general, you will find that as you write neater, through practise, your writing pace will also improve.
How Writing Faster Will Help in Your Exams
Writing quickly is very important in all exams, but especially essay subjects. This can include humanity subjects such as English, history and religious studies. Classics such as Latin and classic civilisation have heavily essay based questions.
In these types of exams, it’s vital that you are used to writing quickly and neatly. Otherwise, you may be disadvantaged during the exam. Many students find that they do have the knowledge to complete an exam but can not write quickly enough to finish their answer. Writing quickly ensures that you will not a large number of marks due to this reason.
How to Take Notes Effectively
Teachers and professors have no choice but to cover content quickly and at a suitable pace. This makes it difficult for many students to fully comprehend their learning in the moment while also trying to write down every word that is being said.
This is why efficient notetaking is vital. An ideal set of notes will be brief and comprehensive points set out in a clear structure with emphasis on significant points. In order to achieve such notes, follow the tips below:
- Pick one main colour: consider dark default pen colours such as blue or black and try not switching between the two – this might make things confusing.
- Space out your writing: Cramped notes make them to difficult to reread and concentrate on. Try leaving lines between subtopics and finger gaps between words.
- Highlight key points: This helps you remember so gif can’t information, especially when it come to revising content. You can do so by using highlighters or a contrasting pen colour. However, try not to introduce too many colours as this can make the page appear too lively.
- Use titles and subtopics: This makes it clear what the notes are about. Have fun making these stand out and noticeable.
- Don’t be afraid to use diagrams, tables and graphs: Sometimes words are not the best way of conveying information. Visual representation can make notes more comprehensible and more efficient.
- Pick your stationary carefully: find pens, pencils and highlighters that complement your writing style. If gels pens don’t work for you because of smudging, use ballpoint. If you frequently make pen errors, buy some Tippex or switch to using a pencil.
How to Write Shorthand
Try to develop a key that you will remember and understand to quicken the speed at which you take notes. You may begin with minor changes such as short acronyms for common phrases such as SA for surface area. You can also draw an upwards arrow for increase, as well as the inverse.
Develop a system that works for you and that you will be able to remember. Alternatively, check out common shorthand techniques that have already been made on WikiHow, which you can visit here.
Can Your Handwriting Effect Your Exam Grade?
Examiners are experienced and trained in reading handwriting of all styles so handwriting should not be a main concern. However, if examiners have trouble reading your writing the paper will be more difficult and take longer for them to mark. Although handwriting should not actually add up to your mark count, examiners may be influenced to award more marks to papers that are clear and easy to read. Also, if they are unable to make out what a vital word says, they will not award you with a mark, even if you had written it correctly.