I can't write. Help!

October 10, 2009 5:21 AM

I've started a course of study that involves making a lot of hand written notes. The thing is, I haven't written in years!

I haven't picked up a writing instrument in years. As a result, my spelling is atrocious, penmanship poor and I'm just slow at writing in general. Any tips on improving quickly?

posted by Mr_Thirdworld to writing & language (10 comments total)

Force yourself to write stuff. Practice is good! Grab a piece of text you'd like to memorize or at least become familiar with and write it out. Write down song lyrics as you listen to them, this will help you pick up speed. Write letters, the old fashioned way. You don't have to send them.

Don't worry about spelling- as long as you know what you mean you can fix it later.
Don't put a vice grip on your pen/pencil. keep it loose and comfortable.
Do use your arm and wrist to help move around.
Do make abbreviations- write down what they are when you first use them.
Doodling might help improve hand-eye-pen coordination.

Do go over your notes soonish after you write them, (right after class is ideal, with in 24 hours is good, it drops off in efficiency after that.) Fill in the stuff your brain remembers but your notes don't. (If you have a text book and the lectures follow the chapters, check you've got everything in your notes at the same time.)

Repeat to yourself: "I am not a tape recorder" - you don't have to write down everything that gets said, just the important stuff. Especially write down stuff that is said that isn't on the slides, or that the professor draws particular attention to.

Try a note taking strategy- I like the Cornell method, which leaves a column for keywords and a box for a summary at the side and bottom of each page, which you fill in later.

Practise practise practise!

I am a university student, I am not your university student, ymmv, etc.
posted by titanium_geek at 5:49 AM on October 10 [1 favorite]

Yep, practice, practice, practice is the answer I'm afraid (and a calligraphy class helped me.)

You can also find some advice in this previous ask.
posted by gudrun at 5:53 AM on October 10

Yep, just practice. About a year ago I started a fiction program that does a LOT of in-class writing, and of course, no computers allowed. At first my hands were all crampy and sad but now I can write flat-out for more than half an hour without worrying about it.
posted by sugarfish at 6:42 AM on October 10

Seconding calligraphy. You learn the basics of how letters are formed, and can write legibly faster.

Come up with your own shorthand for common words: b/c for because, superscript 'g' for -ing, symbols for science or lit terms (i.e. always write the sign for paragraph instead of the word). The drawbacks of this are typing material in those areas is irritating because your shorthand does not exist on the keyboard and you have to be careful on exams.

On the other hand, nobody ever wants to borrow your notes.
posted by variella at 7:51 AM on October 10

As an infrequent writer, I find using a really fat pen makes me able to write with less discomfort.
posted by advicepig at 8:13 AM on October 10

If you are like me and exert a lot of pressure when writing use a mechanical pencil - it forces you to use less pressure as the tip just snaps if you are too heavy handed. Also, pencil is brilliant, because you can go back and amend your notes as required. Finally, your notes won't become illegible if you knock your drink over - the paper will be discoloured but you still have your notes. And lastly you can underline libabry books in pencil until you're done with them...

If I can't convert you to a pencil use a soft felt tip pen type instrument or even a fountain pen, all of which work best when you exercise little pressure and thus are less tiring to use than ball point pens.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:28 AM on October 10 [1 favorite]

And practice, especially if you have several hour long hand written exams coming up as your hand just has to get used to writing lots...
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:29 AM on October 10

I was going to recommend the same thing as koahiatamadl! Your hand muscles will hold up much better if you use a fountain pen or mechanical pencil. I've had a fountain pen (that uses cartridges, which, by the way, end up being much cheaper than ball-point pens) for years, and can really tell the difference when I have to use a ball-point. My hand gets tired quickly with the ball-points, plus it feels all scratchy and stressful, whereas my fountain pen writes smoothly and is a pleasure to use. You'll get better results with a fountain pen if you use quality paper, by the way — cheap paper will soak up the ink and make you go through cartridges like nobody's business. Better-quality paper (Oxford, Clairefontaine) has a silky touch to it that's better, and frankly it's easier to write on with pretty much any writing tool.

Practice a lot, a nice way to do it is by keeping a diary. It might take about a month for your hand to get back into the feel of things.
posted by fraula at 8:39 AM on October 10

another, earlier thread on handwriting improvement
posted by mecran01 at 9:03 AM on October 10

Does anyone hold a pencil between their index and middle finger? The thumb and other fingers come together as usual, but the implement resting between the middle and the index finger leads to less effort in writing. (There is more surface area if the implement is gripped between the index and middle finger.)

Old paintings of the beginning of the country sometimes show that the signers held their quills between index and middle fingers.

If I talk to people with carpal tunnel or arthritis problems, or other hand problems, I sometimes suggest this as a method and demonstrate it to them. Often the people try it and say they like and will use it.

Particularly good at relieving discomfort in the thumb and also good for lengthy writing or writing on duplicate or triplicate forms.

One simple drawback -- it's easier to pick up a pencil with the thumb-index finger pincer grasp and with that motion, it's easier to seat the pencil in the usual position, between thumb and index finger.

Most of the time I write the usual way, but if I have been at it for a while, then I will use the index-middle finger grasp.

Does anyone else write this way?

Yours,

Kalepa
posted by Kalepa at 11:56 AM on October 10