I so wanted to have legible handwriting that I took a couple architecture classes sophomore year because architect’s write the coolest. Many notebooks were sacrificed. But it didn’t stick, so now I write in this awful combination of small caps and cursive that’s truly terrible.
As a young RN, I once had a neurologist with famously awful handwriting ask me to read his last note on a chart because he couldn’t remember what he wrote. I did. My reward was a trip to the hospital canteen, where he bought me a Coke and we chatted. Still one of my favorite doctors, 55+ years later!
Half the time, they have no clue what they've written. Several of my coworkers will come to me to read an order we've received from a provider. 😂🤣😆 Sometimes, it's like navigating a maze, but most times, I can figure it out.
One fun story. Had a former law partner who was notorious for bad handwriting. Even this person‘s secretary, couldn’t read it half the time. We all described it as abstract impressionism 😀
My mom once took me to a calligraphy class when I was around 10 to try to "fix" my handwriting, but I guess that summer was a waste of time in the end xD
Now I torture myself by reading students' handwritten papers every day ...
Thanks for bringing this up! I was a teacher for over 20 years, and if I tried, I showed great handwriting with the students. But now I have a super annoying essential tremor in my writing hand that’s gotten worse since COVID. So I use voice to text half the time. I still like writing as it helps me process, understand and remember things better. I’ve been thinking of getting a tablet just this week, and want to try scanning my notes with Evernote. I’m hoping it can read my handwriting, and maybe even convert it to text?!
I guess I can read yours after all of the time spent trying to decipher my own atrocious handwriting 😂. As a kid I was told I had great penmanship but trying to take notes and write thoughts or ideas quickly clearly ruined mine as well. But I grew up in the same era and still love drawing in notebooks. While I do like doing more finished work in the iPad it is just not the same for throwing ideas as having it on paper in a notebook. So much comfort there for me.
One of the benefits of having awful handwriting is being able to decipher other “bad” handwriting - yours was easy-peasy! My mother was brought up in Catholic school and laments how terrible her once perfect cursive has become and she has excellent handwriting. My dad (RIP), my brother and I drove my mother nuts. I am a female engineer and in grad school had a fellow student (male) tell me that my handwriting was terrible for a girl. Which when I look back is so terribly sexist but also sorta cute - (it was the late nineties) - seriously, that’s the best you can do to insult me? I just own it! I also write with fountain pens - which slows me down a tad and makes it not so truly bad - sometimes.
Wow!! It’s so amazing to hear that so many people have stories about their handwriting. And the type of pen that you dip before you write? That’s really interesting.
Often, being legible is difficult. I do better with journalling if I try to keep to the classical cursive that I learned long ago in Year 3, in the 1970s. Somehow that becomes more like what you describe as "drawing" letters; it's a conscious formation. - but then, of course, there are fewer neurons and synapses available for actual thinking... sigh.
I have such horrible handwriting. My parents always complained about it and I will have trouble reading my own notes so I have to use print instead of cursive. But the real kicker was when I was in a workshop at my day job, we had a segment where we could ask questions anonymously by writing them down. They got to mine and the lady said "oh what may handwriting, this is probably from a man!" 😭
I never could write fast enough to keep up with my brain. I use very scribbly cursive and developed my own shorthand in college when all we had was paper and pen note taking. That helped but I’ve always been better composing at the keyboard.
I could read your handwriting, although my brain is wired to flick back and decipher the occasional word by context. I am good at editing. My husband’s handwriting is sketchy. If he knows it is me who will get his writing, he often gets the first two or so letters, then a squiggly line and the last letter. Recently he had to write out a check for an elderly neighbor to sign. The handwriting was clear as a bell. Now I am on to him! I see handwriting as a genetic trait. My dad, brother, and our son have nearly interchangeable writing, all interesting, to say the least. Mine is almost identical to my mom’s……very nice. As I age, my writing is changing. I find that amusing. I once had a convo with my boss, a HS Supt/Princ with totally illegible writing. He loved writing notes. No recipients could read them. I told him the purpose of writing was so others could read what he had to say and perhaps he should just type. This was way before tablets, fancy phones, etc. He had great messages that nobody could read.
Like you, my handwriting has trouble keeping up with my brain. Luckily, I type far faster than I write, so if I need to get a bunch of thoughts down all at once, typing is my go-to. Too bad I didn't have that option back when I was in school!
I have to slow way down and print carefully if I'm going to handwrite something legible to others. My journal, however, is messy cursive that I may or may not be able to decipher later. No one else can, that's for certain. Same goes for live note-taking. Anything important has to be typed up immediately or else risk being lost in the scrawl.
I can relate as a teacher from 1975-94. I have joked I failed chalkboard at teachers' college. I used an overhead projector and pre-drew stuff on those transparent sheets at home. I campaigned for a whiteboard in my classroom where I taught introductory IT lessons, LOGO, BASIC etc. I said it was to keep chalk dust out of the Apple II computers. But it was really about me. 😜
I so wanted to have legible handwriting that I took a couple architecture classes sophomore year because architect’s write the coolest. Many notebooks were sacrificed. But it didn’t stick, so now I write in this awful combination of small caps and cursive that’s truly terrible.
Is there any hope for us??
I read & transcribe orders written by medical providers A L L D A Y L O N G. Your handwriting is stellar in comparison. 🤣😂😆
I guess it’s all relative!
As a young RN, I once had a neurologist with famously awful handwriting ask me to read his last note on a chart because he couldn’t remember what he wrote. I did. My reward was a trip to the hospital canteen, where he bought me a Coke and we chatted. Still one of my favorite doctors, 55+ years later!
Aww what a story. And no pressure!
Half the time, they have no clue what they've written. Several of my coworkers will come to me to read an order we've received from a provider. 😂🤣😆 Sometimes, it's like navigating a maze, but most times, I can figure it out.
I once read an illegible note upside-down after 3 others couldn’t figure it out!
One fun story. Had a former law partner who was notorious for bad handwriting. Even this person‘s secretary, couldn’t read it half the time. We all described it as abstract impressionism 😀
Hahah I love that
😂🤣😆
My mom once took me to a calligraphy class when I was around 10 to try to "fix" my handwriting, but I guess that summer was a waste of time in the end xD
Now I torture myself by reading students' handwritten papers every day ...
How old are your students? Mine are in kindergarten!!!
My students are high school seniors & uni freshmen; at that point they don't care much about handwriting anymore 😅
Thanks for bringing this up! I was a teacher for over 20 years, and if I tried, I showed great handwriting with the students. But now I have a super annoying essential tremor in my writing hand that’s gotten worse since COVID. So I use voice to text half the time. I still like writing as it helps me process, understand and remember things better. I’ve been thinking of getting a tablet just this week, and want to try scanning my notes with Evernote. I’m hoping it can read my handwriting, and maybe even convert it to text?!
My pleasure. Thank you for reading and sharing your story. Let us know if the tablet and Evernote help.
i love drawing letters and words, but not writing pictures.
Now that would be something
I guess I can read yours after all of the time spent trying to decipher my own atrocious handwriting 😂. As a kid I was told I had great penmanship but trying to take notes and write thoughts or ideas quickly clearly ruined mine as well. But I grew up in the same era and still love drawing in notebooks. While I do like doing more finished work in the iPad it is just not the same for throwing ideas as having it on paper in a notebook. So much comfort there for me.
One of the benefits of having awful handwriting is being able to decipher other “bad” handwriting - yours was easy-peasy! My mother was brought up in Catholic school and laments how terrible her once perfect cursive has become and she has excellent handwriting. My dad (RIP), my brother and I drove my mother nuts. I am a female engineer and in grad school had a fellow student (male) tell me that my handwriting was terrible for a girl. Which when I look back is so terribly sexist but also sorta cute - (it was the late nineties) - seriously, that’s the best you can do to insult me? I just own it! I also write with fountain pens - which slows me down a tad and makes it not so truly bad - sometimes.
Wow!! It’s so amazing to hear that so many people have stories about their handwriting. And the type of pen that you dip before you write? That’s really interesting.
I am a pelikan fountain pen person - no dipping (although that sounds fun) - embedded ink cartridge. Plus a joy to write with and easy on the hands.
This technology is amazing. Don’t know if I’d trust the security of their cloud, but you should try it and see how it works for you. https://inq.shop/
I do try to keep up a morning writing thing..
Often, being legible is difficult. I do better with journalling if I try to keep to the classical cursive that I learned long ago in Year 3, in the 1970s. Somehow that becomes more like what you describe as "drawing" letters; it's a conscious formation. - but then, of course, there are fewer neurons and synapses available for actual thinking... sigh.
I could read all your writing. 🙂
I have such horrible handwriting. My parents always complained about it and I will have trouble reading my own notes so I have to use print instead of cursive. But the real kicker was when I was in a workshop at my day job, we had a segment where we could ask questions anonymously by writing them down. They got to mine and the lady said "oh what may handwriting, this is probably from a man!" 😭
I was always scared about anonymous handwritten feedback in grad school - that they’d know it was me. I never treated it as anonymous.
I never could write fast enough to keep up with my brain. I use very scribbly cursive and developed my own shorthand in college when all we had was paper and pen note taking. That helped but I’ve always been better composing at the keyboard.
Same. When I typed later on in college, I was able to get almost word for word what the professor said but absorbed none of it.
I typed notes during law school. But classes there were different. I did pen and paper all through undergrad.
I doodled ALL grad school
I could read your handwriting, although my brain is wired to flick back and decipher the occasional word by context. I am good at editing. My husband’s handwriting is sketchy. If he knows it is me who will get his writing, he often gets the first two or so letters, then a squiggly line and the last letter. Recently he had to write out a check for an elderly neighbor to sign. The handwriting was clear as a bell. Now I am on to him! I see handwriting as a genetic trait. My dad, brother, and our son have nearly interchangeable writing, all interesting, to say the least. Mine is almost identical to my mom’s……very nice. As I age, my writing is changing. I find that amusing. I once had a convo with my boss, a HS Supt/Princ with totally illegible writing. He loved writing notes. No recipients could read them. I told him the purpose of writing was so others could read what he had to say and perhaps he should just type. This was way before tablets, fancy phones, etc. He had great messages that nobody could read.
Like you, my handwriting has trouble keeping up with my brain. Luckily, I type far faster than I write, so if I need to get a bunch of thoughts down all at once, typing is my go-to. Too bad I didn't have that option back when I was in school!
I have to slow way down and print carefully if I'm going to handwrite something legible to others. My journal, however, is messy cursive that I may or may not be able to decipher later. No one else can, that's for certain. Same goes for live note-taking. Anything important has to be typed up immediately or else risk being lost in the scrawl.
I can relate as a teacher from 1975-94. I have joked I failed chalkboard at teachers' college. I used an overhead projector and pre-drew stuff on those transparent sheets at home. I campaigned for a whiteboard in my classroom where I taught introductory IT lessons, LOGO, BASIC etc. I said it was to keep chalk dust out of the Apple II computers. But it was really about me. 😜
I was able to read your handwriting. Not really that bad.