Are you a Slow Writer? – Write Faster and Neater in 6 Simple Steps

Do you want to learn how to write faster and neater?

Imagine what it would be like to have words flowing effortlessly from your pen that are beautifully scripted and easy to read.

I know the feeling the faster I wrote, the worse my handwriting got to where it was barely legible. Something had to be done, but where to start.

After extensive research, I found the solution of how to write faster and better. If you follow the 6 steps, then you will also be able to.

1. Why Do You Want to Write Faster and Neater?

Are you a slow writer whose handwriting resembles a spider crawling over the page after treading in an inkblot?

Maybe you are ashamed of your writing or can’t keep up in the classroom because as you write faster your handwriting becomes more illegible.

If this rings any bells don’t worry you are not alone and we can fix it so that your writing is quicker and neater.

First address why do you want to write faster and neater?

Improving your writing is a skill that will take time and practice to master. You need to keep motivated until you have fast, neat handwriting.

In a similar way, someone who is overweight needs to find their reasons for wanting to lose weight. This keeps them motivated and stick to the diet plan.

Studies show that having a powerful reason helps to achieve goals. By setting a goal it guides your focus, triggering new behaviors sustaining motivation.

Remember, motivation starts within. Find it, keep it, and make it work for you.

2. Are You Using The Right Pen?

Is your pen suitable for fast handwriting? The best pens have smooth writing ink with low friction between the pen’s tip and the paper’s surface.

Pen Writing Speed Comparison
Figure 1

Figure 1 shows rollerball and fountain pens are the fastest to write with but they also have the wettest ink. This makes them more prone to smudging; therefore a gel pen is a better option.

Check out our guides, Speed Writing Essentials: How to Choose The Perfect Pen and The 3 Best Pens For Fast Handwriting where we covered this in a lot more depth and recommend three inexpensive pens.

3. It’s all about the Grip

There are many articles on the web showing you “How to Write Faster” stressing the importance of a tripod grip.

This is totally wrong the American Journal of Occupational Therapy carried out a study into the Effect of Pencil Grasp on The Speed and Legibility of Handwriting in Children.

They concluded that

“Pencil grasp patterns did not influence handwriting speed or legibility in this sample of typically developing children. This finding adds to the mounting body of evidence that alternative grasps may be acceptable for fast and legible handwriting.”

The best grip is the one that you are most comfortable with.

4. Find Your Style

A Cursive style of writing is the fastest but takes practice to make it neater. This may not suit everyone however there are a couple of other options.

YOU MAY FIND IT QUICKER AND EASIER TO WRITE NEATLY IN ALL CAPS.

Or maybe writing in lower case is faster for you

It’s worth practicing both these methods to see which suits you best if you don’t have the time and patience to master cursive writing.

Bonus Tip

If you are considering practicing writing in lower case, copy and paste several brief paragraphs of interesting or motivational text into a word document.

Select all the text Windows users then press CTRL and A then change the font to Comic Sans Ms and print it out.

Next trace over the letters with a pen it is a proven strategy to learn a style of writing quicker than mindlessly copying out written text hundreds of times.

Occupational therapists widely use comic Sans to teach children suffering from dyslexia how to write as letters can appear less crowded.

5. First Steps to Improving Speed & Neatness

Here’s the kicker: it takes practice if you want to reach your goal of becoming a faster writer with neat and clear handwriting.

Gary Player, a famous golfer, once said “The Harder I Practice The Luckier I Get.”

The same is true for writing.

First concentrate on neatness and the speed will come with plenty of practice.

6. Turbo-Charge Your Handwriting

What’s the magic formula that will turbo-charge your handwriting enabling you to write faster and neater?

I prefer to learn in a structured format.

It helps me to focus on nailing it down and then moving on to the next part.

If you are the same as me, don’t worry.

There are two excellent books that teach a quick and neat italic style of writing.

Write Now: The Complete Programme For Better Handwriting.

Write Now Programme For Better Handwriting

Buy on Amazon

Write Now the Complete Programme For Better Handwriting written by Babara Getty and Inga Dubay.

They designed it as a self-instructional course in basic and cursive italic handwriting.

In the book, the authors state that:

 “Italic provides both the young person & the adult with letterforms that are highly suited to a rapid, legible handwriting.”

Its Amazon reviews are very positive which is hardly surprising as both authors are former professors.

Barbara Getty, B.A., M.A.T., was an adjunct professor at Portland Community College where she taught calligraphy and handwriting from 1969 to 1999.

Inga Dubay, B.A., was an adjunct professor at Oregon, College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon where she taught calligraphy for 25 years, and handwriting in public and private schools for thirteen years.

The Handwriting Repair Guide

The Handwriting Repair Guide

The Handwriting Repair Guide The Italic Approach by Gunnlaugur SE Briem. has easy-to-follow guidance on how to write in Italic and includes all the printable worksheets you need to practice with.

Best of all, it’s free

Simply Click Here to download with patience and practice it will amaze you at what you can achieve.

Gunnlaugur SE Briem’s introduction starts with “The faster you write, the worse it looks. The simplest way to make it better is to slow down.”

So why am I recommending a book with this introduction?

Cursive and italic writing is the fastest way to write, and this book makes it really easy to learn italic writing.

In the book, Briem says that:

“Most people can learn the movement for italic in twenty minutes. Then you add recognition points.”

And in his summary.

“Once you know what you’re doing, you can pick up speed.”

7. Summary

To sum up, find what motivates you, then choose the right pen. Don’t worry about how you hold the pen comfort is more important.

Next, choose which style of writing works best for you, then practice makes perfect as they say. Finally, following a course will make it easier to reach your goal of becoming a fast writer with neat handwriting.

Check out Write Now: The Complete Programme For Better Handwriting. Or download the free book The Handwriting Repair Guide The Italic Approach and follow the simple tutorials.

Do you want to learn how to write faster and neater? 

The choice is yours.

References

AJOT

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Peter Warrior: Pen & Pencil Expert

With nearly a decade of experience in the pen industry, I successfully ran an online pen business for 9 years. My deep-rooted passion for pens and pencils led me to become a part-time blogger, where I've dedicated myself to sharing the wealth of knowledge I've amassed over the years. I'm a firm believer in the power of the written word, as echoed by Malcolm Forbes: "Putting pen to paper lights more fire than matches ever will." My expertise is not just rooted in business, but in the genuine appreciation and understanding of the art of writing instruments.

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