On penmanship
The power of a handwritten note
Approx. 850 words; four minutes read time.
For my generation and before, we learned to write by printing, often in kindergarten. Once mastered, we moved on to cursive and steadily improved with age. Most kids back then had a firm grasp on it well before junior high.
But that was over 30 years ago.
Today, the art of handwriting - penmanship - is disappearing in favor of computer-based inputs. Kids still learn to handwrite, but its value is questionable in this digital age. We are writing to each other more than we ever did before, but we use a keyboard or touch screen, not pen and ink.
The skill it takes to hand draft a good note is fading into a sea of binary code.
Last week, my mom sent my son a gorgeously written letter. She has always written beautifully, as far back as I can remember. She taught me to appreciate good handwriting. And now she is passing it on to her grandson.
The content of her letter was as thoughtful and loving as you'd expect. But it was how she wrote it that impressed me. She drafted not one but two letters - one in cursive and an identical message in print text. The same words were on the same lines in both, right down to each line break. Each was beautifully crafted.
My mom has immaculate handwriting.
She wrote the two letters to help my seven-year-old learn to read cursive, much like she did for me when I was his age. She was also showing us how much she loved us.
That’s the magic of a thoughtfully handwritten letter.
As I “pen” this story, I am doing it like most anyone who writes today does - not using an actual pen, but rather, banging it out on a keyboard.
It's hard for me not to use a computer. Autocorrect, spell check, grammar check, and formatting options are all too helpful. My penmanship has suffered immeasurably from lack of use. And while I've tried to pick it back up, I've had little success. My once decent script, a skill passed down from Mom, is now a jumble of scribbles.
Computers are not the only reason my handwriting sucks. Back in my freshman year of college, I started using block lettering. I learned it in an engineering drafting course and thought it looked cool. The order and symmetry it brought to writing was compelling, so I stuck with it.
Over time, my handwriting exclusively went to this style. I forced myself to change, and it became second nature in short order. Now it seems I can't go back.
I am capable with my hands overall, so it feels odd to be so clumsy with handwriting. I make and sketch, and can do technical things like scientific illustration. And I still do the block text well, when I try. So why not cursive?
Reading Mom's letters reminds me that I want to handwrite well again. When I started Science-Fiction-Create, I printed up some correspondence stock with this intention. I was going to handwrite letters to all those who inspired and helped me. And while I’ve started a few, I never sent them. I was too disappointed in my penmanship. But I still aspire to do so and seeing my mom's fantastic effort reminds me that I should try again.
As for the fate of handwriting in general, I hold out hope that it will persist. It would be a shame if future generations lost this skill entirely. What else would be lost in the process?
Wordsmithing is about telling stories in compelling ways, regardless of how the words are written. But handwriting adds a dimension that transcends words alone. It's an art when done well, and hidden meaning abounds in an expertly handwritten message.
My mom's letter is an ideal example of the beauty and meaning in handwriting. While she could have easily written the same message via email, she chose to write it by hand, seal it in an envelope, and mail it across the country. When it arrived, it was a surprise, and my son was ecstatic. The letter made him feel special and he knew that his “Gran” had made it just for him.
You can’t type feelings like that.
Well-done handwriting is an art. And those who take the time to do it share more than just words. They share love with every beautifully crafted letter.
Until next time. Science. Fiction. Create.
JRC
Pop. ❤️
❤️Mom