Thank-you Notes and Terrible Handwriting

[dexterhaven]

I write a lot of thank-you notes. But my handwriting is atrocious. I have tried to improve it, but with little success. Any noticeable improvement would take hours and hours that I simply do not have right now.

So I ask: what should I do? Typing them seems wrong, as does handwriting them in print. My girlfriend used to double as my thank-you note stenographer, but she's out of the picture. Is my only viable option to get a new girlfriend?

 

[macuser3of5]

practice, I did 5000+ as a volunteer once, and my handwriting improved greatly.

Or, get a new girlfriend.

 

[bbaquiran]

+1. Practice. I've been going low-tech for a couple of months, writing notes on paper instead of keying things into my Treo. My handwriting has gotten nicer and I can write much faster now.

When I was a kid, we had handwriting classes where we would fill a page of our notebook with a single letter. I think a couple of minutes (or pages) a day doing this kind of handwriting drill would work wonders.

(But then again I would also practice my scales on guitar for 2-4 hours straight...)

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by bbaquiran

(But then again I would also practice my scales on guitar for 2-4 hours straight...)

Yep--- right here. As mundane as it is practicing scales for that long, it's what you've got to do if you want to be able to do it without thinking about it. I'd imagine the same has got to be true witht he OP's handwriting.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by dexterhaven

...But my handwriting is atrocious...
Atrocious as in "unreadable" or otherwise?

There is nothing so gracious as a hand-penned note; memorable, personal and obviously heartfelt.

 

[Augusto86]

I don't see what's wrong with hand-writing in print. Half the people alive today never even learned how to write in cursive.

 

[Enzo]

Do they even teach kids cursive in elementary schools anymore? I've never heard of this from my younger cousins.

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

There is nothing so gracious as a hand-penned note; memorable, personal and obviously heartfelt.
I think this is a phenomenon that's going to die after the baby boomers bite the dust. Most people I know who are in their late teens or 20's don't really give a **** about handwritten notes. It's just you old folks Rube.

 

[kwilkinson]

^^It may just be an anachronism, but I enjoy sending and receiving hand-written letters. IMO, there is generally much more care placed in wording and syntax. It isn't sloppily thrown together like an email, text, or messageboard post. I appreciate the amount of time the person took to write out and the care they placed in sending it.

Hell, for Valentine's Day last year, pretty much all I did was write Lish a letter, and she ate it up. I think it shows a certain amount of caring that one would take the time and energy to write a note rather than something quicker and less personal.

 

[Willsw]

Most of my communication is done through hand-written letters, they are much better, I think, and rarely do I have something so important to say that cannot wait a few days. Kwilkinson should send me a letter.

Though I occasionally write in script to practice, the majority are printed. Write whichever way has become your natural hand; as Conne so eloquently hinted, the hand-written is more important than whether it's perfect Spencerian.

 

[LabelKing]

A typewritten note might be charming.

 

[Huntsman]

I'm pleased to see so many (even if it is comparatively few) people here who still write letters. I do so and love it; many recipients have told me they will keep them forever -- how often have you heard that about emails? (though I admit I did get that once).

When it really matters to me, I use my own stationary and write with a dip pen -- the ink you get on your hands is an allegory for how involved you are in the process. The time you put in and the mistakes and imperfectness make it all the more sincere and human, even if, as I do, you pre-write everything in a word processor (I can commonly spend 4-7 hours on a letter, and have spend 12 on several occasions).

It comes down to the difference between sending words and sending a larger piece of yourself.

LK, I did correspond with an older lady who always typed her replies to me, always with an apology that her hands were too unsteady to write me. It did have its own character that I enjoyed.

OP, so long as its readable to most, just continue as you are. Perhaps slowly try to improve as you write them, but the act is more important than perfection in execution.


~ Huntsman

 

[Joffrey]

Originally Posted by dexterhaven

I write a lot of thank-you notes. But my handwriting is atrocious. I have tried to improve it, but with little success. Any noticeable improvement would take hours and hours that I simply do not have right now.

So I ask: what should I do? Typing them seems wrong, as does handwriting them in print. My girlfriend used to double as my thank-you note stenographer, but she's out of the picture. Is my only viable option to get a new girlfriend?

You need a better pen. I've found that the pen I used greatly affects my handwriting. The pen doesn't have to be expensive just find something you feel pretty comfortable with, slow down your writing and try to control how you put down the ink.

Or type the thank you notes.

 

[Willsw]

Huntsman, what does your stationary look like? I was just using half-sheets of agreeable paper and A-2 envelopes, now I've inherited a stack of my grandfather's stationary which is a simple off-white with two embossed gold borders, these fit in A-7 envelopes. I haven't seen much stationary not related to profession, and would like to know a bit more before having my own printed.

I pre-write less and less the more I've corresponded with someone, though introductions and thank yous have taken a few hours to compose.

 

[Willsw]

(forgive my double post)

Originally Posted by Jodum5

You need a better pen. I've found that the pen I used greatly affects my handwriting. The pen doesn't have to be expensive just find something you feel pretty comfortable with, slow down your writing and try to control how you put down the ink.

This is very true. Until my sophomore year of college I had writing even I couldn't read five minutes later and a clawlike grip (like a left-handed overwriter's grip...as a right-hander). Once I started really using fountain pens and stopped needing pressure to make marks, I easily adopted the traditional grip and my legibility improved greatly. Even a switch to a gel or roller from a ballpoint would probably make a difference.