Typing vs. writing

[kathryn]

I've always had pretty bad handwriting ("please improve penmanship" notes from grade-school teachers!), but lately, it's getting worse and worse. On the other hand, my typing is getting better (and I'm surprised at how fast I can type now! I think I can type as fast as our secretary. And the other day, when I was in my office typing, someone came in and said "Wow! You're fast!).

I'm thinking there is a link between the two: as I do less and less writing, and more and more typing, those small muscles responsible for the movements in forming letters are getting weaker, while those used for the less-intricate (?) movement of typing are getting stronger.

I am, however, still able to write nicely on the blackboard (actually, better than before, but not nearly as nice as some students who are studying elementary ed/teaching majors: is it a pre-requisite to write well if you are going to teach grade school or high school? And/or a requirement for university profs to write poorly??)

Anybody else writing worse but typing better?

 

[janiejoey]

Yes. I use to win penmanship/cursive contests in grade school. Now I scribble. Half the time I have to try and figure out what I wrote especially my grocery lists. Typing is so much easier now and I do it every single day. If I take time to write, it would be beautiful, but I just don't have the time/luxury anymore. When it's time for cards, I write them, but I still seem to be in such a hurry.

Janie

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The idea is to die young as late as possible.

 

[kathryn]

>Half the time I have to try and
>figure out what I wrote especially my grocery lists.

I know! I hate it when I can't read my own handwriting! I have a tendency to scribble at the end of words. And even if the first few words of a writing are legible, it soon goes downhill after that. Especially bad when I'm writing up rough drafts of book reviews , or notes for a presentation, and I have a hard time deciphering them later.

 

[BAM]

OMG, this is sooooooo me!x( I just can't write or even print well and I too can't always seem to read my own writing. I think we're required to write less and less as everything is done with the computer so we just have become out of practice. I shriek every time I have to write out something.

Bam

 

[Sunshine 1528]

ITA that it is so much faster to type than when I am forced to write I am in a hurry and it is getting messier as the years go by. Sometimes when writing notes these days I crumple them up and start over, writing more slowly just because I am anal and don't like messy writing.

 

[TerryMia]

Kathryn, I was just thinking about this the other day as well! I'm a medical transcriptionist and type 8+hours a day. My handwriting used to be halfway decent, but now it's atrocious! It doesn't feel as if it comes naturally to me anymore...whereas typing does! lol I'm actually embarrassed when I have to sign something!

 

[JeanneMarie]

I agree! The age of typing has made handwriting go by the wayside.

I used to have pretty handwriting and can remember having pen pals when I was young and I wrote long, long letters by hand. Now, everyone is by email and all I do is type. In fact, when I write something out that requires a lot of writing, my fingers get tired and sore.

 

[kathryn]

Maybe we should all buy some of those books with lined paper that we learned writing with as kids and set up a rotation to strenghten out writing muscles, LOL!

Actually, I'm only half kidding, because I do think we're seeing the results of not using those muscles enough.

 

[LeanneM]

I'm discovering the same thing! Now, Kathryn, what happens when you grade your students' papers? I've noticed over the past few years that when I grade, my writing has become sloppier and sloppier.

 

[spyrosmom]

My writing is terrible. I use a mishmash of printing and cursive and tend to run letters together. My boss used to say "write it Jan legible, not Nan legible" The funny thing is, most of the time, I can't read it, either. Especially if it's something I wrote days before. I don't sign my name to anything anymore. I normally just do a big swirl of my initials "ND" unless its a legal document.

Sigh,
Nan

 

[kathryn]

> Now, Kathryn, what happens
>when you grade your students' papers? I've noticed over the
>past few years that when I grade, my writing has become
>sloppier and sloppier.

I try to write legibly, but the operative word is "try"! I sometimes have to rewrite comments (because I realize I can't read them!) or a student will come to me and ask "what does this say?" and it takes me a second to figure out (poor students!).

(In grad school, I was usually able to read even the most difficult-to-read professor's handwriting, and other students would ask me to tell them what the teacher's comments were.)

 

[BAM]

I can't tell you all how much better I feel. I didn't realize that so many were experiencing the same decline in handwritten communication as myself! Ahhhhh, I always love the comfort in numbers thing......no matter what's being comforted. :7

Bam

 

[kathryn]

> I don't sign my name to
>anything anymore.

My signature is pretty much a fairly legible K, followed by some squiggles, then a fairly legible B, followed by more squiggles! I figure if the bank accepts it, that's good enough for me!

(Though the other day, I got a note from one of my students from a chiropractor she had seen--as an excused absence--and the scribbled mess of 'letters' was completely illegible, and the note itself had no identifying info (just a basic "excuse this student for reasons of" and then some boxes to check, but no office info, no Dr. ID!).

 

[janie1234]

I too was just thinking about this. I like to write in a journal. A few weeks ago I decided to write a sort of "story of my life, family history" book for my children to read for when they both get older. Well, I started off hand writing it in a journal until I realized that I thought faster than I could write and I started to forget facts before I could write them down. I switched to my laptop and realized that I was typing at lighting speed but I'm sort of bittersweet about it because I thought it would be more personable if my kids had something in my script handwriting for them to keep. Darn this mordern technology I love it but I realize that it makes me lazy.

 

[kathryn]

> I started off hand writing it
>in a journal until I realized that I thought faster than I
>could write and I started to forget facts before I could write
>them down.

That's part of my problem as well: I want to write as fast as I'm thinking, and I can type almost that fast, but when I try it with writing, ends of words become squiggly lines, and words run together or become illegible.


FYI to all the bad handwriters out there:
I used an Amazon.com $25 certificate to just buy two books on improving handwriting (meant for adults). I'll let you know if they help.

I also came across an interesting book called "Your Handwriting Can Change YOur Life." It's about how by learning to write in a certain way, you can develop characteristics associated with people who write that way (kind of like reverse handwriting analysis).

 

[lainiefig]

I have never had stellar penmanship, but it has definitely gone downhill. I am a heck of a typer, though, so I guess the theory holds true for me. I don't really need to write much except on doctor forms or stuff like that, though. Everything else I might write is on the computer anyway.

In spite of my bad handwriting, I do like to fiddle with calligraphy. I just use fancy calligraphy pens, though, which help make it look pretty with little effort.

[font face="comic sans ms" font color=green]***Lainie***
fitness blog: http://fitnessfig.blogspot.com
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If you want to give God a good laugh, tell Her your plans.[/font]

 

[angie_nrs]

My writing changes with my moods. I know that sounds really weird, but if I'm in a snotty mood, my writing stinks. If I'm in a decent mood my writing is decent. If I'm in a good mood, my writing can be very pretty with extra loop-t-do's and stuff. I guess it just revolves around the amount of effort I put into it which is dependent upon my mood. It's kinda funny though, b/c one day my writing is nice and the next it can be illegible. *lol* Funny how you can tell when PMS hits just by my writing.

BTW, they don't even teach penmanship at my kids' public school anymore. I'm angry about that. They won't get the opportunity to watch their writing skills go down the toilet. Seriously though, I do feel they are being short-changed by not being taught how to write in cursive.

 

[andreasue]

Kathryn,
You've put into words something that I've only been semi-aware of for the past couple of years. My printing (I never got the hang of cursive despite much practice) has really deteriorated over the past several years. I find that I limit my writing as much as possible and type whenever I can (including thank you notes). I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one with this condition!

 

[materialsgirl]

Defintely. My handwriting has been going steadily downhill over the years. But I can type faster than the average secretary/admin asst. I am positive there is a link - like many things, I think handwriting is "use it or lose it".

 

[tneah]

Me too! I used to have really pretty handwriting, and still do if I concentrate on it....but when I have to write, it usually winds up looking liking chicken scratch! However, my typing skills have improved greatly over the years.