Handwriting Challenge

I enjoy writing by hand because I admire my own handwriting, so this tag was perfect for me. I was tagged for it last year by Sara Letourneau and though I’ve considered doing it many times since then, it’s only now that I’ve found the time to sit and write out the answers.

The answers aren’t long, but these days I don’t write by hand as much as I used to. It’s much quicker to type something and either send or print it. I write notes by hand and other short trivial things that quickly come to mind, but otherwise everything is typed, especially if it’s something long. My thoughts race when I’m writing — whether a blog post, or story, or letter, — so it’s best that I type so I can keep up with them. My hands also grow tired less quickly when I type than write if what I’m working on something long.

But I still enjoy writing by hand and will sometimes recopy notes I initially typed by hand (which, I guess, is working backwards) so I can admire my handwriting while committing the notes to memory. I remember things better when I write instead of type them, and I see handwriting as a work of art. So yea, I was quite vain while doing this post. I admired myself while writing out my answers and even liked my attempts to cover up the mistakes I made.

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Pondering my Handwriting

Daily Prompt: Pens and Pencils

When was the last time you wrote something substantive — a letter, a story, a journal entry, etc. — by hand? Could you ever imagine returning to a pre-keyboard era?

I fantasize about writing with a pen—never a pencil. Always I would imagine myself sitting by an open window in the summer, inhaling the brine of the ocean down the road from my house (my fantasy house by sea) while writing a short story or a letter to some loved one. It’s a huge window and every now and then a blue jay or sparrow would perch upon its sill and chirrup at me as I write, encouraging me to continue with my thoughts. Whenever I fantasize about writing, it’s always handwriting, not typing.

The physical exertion involved in handwriting makes the act more personal, especially if it’s a letter or a journal entry being written. When I do write with a pen, it’s as if I’m leaving a part of myself on the page along with my thoughts. I think more exertion is required of us when handwriting, which makes the act all the more satisfying when completed. However, since handwriting is more physical, my hands are now out of shape since I do not handwrite often. Now whenever I write with a pen, I can only do so for a few minutes before I have to stop to rest my hand. These days I find it hard to imagine how writers managed to write hundreds of pages for hours by hand back in the day.