Can you read your own handwriting?
A little bit of insight on how to unravel your own scribbles. And some valuable lessons on the impact it can have on your writing if you close down your laptop a bit more frequently.
If you have no time reading this post, you can now also listen to it. Even better follow the two weekly Substack reads on Spotify!
Before you continue reading though, here is a little exercise for you:
Take a piece of paper and a pen. Put on your timer for five minutes and write down everything that comes in your mind about your favorite cake.
So, how was that? If you have become that all time computer user, maybe you have a cramp in your hand. Maybe you have a hard time reading it back. Maybe it has given you some insights.. I am curious, let me know!
Since I have a limited capacity to sit longer than 20 minutes pain free , I had to find another way to keep writing anyway. Maybe the best example of this is when I was hitting the age of 50 last fall. A week before the big day, I went for a walk in a nearby park. As I looked at the beautiful colors of the fallen leaves and ducks fighting over a piece of bread, ideas started to float through my mind. I stopped to write them down in a little notebook that I always carry with me. When I got home I let it rest. The next day I took out my notebook and looked at my handwriting. ‘Is that an n or a v?!’ I asked myself. It was not the first time it happened to me. Trying to unravel my own handwriting word by word. Soon I realized, I need to find a strategy that would be less time consuming.
Month’s later I heard a like minded creative writer say that the reason for her to write on a computer is TO SAFE TIME. Does this sound familiar to you? You just type out your piece, save it (!) and then correct it any given moment later. That is something, I believe, we can all relate to. I am also guilty of having spent many years of my scarce lifespan, sitting behind a computer screen.
It ended up wrecking my back by doing my job too well for nearly twenty years. Sad to know it happened while participating in making the Netherlands become European champion by sitting too many hours a day. The record stands on an average of 8,5 hours a day!
Since I started writing this Substack about my journey to find back my writing style, almost one year ago, I learnt one big lesson.
I am convinced that spending years staring at a computer screen, certainly contributed to losing my personal writing style.
Going back to unraveling my scribbles. Over time I learnt that when I write at a slower pace on paper, my thinking slows down as well. Subsequently my handwriting is better to read! I consider every word, shaping it into a sentence.
Why take the time to write with a pen?
I spent one morning on a couch in a university study hall in Helsinki. A friend who invited me was suffering behind her laptop. She just could not get any word down and cried out:
´My brain is going ADHD, it is going from one thought to another!´
I smiled at her while I put down my pen. Then I suggested she put down her phone and laptop, take a pen and piece of paper. She did. It was an amazing moment to witness that in minutes a restless face changed into a peaceful one. No medication needed..
Research shows that brain activity patterns are more active when you have used a pen to write. The increased connectivity is crucial for your memory formation and your ability to understand and take in new information. If you want to find out more here´s a link to a short video that gives a more in depth explanation.
How did I write this week´s Substack newsletter?
It all started while I was actually cooking. I stopped, washed my hands, took my notebook and started writing. The rest of the evening the subject simmered in my thoughts. Before putting off the light to go to sleep, I noted down two last sentences. Spread over three days I got it ready to send it to your mailbox.
In the process I altered what I originally had written on paper. Is that wrong? Of course not! It is just all adding up to the writing process!
As I have this challenge of sitting pain free I had to find a middle way of handwriting and typing. I came across a voice recording app that transfers speaking into text. I use the voice recording function as well. Like today! However there are some challenges when using this. You end up correcting the text anyway. Why is that? Because there is such a thing as spoken and written language.
If you want to find out more on this subject go to my Substack home page there you’ll find Pillar three on finding back your writing style.
Just to give you a little hint: If you read back some of the text messages you sent, you most likely used spoken language. But, you don't get to see the face of the person reading your message. That is when misunderstanding begins. You don't get to correct yourself on the spot. Instead a small thing can turn into a huge argument.
Whatever you choose. Do what suits you.
But don't get stuck in it. Trust me, you don't want to make the same mistake I made and let a life event force me to change the way I write.
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Have a good day!