I like writing by hand, but why cursive? why not <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_lettering#Freehand_lettering" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_lettering#Freehand_l...</a> ?
Cursive died when we got ballpoint pens, IMHO. I get the author found it easier to do cursive with a fountain/dip pen (I went through a phase where my college notes were also with those kinds of pens, because they were stylish _and_ fun to write with), but cursive quickly devolves into oblique scratches and loops when written at speed (or by doctors, cof cof).<p>I (and my kids, who are teens) independently adopted a fairly standardized “printed” style as soon as we could. Nothing like the amazingly ruler-straight stylish handwriting my father has (having gone through “trade school”, where readability was important, and being a jeweler/diamond cutter, where minutiae in control were appreciated), but at least our handwriting is legible.<p>It could always do with a little more practice, though, and I resort to handwriting when I _really_ want to remember things. Using keyboards (even at speed) might be very much a sign of the times, but memory and retention simply isn’t the same as the multiple associations you form when shaping out words with a pen.<p>Which is why I still wish we had proper digital notebooks and insist on using Apple’s Scribble whenever feasible — even if it’s frustrating, the interstitial thoughs you work through as you write really help with memory (and writing style).
I had a boring class in junior high school where we had to write down everything the teacher said. To make it interesting, I’d translate the teacher’s English to really bad German and then write it in cursive backwards. I can still write backwards cursive without thinking about it much. The thing is, these days, I hardly ever need to write. About the only things I write by hand are the rare check and my signature.
I did this about four years ago. My entire data storage system is now in painstakingly cross-referenced journals instead of Org-Mode.<p>My handwriting is still unpleasant,but I find it helps me retain information by writing it down and slowing down my mind to match the speed of my pen.<p>I predominantly use Italic script but I will write in cursive if I need speed.
I went through similar story arc. Writing on good paper with a good pen is just fun and very practical. Had to relearn cursive as an adult but I’m not looking back. Now I have my own system for notes and tracking things. I don’t miss the txt files.
Can you share more about using a dip pen for cursive? Or what pen you’re using? I always assumed that would be rough given the upward strokes. I do love a dip pen, but it’s definitely a slower mode.
I’ve been intrigued by taking notes on paper often before. Every attempt has failed because of the lack of proper system for organization of my notes. For instance, I have two topics I have to take notes for. Now I have to start planning how much space I have to reserve for the first note. Otherwise I have to continue the note after the second note, which is kind of confusing. Are the handwriting folks among you using a particularly clever organizational system or is this just something you live with and even appreciate?