Q&A for How to Write Neatly

Write slowly and carefully. Don't put too much pressure on the pen or pencil. Concentrate and keep practicing.

Pace your writing instead of writing so quickly. Then practice doing fast, neater writing often, to improve. However, respect the fact that fast writing is never going to be as neat as slower writing -- just aim to make it legible.

Don't write too quickly and don't put too much pressure on the pen/pencil. Use a warm-up page to get your hand going.

The important thing is to be consistent. Even 10 minutes a day will help, as long as you do it every day. Apply what you've learned about penmanship in everyday activities, and be mindful of what you write, even if it's just filling a form. Gradually, good penmanship will come naturally to you.

It's all about practice. If you want your handwriting to be consistent, you have to practice writing sentences and paragraphs. Try using different grips and different pens. If your handwriting gets dirty during exams, don't worry about it; there's no point wasting time on an exam because you want your writing to be neat.

Write as you normally would, but keep your hand closer to the paper; this usually means gripping the pen or pencil closer to the tip. Also, keep your strokes shorter while writing. Lastly, try to write with a very fine-tipped pen or well-sharpened pencil.

To start with a good handwriting, use a gel pen. Gel pens are smooth and provide a good grip. As the ink is dark in color, it gives an good precision over writing. You can use waterproof gel pens, as sometimes the gel pen ink blots or smears on the page. After learning to write neatly with a gel pen, then try ball pen and compare your writing and select which pen suits you the best.

Yes. They apply to other languages as well.

Blue is considered to be standard but black is also appropriate. Other colors can be used if allowed. The neatness won't be affected by the color so much as the quality of the ink and some colored inks are less easy to handle than the well refined blues and blacks.

Your handwriting will be very shaky; just use a stress ball to control your stress and write slowly.

Slow down. Even if it's difficult, writing slow will improve your handwriting. Once you can write neatly at a slower pace, then you can build up speed.

The pen to use would vary based on the size of the pen tip (0.38mm,0.5mm,0.7mm). Different pen tips will give you different results. Try to experiment all pen types and their inks and you'll come up with one or two that work best for you. Realize that this can change over time, so always be prepared to try new pens, especially if the pen you love gets discontinued.

Keep your book or paper at a slight angle and then just write normally.

I would try experimenting with different styles of individual letters and seeing what you like best. Go slowly at first, too, because once you do it over and over again, you'll naturally go faster. Changing any habit just takes effort and practice. The more you work at changing your handwriting, the better it will be.

You need to join the letters in cursive, but not in normal handwriting.

One way is to use dotted line letters and have the child trace over them. Encourage them by giving awards, like candy or a trip to the park.

It really depends on what you find comfortable. I like using a pencil finger grip on my pen, so I can hold on to my pen with more stability. Try out different pens and see what you like best.

It depends. If you are good at writing cursive you can write faster than with printing. Cursive can be faster because everything is connected and you don't have to write each letter side by side. But in order to write quickly with cursive, you have to be good at it. Printing is easier, but if you take the time to learn cursive you can write faster.

Stretch your hands before writing, and do not put too much pressure on the pen. Hold it loosely. If this doesn't help, talk to your doctor to rule out any potential medical cause, like arthritis.

You rest your pen/pencil on the side of your thumb, add your index finger on top and your middle finger on the opposite side of your thumb.

It's all about practice. Keep practicing until you're able to write the letter in a neat, presentable way.

Write and erase softly so that you don't wrinkle or tear the pages. Try to avoid getting your notebook wet or dirty, and don't eat or drink when you're writing in it.

Alternate between sides, according to which side of the page you've already written on, and which side is empty. This shouldn't be a difficult and polar hand-angling -- just comfortably shift and lift your hand slightly to the opposite direction of the fresh ink and there should be little to no smudging.

It's a matter of opinion, but I think a ballpoint pen is better. Gel pens are sometimes too thick, and they tend to bleed.

Do as your teacher asks, and continue trying to improve, but keep in mind that hers is just one person's opinion. If you want to get bonus points with your teacher, ask her if she has any handwriting tips for you.

Just try to stay inside the line. Use a wide rule if your letters are big and small, so there and more spaces for you to write.

You could try just writing the most important parts of whatever you're working on. Another option would be to practice your cursive -- it's usually faster than print once you get the hang of it, allowing you to write quickly while still having neat handwriting.

Not at all. You can improve your handwriting at anytime, as long as you're willing to put in the time and effort.

It depends on personal preference. Keep trying different pens until you find one that you're comfortable with.

Practice, practice and practice! Get some lined paper and write from there.