Task #4 handwritten story
I often write by hand when I am taking notes, however I do not often cursive write so I found that quite challenging. Also, usually when I am taking notes they are for my own reference so I do not have to worry about how legible my writing is or if there are any mistakes. I also found it challenging to decipher how many words I had written on paper as I have become accustomed to glancing at the bottom of my word document and seeing what my current word count is. This task was also difficult because I was trying to write as fast as the thoughts were coming to mind so I would not forget them, but due to lack of practice with cursive writing, I was taking longer and my hand could not keep up with the thoughts in my head.
When I made a mistake, I would cross out the error and put the correct word on top of the word I had just crossed out. For some words I was able to sneak in the letter that the word was missing. I realized after writing that I did not split up my thoughts with paragraphs, but there is really no way to go back and fix that when you are writing by hand.
A significant difference between writing by hand and using a mechanized form of writing is the ability to correct errors and return to previous thoughts to correct them. While this is possible when you write by hand, the result is not something legible that you can share with others. When I am writing by hand I use arrows to add additional detail to thoughts I feel need more of an explanation, however I would never submit my work to someone in this format and expect them to understand it. This demonstrates how purposeful you need to be when writing by hand as you do not have the luxury of going back and making corrections without confusing the reader. Another significant difference is what I feel while writing. I find I am more passionate when writing by hand and this is why I prefer writing by hand for the development of draft submissions and writing personal notes to reflect on. However, for professional pieces of work that will be read by others I choose to type as it is now the expected form of communication in the professional sphere and the typed information can be shared with far more people in a short amount of time.
I think you and I use handwriting for similar purposes. If I need to take notes in a meeting or am reading an article and want to get my thoughts out, I will write by hand but don’t use cursive writing. I feel less pressure for my writing to “be good” than when I’m typing something up and have the luxury to go back and make corrections.
Hi Allison, When looking at people’s blogs, it seems that the theme of handwriting being a personal practice seems to be recurring. Arrows and corrections and shorthand notes are for our own use and often incorporate our own style. I remember noticing in a previous job, when I would take meeting notes by hand, that my handwriting would sometimes change based on the topic – sometimes it was hurried and full of shorthand, other times it was more tidy and deliberate. You bring up an interesting point when you say that you are “more passionate when writing by hand,” maybe I should consider going back to doing some of my drafts by hand.
I am with you in not ever using cursive, I also find it more difficult to read. I found it very interesting that the original printing press was in cursive style – that had never occurred to me.