What type of writer are you?

By Chris Dunmire

With the growing popularity of digital mediums (of the fingery kind) — computers, Blackberry's iPhones and text messengers handing the typing and instant sending off of e-mail and other communications, I've found my passion for handwriting anything with a traditional stylus has waned in the last decade. Writing with a pen or pencil has become a chore that I reserve it strictly for light note-taking, doodling, and jotting down my grocery list. Oh, and I also employ it for the occasional greeting card that deserves a personal touch along with the envelope it needs to be whisked away in.

For me, writing anything of length by hand is tiring and writer's cramp usually meets me halfway. Still, even with the ease of typing, some prefer to write the old-fashioned way. That's perfectly fine, really. In fact, I think these people should continue this practice if they enjoy it AND especially if they have unique or beautiful handwriting. To let such a decorative and artful means of expression fall by the wayside in exchange for efficiency would be a shame.

Hi Mom!

One person I love with beautiful handwriting is my Mother (now referred to as "Mom"). Mom is left-handed and writes with her wrist arched and knuckles towards her. It almost appears like she's writing upside down and backwards, but the result of her technique is beautiful penmanship. It's truly one of a kind, as you can see in these samples. I've always loved my Mom's writing style.

I still remember watching Mom write out checks in line at the grocery store when I was a kid. I would stand beside her, mesmerized at eye-level watching her gracefully fill out each line with flowing letters that connected into artful words. It was a ritual that always ended the same — her signing her name on the signature line: first name, middle initial period, last name. I bet she's signed her name tens of thousands of times over the years, each one looking exactly the same.

It's funny that being left-handed is often joked about today. But it sure wasn't a joke when Mom was growing up. She's told me stories about her elementary school teachers trying to force her to write with her right hand. When she was caught writing left-handed, she'd get her hand smacked with a ruler. Can you imagine the response that behavior would get today? (The teachers, not Mom's.)

Despite the stinging discouragement, I'm thankful that Mom kept writing with her left hand. She asserted her individuality by not conforming to a silly standard, and has developed a unique and creative part of herself. And she's since shared that beautiful part of herself with the rest of us.

Explore more beautiful handwriting, font, and type design creativity:

Want to turn your handwriting into a font?
Try Fontifier, and online tool that wizards you through the process of turning your hand-written letters into a font to install on your computer from start to finish (read my review).

Want to learn more about the intricacies of type?
Explore graphic design's typography and be creative with my Type's Nonverbal Meaning project and TypARTgraphy.

Want more types of beauty?
If it's beautiful cursive and script handwriting you're still after, don't miss these how to learn calligraphy resources. You too, can write beautifully. •

© 2004, 2008 Chris Dunmire. All rights reserved.