ravvale1 wrote:

Hey George. Totally agree with everything you said. While I don’t yet have an arthritic challenge with writing with a pen, I have always had both a legibility problem and at least discomfort, if not pain writing that way. The computer was a kind of liberation, in that now, I could write, communicate and get through 10 years of rabbinical seminary, and years as a chaplain in the USAF.

But it still felt like a lacuna to me. It wasn’t me physically writing. And when I did, even I can’t read it sometimes. Never have that problem with a typewriter, no matter how many typos. As the title of a book about the beatniks says “The Typewriter Is Holy”! Amen!

Hi Steve,
Everything you mentioned about handwriting had been my experience. Then about 4-5 years ago I wanted to change that. It is seriously embarrassing not to be able to read ones own handwriting. The first thing I did after watching a number of videos about improving my writing was to get some fountain pens. I write in cursive and felt that the rolling ball of the pens I was using was like being on roller skates and for me hard to control. The other discovery was to write slower and space the letters just a bit. Before long my handwriting was fully legible and I was having fun doing it. Sadly in the summer of 2021 my letter writing had become painful and a letter would take many hours to write. Re-discovering writing with a typewriter meant no legibility issues and I once again was having fun doing it. Even today one of my penpals can be challenging to read some of it easily. That said, there are few things more wonderful than getting a personal letter in the mail!

George

Welcome back, Diane. It has been a long time!

Glad to have you here, WJC! 

fountainpensplus wrote:

ravvale1 wrote:

Hey George. Totally agree with everything you said. While I don’t yet have an arthritic challenge with writing with a pen, I have always had both a legibility problem and at least discomfort, if not pain writing that way. The computer was a kind of liberation, in that now, I could write, communicate and get through 10 years of rabbinical seminary, and years as a chaplain in the USAF.

But it still felt like a lacuna to me. It wasn’t me physically writing. And when I did, even I can’t read it sometimes. Never have that problem with a typewriter, no matter how many typos. As the title of a book about the beatniks says “The Typewriter Is Holy”! Amen!

Hi Steve,
Everything you mentioned about handwriting had been my experience. Then about 4-5 years ago I wanted to change that. It is seriously embarrassing not to be able to read ones own handwriting. The first thing I did after watching a number of videos about improving my writing was to get some fountain pens. I write in cursive and felt that the rolling ball of the pens I was using was like being on roller skates and for me hard to control. The other discovery was to write slower and space the letters just a bit. Before long my handwriting was fully legible and I was having fun doing it. Sadly in the summer of 2021 my letter writing had become painful and a letter would take many hours to write. Re-discovering writing with a typewriter meant no legibility issues and I once again was having fun doing it. Even today one of my penpals can be challenging to read some of it easily. That said, there are few things more wonderful than getting a personal letter in the mail!

George

"Aloha" George,

Your mention of "arthritic challenge" and typewriters to the rescue. . caught my attention.
Over the past many years, my former Palmer Business Script cursive handwriting letters with fountain pens has devolved into an illegible jagged script on arthritis RBD's, (really bad days). Vintage typewriters to the rescue.  And, electrics (SCM Electra 120's) on double RBD's for longer letters.  Tinkering and restoration/refurb is a bonus hobby!

Anyway, thanks for your interesting input on "arthritic challenge" per handwriting. . 
jimmy
"fountain pen network online forum". (still love handwriting)
https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/

thanks, steve, as well for your input.

fountainpensplus wrote:

Hi Jimmy, 

I suppose I could have begun learning to write better earlier than I did. Sadly it wasn’t until I began to think about leaving the workplace along with maintaining mental acuity while aging. Now at age 70 after working in heavy excavation construction for 50 years arthritis has decided to make some activities difficult to nearly impossible. During the height of the work season there would be days of 10-12 hours gripping a steering wheel and control levers. That said all my penpals are between 60 and 80 and none of them ran equipment and all have mentioned arthritic hand issues. Only one has chosen to write with a typewriter while the rest are still using pens. Thankfully I’ve been reading their cursive for long enough that I can usually decipher what was written. They all like reading my typed pages so perhaps one day the spirit might move them. 

It seems at the moment that striking typewriter keys straight down-ish while typing allows me to use any of my machines tot write with. Should the manual machines get to be a problem I have a number of electrics. When I wrote with FPs it was fun to use many of the inked pens for one letter. Now it is equally fun to do the same with typewriters. Write on! 

George

Aloha George,
Also retired from construction.
Union finish carpenter, then G.C, etc. The jobsites took a toll.
mahalo,
jimmy