How many of us still write handwritten notes to friends and loved one?
I’ll have to admit that over the years, I’ve begun to slack on this skill. Though I still write longhand in my journal, and I write notes for stories on paper first. Back when I first started writing, I’d pen my who story in a leather journal before putting it onto the computer. It made me feel so writerly, I guess. Ha!
So, why a National day for handwriting? Well, I went to Mr. Google and asked and this is what came up from nationalday.com
National Handwriting Day was established by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association in 1977. Their motive is to promote the consumption of pens, pencils and writing paper. January 23rd was chosen as this is the birthday of John Hancock. John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.
With computers being much faster at getting our thoughts down, you might wonder why it’s even worth mentioning this day. Well, I did a bit of digging around and found a few reasons…
- It helps keep your fine motor skills in top form. And it also keeps your mind sharp.
- It boosts reading comprehension, and it also helps your brain retain knowledge. (This is one reason I take notes at church, with the hope that I’ll remember what was said for a little longer. )
- Writing by hand increases creativity and calms your nerves. It is fun to write bubbly letters and color them in. Anyone else like writing decorative letters?
- It improves spelling and combats dyslexia. (Humm, I’ve always been in the camp that the next best thing to bubblegum is a spell-checker. But I suppose it does help some. What do you think?_
Okay, so there are some reasons given by 8 Ways To Celebrate National Handwriting Day, which also offers some neat ideas on how to make the most of this special day.
How do I keep my handwriting skills fine-tuned? I don’t often write people, except for emails, but maybe I should. Especially such things as cards and thank-you notes. As I said before, I journal almost daily, take notes at church and my planner is full of notes on ideas, plans, tasks and other things I learn and don’t want to forget.
I handwrite my outlines.
I sometimes handwrite a scene from a book. Or at least a sketch.
Oh, and my grocery lists. I still handwrite those out, even if there are nifty apps to take care of those.
How about you? Have you given up handwriting for typing? Dictation? Or some other form of communication? We can always text or make a call, right? Do you enjoy collecting pretty pens and paper? I just want a pen that doesn’t smudge, mostly, but the other day I did see this feather quill at Barnes and Noble that I told my son he had to get me for my birthday. Ha-Ha!
Yes, he thinks I’m crazy.
It’s all right.
Until next month, happy reading… and writing!
Jackie Castle
Jackie Castle is the author of The White Road Chronicles a fantasy series, The Sentinel Archives for school-age readers, and newly released Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast romance series. She has also published articles and short stories in numerous magazines. She’s enjoyed many crazy adventures from working as a hairstylist, to her bravest quest: teaching children in daycare and elementary schools. Eventually, she settled down to a somewhat safer pursuit of being a Story-weaver. Now she lives in her comfortable Texas home where she spins marvelous tales and enjoys relaxing in the evenings with her husband Bob, their children and grandchild. She looks for the extraordinary in every ordinary day that she experiences.
My handwriting is atrocious, but in fairness it was never the best. I still write out shopping lists and notes, but that’s it.
I keep my mother supplied with beautiful note paper. She writes to everyone.
Hi Jackie, I have never heard of National Handwriting Day- we don’t have anything like that here in Australia! I do still hand write notes, particularly at a conference or meeting. I find it helps me retain the information and I can diagram/map out the information.
Blessings:)
I LOVE to send hand written cards and letters! I’d love to find another pen pal or two, but am unsure of a safe way to do so. I’m involved in a couple letter writing and card sending ministries which I really enjoy. If I get a gift, I might be just as excited about the fact that I get to write a thank you note as I am about getting the gift!
I had decent handwriting back in school, but it’s definitely deteriorated over the years! Now I can barely, if at all, read my own notes a few days later.
I gave up writing out my grocery lists about ten years ago, but not because of my handwriting. It was because I had a shopping app on my phone, and it’s much less likely I’ll forget my phone than forget my list on the kitchen counter.
I can type faster than I can think (dangerous combo) and taught myself to think at the keyboard when I first began writing novels. I did a lot of dictating in 2017 and am starting to get back into it.
Do I still think cursive is important? Absolutely!
I love pretty paper and pens but don’t send notes like I should. I do send birthday cards to family. I also take notes at church and keep to do lists on my calendar. My youngest daughter writes beautiful birthday cards with well thought out encouragement. She had a gift for that.
It should be she has a gift for that, not had.
I love pretty pens and paper but I gave up handwritten notes on my second year of grad school mostly because of editing options, being able to go back to a topic and add information, and most of all: search options. I still have the two notebooks I used in my first year for project meetings. They are totally useless now and probably I will never go back to read them. But notes for each project on my computer: very useful.
I do think it’s something the older generations still enjoy doing.
Taking notes does help with remembering things.
Here in America, I think we’ll celebrate just about any crazy thing. Ha!
That’s awesome. I remember having penpals when I was in school. It was a lot of fun.
I’m the same way, Valerie. I type as fast as I think and can get much more down on a computer. But there’s still something about writing my thoughts out by hand that I don’t want to give up yet. =)
That’s great about your daughter. I hope she keeps it up. =)
That’s the one big thing missing when I handwrite something. Spell check. Which I greatly need. lol
My mom had beautiful handwriting. Dad’s, though legible, was all sharp points and edges. I wound up with something in between. I still write shopping lists and special occasion cards (my wife likes how I express the thoughts) and a work journal. The journal started years ago and is invaluable for tracking technical information and for having a written (i.e. uneditable) record of what was done when. For any form of craft writing, I much prefer electronic form for the editing. I have a tinge of ADD and cannot get through a paragraph without misspelling something because my brain gets ahead of my fingers whether I’m using pen or keyboard. Praise God for Backspace! I do love the artistry of special paper and beautiful handwriting though.
Afterthought on apps versus paper: When I worked as an engineer, I heard the story of a fellow who worked in a different department and kept his calendar on paper at a time when iphones were becoming all the rage. At the end of a meeting, when everyone pulled out their phones to schedule the next activity, he was the butt of a fair amount of derision for his neanderthal use of a paper calendar book. At which point, he threw down his calendar forcefully on the floor. Next he stomped on it with equal force. He then picked it up, brushed it off and proceeded to enter his next appointment while his now-quiet co-workers got the point :)
I still handwrite notes, lists, and the answers to Bible study questions, but I don’t do any handwriting when I write my books unless it’s a note to myself. I find my handwriting has suffered because I do so much typing. Typing is definitely faster, and I find my hand doesn’t keep up with my brain when I handwrite something.
I enjoy handwriting, but I don’t do as much of it as I used to, as I can type so much faster than I can write. I do journal several times a week, Bible journal during certain challenges (not this month), and I make handmade birthday cards usually.
I have just this month started keeping examples of writing I want to emulate in separate notebooks, written by hand. But that is not consistent.
I love pens and paper and I do still send cards with handwritten notes inside. Thank you for sharing.
I could spend almost as much time in Office Depot as I do in book stores!! I love pens and paper! I make cards, and hand write something in them when I get them ready to mail, even if it’s just my name. I make all of my clients Birthday cards and hand write in them and hand address them. That’ll be 52 Birthday cards this year. I also do Christmas cards. I do thank you notes as needed, and I still like to write letters, though I don’t write near as many as I’d like.
Ha! That’s great. Digital is overrated sometimes. lol
Typing has taken us to a whole new level as writers. Hasn’t it?
I’ve gotten into Bullet Journaling and personal planners. So I’ve also been keeping ideas on neat ways to write and make it pretty.
I have a lot of practicing to do. lol
You’re welcome. It was a fun topic.
That’s wonderful. A handwritten card really does mean so much. Those are always my keepers.
I handwrite my book reviews. I have a funny writing style and it changes according to my mood. I half write, half print.
I homeschooled my four kids. My three boys have great handwriting and are very artistic. My girl has pretty bad handwriting and is not the least artistic. I really tried to get them to practice their cursive!
I do try to write Thankyou notes and I get tasked with the Christmas cards!
My favorite pens are the multi pack click pens from Dollar tree. I think they write smoothly.
I still hand write letters. And love receiving them too. I have a friend who I don’t get to see often and our main form of communication is by letters.
I also still write my shopping lists. It helps me remember better if I’ve written it down. Notes in meetings (as well as doodles).
Hand written letters just make it more personal.