Tips for improving your handwriting

By Dyas A. Lawson Handwriting improvement Joy of flex, I Joy of flex, II Calligraphy tips Handwriting history Youve decided you want to improve your handwriting and youre probably hoping a fountain pen will do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would. Maybe youre just adventurous and you want to try your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwriting improves). Good for you!

A fountain pen may make your writing look a bit better, but if your writing looks as if frenzied chickens got loose on the page, chances are this wont be enough. Most likely youll need to retrain your arm and hand.

After coaching handwriting and teaching calligraphy over the years, Ive learned to see the characteristics of those wholl be able to pick up the necessary motions quickly fro those wholl have to work a bit harder.

Crampy, uneven letters are often the result of drawing letters with the fingers rather than using the whole arm to write.

People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers. They "draw" the letters. A finger-writer puts the full weight of his/her hand on paper, his fingers form the letters, and he picks his hand up repeatedly to move it acros the paper as he writes.

If you use the right muscle groups, your writing will h a smooth, easy flow and not look tortured.

People for whom writing comes more easily may rest their hands fairly heavily on the paper, but their forearms and shoulders move as they write. Their writing has a cadenc that shows theyre using at least some of the right muscle groups. They dont draw the letters with their fingers; the fingers serve more as guides.

This exercise may help you determine which category is yours: Sit down and write a paragraph. Doesnt matter what. Pay attention to the muscles you use to form your lette Do you draw each letter with your fingers? Pick your hand up repeatedly to move it? Have an unrecognizable scrawl? Does your forearm move? Chances are, if you learned write after 1955-60 (depending on where you went to grade school), you write with yo fingers.

My goal isnt to make you into a model Palmer-method writer or a 14th Century scribe you can compromise between the "right" methods and the way you write now and

improve your handwriting so youre happier with it, then Im happy, too.

A few people hold the pen between first and middle fingers, which feels really awkward to me, but Ive seen it work.

It will take time to re-train muscles and learn new habits. Finger-writing isnt fatal, but is slow and often painful (if you have to write much). The first thing you must have (be buy, borrow or steal it) is patience and gentleness with yourself. The second requireme is determination.

If you finger-write, that is the first, most important thing you must un-learn: Do not dra your letters! Do not write with your fingers! Put up signs everywhere to remind you. Write it in the butter, on the shaving mirror, stick notes in the cereal boxes. But learn it

I hesitate to include this, because it sounds much more difficult than it is . . . but . . . let look at the most basic things: holding the pen and positioning the hand.

Fig. 1. This is the most common pen-holding position, with pen between first and middle fingers, held in place by the thumb.

Most of us hold the pen between the thumb and index finger, resting the barrel on the middle finger (fig. 1). This works better than holding it between the thumb and the inde and middle fingers, with the whole assembly resting on the ring finger (fig. 2). If you d the first way, youre off to a good start. If the second, youll be okay. In both, the remaining fingers are curled under the hand.

Fig. 2. The two-fingers-on-top method for holding the p while writing.

Pick up your pen and look at your hand. Youll have better control and a better writing angle if your pen rests over or just forward of the bottom knuckle on your index finger not between thumb and index finger (see fig. 3). (I hold my fountain pens in the latter position, but when I pick up a calligraphy pen, it drops obediently right over that big knuckle--go figure!)

Fig. 3. Note that with this position, usually used for calligraphy (or among really disciplined writers), causes the pen to rest atop the knuckl of the forefinger.

For handwriting, the pen position is less important than for calligraphy. I recommend working in your familiar position unless its really bad. Whats essential is that you be comfortable, the pen feel balanced and you have no tension in your hand. Rest the heel your hand and the angle of your curled-up little finger on the paper.

Hold the pen lightly; dont squeeze it. Pretend the barrel is soft rubber and squeezing w get you a big, fat blot. (If you were using a quill, youd hold it so lightly that the actual of drawing the quill along the paper would create the proper contact.)

Many books recommend you write with your table at a 45-degree angle, but thats impractical for most of us. If you can prop up a board or write with one on your lap, th a good place to start, but a flat surface is fine. Once you try an angled surface, youre likely not to want to quit, so be careful-- here goes a whole new budgets worth of art supplies!

Sit up straight, but not stiffly; dont sit hunched over or slumped. Dont worry too muc about this position stuff; the important thing is what makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. Your writing arm needs to be free to move, so squished into the La-Z-Boy

probably wont be productive.

Hold your fingers fairly straight and write slightly above and just between your thumb and index finger, right where youre holding the pen. Dont curl your hand over and wr to the left of your palm; thats a crampy, miserable position. More lefties do this than righties.

Commonly called the "hook" position, this is often seen left-handers. It makes it harder, but not impossible, for them to use a fountain pen, because their hands tend to drag over the wet ink.

When youre practicing and you reach the level on the paper at which it becomes uncomfortable to continue to move your hand down the paper to write, move the paper up. Once you recognize your "writing level," the paper should move up at that spot rath than your hand moving down the paper. (This isnt critical. If you notice it and it bothe you, thats what you do about it. If it doesnt bother you, skip it.)

Ive found only one reference to using the right muscle groups to write, and this is criti I cant be the only person who knows this; Im neither that smart nor that good. Calligraphy instruction books address hand position, desk position, lighting, paper, you name it--but for some reason, not using the right muscles.

As youve probably surmised, the "right muscles" are not those in the fingers. You mu use the shoulder-girdle and forearm muscles. This muscle group is capable of much mo intricate action than you think and tires much less easily than fingers, besides giving a smooth, clean, sweeping look to the finished writing. Though it seems paradoxical, sin were accustomed to thinking of small muscles having better control, the shoulder-gird group, once trained, does the job better.

To get a feel for the proper muscles (and start training them correctly), hold your arm o in front of you, elbow bent, and write in the air. Write big. Use your arm and shoulder shape letters; hold your forearm, wrist and fingers stationary and in writing position. Youll feel your shoulder, arm, chest and some back muscles doing most of the work. Thats good. Thats what theyre supposed to do. Try to duplicate it each time you practice.

People always look puzzled when I mention the shoulde girdle. If you raise your hand in the air and make large circles, note the muscles you us doing so (here, shown in darker pink). Thats the shoulder girdle.

Write in the air until it becomes as natural as breathing. Itll be awkward and feel silly first. If you have a little kid around, get him/her to do it with you. Youll both have fun you wont feel so alone, and itll be good for the childs handwriting, too. If you dont have a kid, tell your co-workers youre improving your financial karma or hexing your boss.

As you become comfortable, reduce the size of the air-letters you make. If you have access to a chalkboard or a stick and a fence (or even a finger and a wall), write on them Theyll give you a feel for the muscles you need to use and writing on a vertical surfac makes it virtually impossible to finger-write. (If youre one of the people who cant wr on a blackboard because you keep wanting to shrink the writing down so your fingers c do it, this is really important for you.) If you keep wanting to hunch up close and put y hand on the chalkboard or wall to write, resist the urge! Youll be indulging those dratt fingers.

Remember: Your fingers should move very little and your wrist even less. Your forear does most of the guiding, while your shoulder provides the power.

At some point, youll want to try this with a pen. Hold it gently. Place it on the paper in ordinary lined spiral notebook (the lines act as ready-made guidelines for size and

spacing). If you can get hold of a first-graders Big Chief tablet, which offers big lines with a dotted line between two bold lines, use it. Theres a reason children start out writing big and the letters get smaller as they get older and more skilled-thats the easiest way to learn.

Start making Xs and ///s and \\\s and OOOOs and overlapped OOOs and spirals and ||||| Do not draw these strokes and figures! Use the same shoulder-forearm muscles youve been practicing with. Make your lines, loops, circles and spirals freely. Work into a rhythm and make it a habit.

When you start making slashes and circles, they be uneven. With practice, theyll become more uniform, and uniformity is your objecti Your goal is smooth, uniform, evenly spaced lines, loops, circles and spirals, without drawing them.

This is where youre most likely to get discouraged. If you use a spiral notebook for practice, you can leaf back and see your progress. At first, your strokes and lines will b badover-running and under-running the lines, too small, too big, crooked, uneven, ju ugly. Check your position; check your muscle groups; and try again. And again.

Concentrate on keeping wrist-hand-fingers largely stationary and in proper alignment. the big muscles do the work. It will be more tiring at first, because youre using muscle that arent accustomed to that kind of work. Itll be hard and frustrating, cause your bo will want to do it the way its done it since first grade even though that way is wrong may help to concentrate less on the accuracy of the shapes youre making than on the muscles making them. Retraining your arm is the goal, not making pretty little circles a lines first time out.

Uniformity and consistency are your aim in all the exercises, whether loopy or slashy. Though it seems uncomfortable, these exercises wi make a huge difference in your control and smoothness.

When you start putting the strokes and lines on paper, start out big. Three, four, even more lines in your notebook. (Big Chiefs are handy for this.) This helps ensure that you continue to use the shoulder girdle. Dont try to make pretty letters at this stage. Do the exercises as much as you can-shoot for every day. Ten or fifteen minutes a day shou show results in a few weeks for most people. And note that both air-writing and paper exercises can be doodledduring meetings and while on holdwaiting for somebody!

Concentrate on that shoulder girdle. Let it do the work. Write big. Write words and sentences at the same time youre doing strokes and exercises. You need both working together to succeed.

Gradually, as your control increases, make your strokes and letters smaller until theyre the size you normally write. Youll know when you get there. By this time, you probab wont have to make extra effort to incorporate this stuff into your writing; itll be automatic. And your writing should look much better (and be easier and feel better, to boot). You've been writing since you were a little kid. It started with scribbles and crayons and now it's pens, pencils, and cursive with all those swooping, swirling letters. Some kids love handwriting and others hate when it's time to put pencil to paper. Why? Maybe a parent or teacher has complained about your handwriting: "Be neater!" "Too messy!" "I can't read this!" Oh dear, that's no fun. You're trying to get it right, but you can't get your thoughts down neatly. The good news is that just about everyone can improve their handwriting. But first, let's take a moment to think about just how complicated writing really is. It's not like sneezing or breathing, which your body does for you without you even thinking about it.
How Handwriting Works

With handwriting, your body and mind need to do many different things all together and in the right order. Your shoulder needs to stay steady while your wrist and elbow move in just the right way. Did we mention your eyes have to follow what your hand is doing? And that's not all. You need the brainpower to know how words and letters are supposed to look and make decisions about what you want to write Is the answer to Question 4 "flipper" or "flapper"? So with all that going on, you can imagine that different kids have different problems when it comes to handwriting. Sometimes a medical problem is a reason that kids struggle with writing. For example, kids who have attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD) find it hard to sit still and focus on what they need to do. They might write too fast or start answering a question and forget to finish it. Kids who have trouble with their muscles, like those with Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, also could have difficulty writing.

But lots of other kids have writing woes, too. Are you one of them? Or maybe you would just like to make your already-OK handwriting a little bit better.
Continue The Five Steps

Here are five steps that really work! 1. Get a Great Grasp

Try this hold your pencil at the top near the eraser and try to write your name. Pretty tough, huh? But when you hold your pencil the correct way, writing is much easier. The best way to hold a pen or pencil is to let it rest next to the base of your thumb. Hold it in place with your thumb, and your index and middle fingers. See the photo below. 2. Let the Lines Be Your Guide Lined paper is your friend! Those lines can help you create letters that are the right size and proportion. Proportion means that one thing is the right size compared with the other. So your lowercase "a" should be half the height of a capital "A." Be sure to fill up the lined space completely. Those capital letters should stretch from the bottom line to the top one. Lines also can keep you writing straight instead of uphill or downhill. When you don't have lines, like when you're creating a poster, you can use a ruler and draw light pencil lines so your title will be the right size and look perfectly straight. 3. Slow Down If your writing is hard to read or you erase a lot, try slowing down a little. For some kids, going slower solves the problem. If you rush, it's hard to control where you stop and start your letters, and you end up making more mistakes. Did you ever erase so hard it ripped a hole in the paper? We hate that! 4. Lower the Pressure Some kids press down really hard when they write. That makes it harder to make the smooth lines needed for writing, especially cursive. Try easing up, don't grip the pencil as tightly, and let

your pencil mark the paper without going all the way through. You'll break fewer pencil points, too! 5. Play Games Say what? You heard us right. Games can improve your handwriting. Lots of games require you to write or draw pictures. So even though it's not official schoolwork, you're still using the skills you need to control your pencil better. To have better control of how your hands move, try games like Jenga or Don't Spill the Beans. And if you want to strengthen the muscles you need for writing, you can also do that while you're playing board games. How? Use a clothespin instead of your fingers to pick up your game piece and move it around the board. After a long board game, how about some imaginative play? Pretend you're a movie star or famous athlete. Now, what do you do when your fans rush up to meet you? Give them your autograph, of course!
You Might Need Extra Help

If you try these tips and still aren't seeing improvement, you can always ask for help. Tell your teacher and your mom or dad that you're having trouble. Some kids have occupational therapy to help them with handwriting skills. But many kids can improve their handwriting if they work at it with the help of a grownup. Adults can encourage you and give you fun ways to practice, practice, practice. Your parent or teacher can be a kind of coach, cheering you on. And when you notice your handwriting is getting better, what should you do? Use that wonderful writing to write your coach a thank-you note!

Get a grip

Although your pen does have a pointy bit, its not actually a mighty sword, so you neednt hold it like one. Your grip should be light yet supportive, and there should be no undue tension in your hand. Dont squeeze your pen is no more a tube of toothpaste than it is a weapon, and the ink will flow of its own accord. It doesnt really matter which fingers you use to hold the pen, as long as it feels comfortable and balanced. But its best for the top (the non-business end) to rest on or just in front of the base knuckle of your index finger, rather than in the gully formed between index finger and thumb. (See the photo above.)
Sort your posture

You need to sit up straight yet relaxed, with your non-writing fingers gently curled under your hand, and your hand and wrist resting lightly on the table. Some people recommend having your writing surface at a 45 degree angle, which could be tricky unless you have a high-tech bat-desk, or are trying to save time by writing directly onto your laptop screen. Clear some space, because you need room to move your arm when writing properly. You cant produce elegant, free-flowing script if you are hunched up over the only corner of your desk not littered with empty coffee cups, half eaten sandwiches, and rogue power cables. There was a reason people had writing desks back in the days of yore. Finally, once you have a comfortable writing position, dont screw it up by altering your alignment. When it becomes awkward to move your hand down the page to write the next line, try moving the paper up instead of your hand down. Unleashing a typewriter bing is optional.
Put your shoulder into it

Having the right pen, correct grip, and good posture is worth nothing if you are drawing the letters with your fingers. Strange as it sounds, you should not be using your wrist and fingers to write that leads to cramped, stilted writing, as well as fatigue.

This is how much my writing sucks. Rather, your fingers should hold the pen in place and act as a guide, and all the movement should come from the shoulder girdle. This is the muscle group you use to raise your arm and rotate it in a big circle, like Popeye powering up for a thunder punch. In other words, your shoulder and forearm move as you write, but your wrist and fingers dont. This helps you write in a more fluid, efficient style. It takes practice, and feels weird at first, but these muscles dont get tired as quickly as your wrist and fingers.
Swap your air guitar for an air pen

To practise using your shoulder muscles to write, hold your arm in front of you, elbow bent, and write big letters in the air. Concentrate on moving from the shoulder and holding your forearm, wrist and fingers steady. Muscles from your shoulder, arm, chest, and back should be working. These are the muscles you want to use when writing with pen and paper. Once you are comfortable doing this which mostly means coming to terms with how ridiculous you look try making smaller and smaller air letters. You can also try tracing the shapes of letters onto a wall with your finger, or writing on a blackboard or whiteboard. Writing on a vertical surface means you automatically use the correct muscle groups. Resist the temptation to get close and rest your hand on the wall, because this means you are writing with your fingers again.

Bust out some shapes

Once youre confident with the muscles needed to write in thin air, its time to fire it up to 11 and break out the pen and paper. This article suggests you start out writing large Xs, /s, Os, swirls, and loops. Really concentrate on moving from the shoulder, holding your wrist steady, and using your fingers just as a guide. Focus on producing nice, smooth shapes, and use lined paper to help with consistent size and spacing.

Probably best not to hold your pen like this. As you get better, make your shapes smaller and smaller. Begin introducing letters again, start out big and bold, and gradually get smaller. When youre ready to go crazy, bust out some words, sentences, and even whole paragraphs. Asking an adult to practice writing big letters might seem as pointless as Mr Miyagi telling Daniel-san to paint his fence. But you arent just learning new muscle memory, you are trying to unlearn bad habits.
Practice whenever you can

Take every opportunity to write longhand instead of on a keyboard. If youre a writer, or need to write a report or proposal, consider doing your first draft using pen and paper. You can polish and edit as you type it up. Write out old-skool to-do lists rather than using a computer program. Start maintaining a journal. If youre stuck in a boring meeting, presentation or lecture, practice your handwriting strokes instead of doodling whirlwinds and boxes. Practice your handwriting for a few minutes each day, and you should start to see improvements quite quickly. Try making up motivational sentences that use letters in different ways, like: This handwriting malarkey is spiffing good fun, and I quite fancy Im becoming rather good at it, dont you think? Or,

I was exceedingly happy to read that practice does indeed make perfect, and by Jove Im going to see whether this really is the case.
2. Before trying to learn specific letter forms or shapes, practice writing from your arm and shoulder in the air or on a white board. Try not to move your fingers or wrist. Write big sweeping across movements. Get comfortable with lines and shapes before you attempt letters; this will make your strokes much cleaner and smoother. It does require an amount of concentration, but if you let yourself write (with breaks) for ten minutes, it will help you stop tensing your elbow.

3. 3 Look at other people's handwriting for ideas. The signers of the Declaration of Independence often had distinctive, even elegant

handwriting. They lived in an age when every message and letter was handwritten, and it shows in their skills.

4. 4 Practice writing the letters until you are very comfortable with creating the shapes involved with them. Use cursive writing, either practicing with words and making sentences, working with your autograph, or simply stringing together random letters.

5. 5 Find your own style. Sometimes it can be very hard to find your own style. So look for your personality for inspiration: are you optimistic? Hyper? Calm? Choose either a loopy handwriting, a clean crisp handwriting, or whatever suits you.

6. 6

Write everything longhand that you think of, avoiding typing, writing on a PC, or other shortcuts. Use every excuse to use your time for writing, whether making lists, notes, or letters, or simply doing creative writing exercises. This improves your control and develops your muscles and eyehand coordination.

7. 7 Experiment with different writing instruments, like wide tip pens, markers, colored pencils, felt tip pens, and even calligraphy pens. These may not be at all suitable for daily writing projects but they do offer a chance to develop ideas and add artistic qualities to your script.

8. 8 Try writing different forms of different letters. For example, the letter "a" can be written in two ways, one with a loop over it and one not. Choosing one over the other can improve your writing.

9. 9

Try out different mediums. Maybe you're best with pen, no. 2 pencil, mechanical pencil, felt markers, ink, or something else? Diversify and don't be afraid to try anything! 10.10 Print out the elementary school alphabet charts. They can help! Try making your own with a different font! 11.11 Be yourself and do something that you can do. Don't try to do a John Hancock on the first day. Work up to it.

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Edit Video

Edit Tips

The letters should be of equal size.This will make your handwriting look neat and tidy. Do not grip the pen too hard. Hold the pen gently. Keep on writing "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" in small and capital letters. This sentence contains all letters in the (English) alphabet, and writing it is certainly more fun than writing the alphabet in uppercase and lowercase. Keep a page or two written in good hand writing in front of you for inspiration. That should be a model for you. If you don't like the way of what you just wrote looks, erase it. Even if you have to erase it 20 times, it will help you A LOT! Don't get angry just because you didn't achieve the writing you wanted. Work up to that perfect writing. Different types of pens and pencils work better with some people than others. If you still do not improve, use graph paper. Take it slowly. When you're writing, focus on 2 or 3 letters and anticipate them. That way when you write them, you make a mental note to write the letter the way you want. Try to keep your wrist straight and hovering as you write. (However, if you're a student and are sitting exams, it is important to be resting your hand on the desk to avoid a cramp.) Re-writing this guide is an excellent way to practice also. Write on lined paper to help keep your writing aligned. You need to find your style. It may be hard, but once you've got it, it will become a great deal better. Sometimes to add extra personality to a note or something that you are writing with a pencil, you can make sure that your pencil isn't freshly sharpened. This adds even more originality to your handwriting style.

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Edit Warnings

Do not press the nib (tip) of your pen hard on the paper during writing; you will develop "writer's cramp". Don't throw away any of your templates or practice sheets, you might need them as guidelines as you go along to see how the letters should look, and which things you shouldn't do. If tracing on a computer monitor, be careful not to scratch or ruin your monitor. Do not trace on "soft-screen" monitors. Make sure not to waste paper when practicing your handwriting. Use papers multiple times, and use the front and back of each sheet.

Edit Things You'll Need

Pen/ Pencil Paper Optional: Computer with word processor Eraser Table suitable for writing

How to Write With Your Opposite Hand

It is certainly possible to write with your non-dominant handit takes practice and determination though! In this article, you'll learn some techniques to help you write better with your non-dominant hand; moreover, in mastering this you'll also find it becomes a lot easy to paint your nails, use scissors or do other things with your non-dominant hand, which can really come in handy if you have a broken arm or wrist.

Edit Steps
1. 1 Practice writing with your non-dominant hand for a month or more. Every day, write out the alphabet using your non-dominant hand in lower

case, upper case and cursive (if you know how). At first your hand will be shaky and the letters won't be nearly as neat as with your other hand. However, keep practicing and your writing will start to get better.

If you're a leftie attempting to write with your right hand, turn the page 30 degrees counterclockwise. If you're a rightie attempting to write with your left hand, turn the page 30 degrees clockwise. Do not "claw" your hand. It may be tempting to grasp the pencil as tightly as possible, causing your hand to ball up like a claw but this will stop you from writing effectively and can end up hurting. Take note of how your hand is positioned and loosen it up now and then as you write.

Strengthen your non-dominant hand. Try lifting weights with your opposite hand to help strengthen the muscles. Start with light weights and as you get stronger, use heavier and heavier ones.

 Throw a small ball, such as a tennis ball to develop hand-eye coordination. Throw it higher and higher, but don't break anything fragile! This is a good excuse to get involved in juggling!

Write with your good hand in the mirror to see how it would look writing with your other hand. This gives you a clear visual cue to the method and helps your brain to picture the same action for your non-dominant hand.

Do your daily activities with your non-dominant hand such as, brushing you teeth, buttoning up your shirt, turning handles, opening doors, or turning on the tap. Swap sides with the mouse at your computer so that your non-dominant hand is doing the mouse workthis is actually a good occupational health trick to help prevent repetitive strain injury and it can balance your visual coordination on the screen too.

Practice these techniques daily for at least a month, maybe longer. Soon you'll be writing fluently with you non-dominant hand, with very few mistakes.

Use your opposite hand to write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The lazy dog decides to wake up and be non-lazy", or similar for practice. (The sentence suggested is a good one for practice because it is a pangram, meaning that it's a phrase that contains all of the letters of the English alphabet.)

Tips

Your hand may start to strain at the beginning, but just take a break and try again later, as this tension will eventually go away. Another way: Find a small paragraph and practice writing the paragraph over and over again. Also, look at the difference in the writings, and see which letter you have to get better at. Use a pen that flows easily, to aid the writing. And good quality paper helps to make the experience more enjoyable. Enjoy the confusion that writing with your non-dominant hand might give rise tothis is good for stimulating your creativity and causing you to "think outside of the box".

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Edit Warnings

Have patience! This can take a while to perfect but it is possible if you persevere. Be careful not to drop the weights or you may be seriously injured!

How to Practice Your Handwriting Daily

Get a notebook. In this notebook you will write the alphabet in your 'normal' handwriting and then write over and over again 'In this book, i will improve my handwriting'

2 Pick a book, find a paragraph and copy it quickly and then write it again SUPER neat.

 3 Keep doing this with different paragraphs and write in it daily.

4 This will improve your handwriting

At the end of the book, write the date and your new handwriting alphabet.

Tips

Don't show anyone how to write like this unless you want people to get credit on gorgeous handwriting when it's your handwriting Don't copy others handwriting, try and make your own style

Beware of people not liking or not being able to read your new writing

How to Write With Your Left Hand (if Right Handed)

Performing tasks with your non-dominant hand is a great way to develop new neural pathways. Here are some basic steps you can take to learn how to write with your left hand. Understand that in order to control your non-dominant hand, your brain will literally have to form new neural connections. Developing these motor skills will probably give you a whole new appreciation of what babies lives are like.

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Colorful Worksheets-Engage & Learn. Get Huge Discounts. Try Now ! edurite.com/book/Worksheets 2 Resist the urge to lead with your right side. You may be surprised to discover how deeply ingrained this habit is -- both physically and mentally. Breaking it will help your brain cope with attempting more involved tasks down the road.

If you open doors with your right hand by default, start opening them with your left. If you usually take the first step on a staircase with your right foot, do it with the left. Keep working at it until leading with your left feels natural and easy.

3 Do simple, everyday tasks with your left hand. Good activities to start with include:

Eating your food (especially using a spoon). Blowing your nose. Scrubbing dishes. Brushing your teeth. Dialing phone number and writing SMS on a cell phone.

4 Practice more precise movements. Now that your left hand is comfortable with sloppier movements like scrubbing and brushing, begin refining your hand-eye coordination. Tracing is a great place to start: having a defined edge to work with will help force your eye, which is visually tracing the outline, and your left hand, which is physically tracing it, to work in sync.

Trace your right hand onto a piece of paper. Pushing the pencil against a 3-D contours will help guide the left hand. Graduate to tracing 2-D images. You can think of this as taking down the gutter guards at the bowling alley. Throwing and catching a ball with your left hand is also a fun way to improve your hand-eye coordination.

5 Draw basic shapes. Stick people, square houses with rectangular chimneys, round-headed cats with triangular ears The goal here is to become more dexterous, not to produce a Rembrandt. Try coloring them in, too, to make you feel more comfortable with your left hand.

 6 Write. Begin printing the alphabet in both capital and lowercase letters, then move on to sentences. When printing becomes comfortable, you can start practicing your cursive.

If your writing is very messy in the beginning, start by tracing large text out of a book or magazine. It may help to buy childrens paper, which has widely spaced lines for large printing and dotted center lines to control the letter proportions.

7 Consider throwing balls to a target place to strengthen up your muscles.

8 Consider listening to music while writing to strengthen up your right brain.

 9 Some people might get help with this by playing racket games to make balance and might focus on the left hand more, so that they have trained their left hand for more challenges there by making it stronger for more writing challenges.

Tips

Write "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" over and over to improve left hand neatness. This sentence is good because it uses every single letter in the English alphabet. Practice all the time. Try to write slowly at first. If you write too fast it could hurt your hand. Switch the controls on your mouse so you can use it with your left hand (right if leftie becoming right handed). Also, try pressing the spacebar with your left hand. It's harder than you think! Liquid ink pens and especially gel pens are worth trying, because one needs less pressure and strength when writing with them and this makes it more comfortable. You could try to use them in the beginning and then gradually move to ballpoint pens and (mechanical) pencils. The ink, on the other hand, has to dry instantly or the text may get smudged depending on the writing position. Put your right hand in your pocket or behind your back. Practice by writing most common words in your language, it'll teach your muscles common letter combinations. Words can be found on Wikipedia. If you are learning an RTL language (right to left), this is a huge advantage because you won't smear the ink when you write with a pen. Also, try drawing straight lines from left to right using your left hand. It'll teach you to push, not pull. Learn mirror script. It's easier to pull the pen than to push it, so writing backwards with your left hand is easier than writing forwards. Lift weights! Use a small 5-pound (or less) weight and lift it with your left hand. Observe the way left handers write or just ask them for some tips. Leftie trying to turn right? Do everything noted here, but flip the directions, e.g. left becomes right. Rightie made from a leftie? Too bad! But you can follow this guide as if you were a rightie, and you'll get the hang of being you.

Warnings

Don't expect results in just one day. It takes lots of time to get a neat writing with your non-dominant hand. In the beginning, your left arm and hand muscles will be quite sore. This is due to training muscles that your right hand already uses. Be sure to rest your arm and hand often. Overuse can lead to injury. You must be careful. Left handers have to push the pen on the surface they are writing on if they are writing English, German, French or other languages that are written from left to right. This may cause the paper to tear, but this can be avoided easily with a correct posture and pen. This is not a problem when writing Hebrew and Arabic or other right-to-left languages with left hand.

How to Strengthen Your Nondominant Hand

 Wake your non-dominant hand and hold things and pass them.

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Insert Your Birthdate & Get Answers about Past-Present and Future. Free AboutAstro.com/horoscope 2 Use your non-dominant hand to do everyday things, brushing your teeth/hair, opening doors, buttoning things, turning handles.

 3 If you want to, tie your dominant hand behind your back for a some time each day. This way, you will find more opportunities to use your other hand.

4 Start writing with your opposite hand from time to time.

 5 Practice each day.

Tips

Juggling is a great way to develop dexterity in your non-dominant hand.

Warnings

Remember to take your time.

How to Have Beautiful Writing

If you can , try and keep the backs of your letters straight and not leaning over. It looks neater and nicer this way (kids in fourth and fifth grade will be told to slant).

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3 Make sure you have capital letters and punctuation marks fitted in where they need to be.

Pay attention to how you are writing. Is your writing readable? Can you see your writing properly? Will others?

5 Try experimenting different ways to hold the pencil as one of them may seem easier to write with.

6 To make your writing really nice, make sure you have the right pen or pencil. It can't be really small, otherwise it would be hard to write with. The marks should be clear, dark and narrow, for pencil or pen.

7 Have a rubber eraser if you're writing with a pencil. Make sure your rubber/eraser, just like a pencil, is the right type. A good-working one that doesn't make your writing all smudgy.

8 If you are writing anything other people are going to read, don't use text writing: Gr8, bcuz, u, soz, lawlz, etc.

9 Try to compare it with other peoples handwriting and ask for tips.

Tips

Cursive writing looks nicer. As you get better, try building up some speed. Try copying a style of writing you think looks nice. It can be hard, and it takes a lot of concentration and practice, but it can be worth it. Keep your layout professional and clear. If you make it too fussy it will detract from the work and the message. Layout can be important for clarity - don't be afraid to take up space. Skip lines, use paragraphs and make sure there's enough space between words. Just take your time. Fast writing tends to be messy. Remember, practice makes perfect! If you want to write on plain paper, to keep your writing straight, put a ruled page under it and you should be able to see the lines. Practice. Read other articles on wikiHow about writing, we have loads. If writing is hard for you, try asking someone for help. Buy and use a handwriting book. All of it.

Warnings

Don't use very dark pencils. HB(#2) ones will do fine, try not to go over 2B. Don't avoid writing if you find it hard to write nicely - the best thing to do is practice. For some people, writing with lead pencils (not wooden) can be easier. Make sure you don't go over the lines and curve down the page.

Things You'll Need

Pencil - to start off with, then use a pen as you get better. Paper - plain white, A4 or letter - sized is best.

Windows has some really nice fonts, including Vivaldi, Edwardian Script, and Monotype Corsiva and so forth. Use your shoulder when you write. To break your former bad writing habits, you will need to train new muscle groups to use while you write.

Begin by holding the pen in front of you as if you are going to write on paper. Instead, draw big letters in the air, focusing on getting your shoulder into it. After some time of making your air-letters large, begin to gradually make them smaller. This exercise may feel silly, but your muscle needs the practice in order to remember doing this naturally while you write. Practice whenever you can.

Put your pen to paper. Using the same techniques, begin by writing large xs and os on paper. Whatever you do, dont relapse into your former way of writing. Gradually make your xs and os smaller until they are the size you would normally use to write. One you feel your letters are steady and constant, practice using other letters, then words and sentences. Continue to practice writing. Set an amount of time each day to practice your writing. Write anything and everything. Just keep writing and you will see a vast improvement in your hand-writing skills.

How to Have Good Handwriting

Practice your writing. Everything gets better with practice. When you have a bit of spare time, write down everything you can. Write letters to your friends, even if you don't send them. Write in a journal, another great habit to have. Practice the alphabet, common phrases, etc.

Relax your hands. Apply a firm amount of pressure, but remember that you need to be relaxed and calm when you write. It's imperative to the improvement of your writing that you aren't cramping your hands. 3 Find a pen or a pencil that is comfortable. It's all about personal preference. If you have a pen or pencil that you feel comfortable in and want to write with, your writing will improve because you'll be writing almost more than you need to. 4 Invest in a notebook that is appealing to you. If you like what you're practicing in, you're going to be that much more inclined to write. 5 Accept your writing for what it is! You're never going to be perfectly happy with your writing, but you've got to realize that you can write, and that is something to be thankful for. Just remember to find a style that suits you. 6 Try to write and practice good handwriting by borrowing notes from students who who have good handwriting. See how they have written each letter and word and try to write like it. 7 See the writings in books. This may be obvious but have a try. Take some books and focus on each letter and see how it is written and write each word slowly until you get it. 8 Open a type writer such as Microsoft word, and change different font styles and see which looks best and try them out. 9 First write as normal letters and words then try to write with cursive. Cursive may seem hard at first but after practicing it may appear easy as a pie. 10 Don't give up. Try your level best and you will definitely see an improvement in yourself.

Tips

See that each letter is same and equally in size. When size varies, the letter may seem messy. Be neat and steady when writing. Try to write with a pencil first and then when you get it write with a pen. Keep in mind that the beginners are the experts of tomorrow!

Warnings

It may take a little time and effort.

How to Make Letters of the English Alphabet

Uppercase Letters 1. 1

The capital letter A Letter A: Draw one angled vertical line facing right: /. Draw another angled vertical line facing left: \, ensuring both lines touch each other at the top upper tips: /\. Draw a horizontal line in the middle of the two lines: A. This is A.

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2. 2

The capital letter B Letter B: Draw one vertical line: | . On its right side, draw two half-bubbles, going down the line: B. This is B. 3. 3

The capital letter C Letter C: Draw a half-moon, with an opening on the right: C. This is C. 4. 4

The capital letter D Letter D: Draw a vertical line: |. Then, starting at its top right, draw a backwards C (step 3): D. This is D. 5. 5

The capital letter E Letter E: Draw one vertical line: |. Draw three horizontal lines, all on the right side of this, each 1/3rd shorter than the original (but the middle line is shorter than the lines on the top and bottom). One goes on top, one in the middle, one on bottom: E. This is E. 6. 6

The capital letter F Letter F: Draw an E (step 5), but omit the bottom horizontal line: F. This is F. 7. 7

One way of writing the capital letter G. Some people do their G's this way, while others do it another way. LETTER G: Draw a C (step 3). Then, draw a horizontal line, beginning at the base of the bottom tip, half-way through the C: G. This is G. 8. 8

The capital letter H LETTER H: Draw two vertical lines next to each other: | |. Then, draw a horizontal line in the middle, connecting them: H. This is H. 9. 9

The capital letter I Letter I: Draw one vertical line: |. If desired, put two short horizontal lines at the top and bottom of the vertical, placing them so the vertical connects them in the middle of the horizontal lines. This is I. 10.10

The capital letter J Letter J: Draw a backward-facing fish hook: J. This is J. 11.11

The capital letter K Letter K: Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw two lines, starting from the right hand side, each emanates from the middle. One angles up, the other down: K. This is K. 12.12

The capital letter L Letter L': Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw a shorter, horizontal line on the bottom right: L. This is L. 13.13

The capital letter M Letter M: Draw two vertical lines next to each other: | |. Then, starting from the inner, top tips, draw two shorter angled lines that touch 1/2 way in the middle: M. This is M.

14.14

The capital letter N Letter N: Draw two vertical lines next to each other: | |. Then, draw a line that starts from the inner top tip of the left line, and angle it so it touches the other line, on the inner bottom tip: N. This is N. 15.15

The capital letter O Letter O: Draw a full moon: O. This is O. 16.16

The capital letter P (with a little bit of the letter E) Letter P: Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw a 1/2 bubble on the right side upper tip, and touching the middle of the vertical line: P. This is P. 17.17

The capital letter Q Letter Q: Draw a full moon: O. Then, on the near-bottom right, draw a vertical line angling right, part-way in the O, and part-way out: Q. This is Q. 18.18

The capital letter R Letter R: Draw a P (step 16). Then, starting from where the bottom 1/2 bubble touches the vertical line, draw a small line angling right and down: R. This is R.

19.19

The capital letter S Letter S: In one stroke, draw a squiggly line headed left, then right, then left (like drawing 1/2 of an 8): S. This is S. 20.20

The capital letter T Letter T: Draw a vertical line: |. Then, draw a shorter, horizontal line on top: T. This is T. 21.21

The capital letter U Letter U: Draw your moon, O (step 15), but, leave part of the top open: U. This is U. 22.22

The capital letter V Letter V: Draw two vertical lines next to each other, but, angle the left one to the right and down, and the right one to the left and down: V. This is V. 23.23

The capital letter W Letter W: Draw two V's (step 22) next to each other: W. This is W. 24.24

The capital letter X Letter X: Draw one vertical line headed up and right. Draw another vertical line up and leaning left: X. This is X. 25.25

The capital letter Y

Letter Y: Draw a V (step 22). Then, where the two lines meet, draw a vertical line: Y. This is Y. 26.26

The capital letter Z Letter Z: In one stroke, draw a horizontal line, then a vertical line that angles downward left, then a horizontal line to the right: Z. This is Z. Lowercase Letters 1. 1

One way of writing the lowercase letter a. Some people do their a's this way, while others do it another way. Letter a: This letter is sometimes done in different ways. If you want to do your "a's" like the one in the photo, make an upside-down J and make a backwards capital D to the right of it. If you want to do your "a's" another way, read on. Draw a circle. When you get to the spot where you started the circle, make one vertical line: |. This is a.

2. 2

The lowercase letter b Letter b: Draw a vertical line: | , and then a small uppercase D. 3. 3

The lowercase letter c Letter c: You write c the same way whether it is in uppercase or lowercase, but if you are writing lowercase, make your c smaller than an uppercase C, so it's the same size as the other lowercase letters. 4. 4

The lowercase letter d Letter d: Lowercase d is written like a backwards b (step 2 under lowercase). Draw a vertical line, and then to the left of it, draw a small backwards, uppercase D. 5. 5

The lowercase letter e Letter e: You draw lowercase e with quite a few curves. First, draw a short, horizontal line. Curve it round to make a c shape, with a line in the middle. 6. 6

The lowercase letter f Letter f: Many people do loops and fancy things with their fs, but for now just try the simple way. Draw a curve, and bring it down in a vertical line. Just above the middle of the letter, draw a short horizontal line across the vertical one. 7. 7

The lowercase letter g Letter g: You might see more complicated gs on computer screens, etc., but for now just draw the normal version. Draw a c, and then an upside down, lowercase f (step 6 under lowercase), without the horizontal line in the middle) below it. 8. 8

The lowercase letter h Letter h: Draw a vertical line, then a curve into another vertical line. 9. 9

The lowercase letter i Letter i: Draw a vertical line, then put a dot on top of it. 10.10 Letter j: Same as uppercase J, but make it lower down in the line of writing and put a dot on top of it. 11.11 Letter k: Same as uppercase K, except the lines angling up and down do not quite reach the top. 12.12

Letter l: Draw one vertical line. You can stop here or draw a short horizontal line under the vertical line (the vertical must be in the center of that horizontal line) and a shorter horizontal line above the vertical line from the left side. 13.13 Letter m: Draw a straight line. Starting from a little under the top, on the right, make a hump that goes to the top, curves downward ("spills water", not "holds water"), and goes back down in a straight line. Then retrace the straight line and make another hump in the same way. 14.14 Letter n: Same as lowercase m (step 13 under lowercase), but make only one hump. 15.15 Letter o: Same as uppercase O, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. 16.16 Letter p: Same as uppercase P, but lower on the line of writing. 17.17 Letter q: Like a backward lowercase p (see step 16 under lowercase). 18.18 Letter r: Draw a straight line. Starting from a little under the top, make a small curved line heading to the right and curving down ("spills water"). 19.19 Letter s: Same as uppercase S, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. 20.20 Letter t: Same as uppercase T, except here the horizontal line is a little under the top, instead of at the very top. Also, if you want, you can curve the vertical line upward at the very bottom ("holds water") on the right.

21.21 Letter u: Make an uppercase U the size of the other lowercase letters, BUT add a straight line on the right and put a small "tail" at the bottom of that line. 22.22 Letter v: Same as uppercase V, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. 23.23 Letter w: There are two ways to do this one. Either write an uppercase W the size of the other lowercase letters, or write two uppercase U's next to each other, making them the size of the other lowercase letters. (In fact, this letter's name is pronounced "double u"!) 24.24 Letter x: Same as uppercase X, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters. 25.25 Letter y: Draw a lowercase v (see step 22 under lowercase), BUT at the point where the lines meet, draw a line that continues the right line of the v. 26.26 Letter z: Same as uppercase Z, except it is the size of the other lowercase letters.

Tips

Once you get this down, try putting letters together to form words. For example: Combine steps 20, 8 and 5, to make THE. Combine steps 3, 1 and 20, to make CAT. Or, steps 1, 20 and 5 to make ATE. Put these three words together to form a sentence: THE CAT ATE. Practice always makes perfect! Check a dictionary to make smaller case letters.

How to Draw Bubble Numbers

Draw the number in lead pencil first. For the purposes of this demonstration article, we have chosen an 8. Use rounded drawing at all

times, even with numbers that have straighter edges. Think of ballooning as you move the pencil around corners.

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3 Color in the bubble number. It is ready now, or you can embellish as explained in the next step.

Experiment with different colors and patterns. Make the bubble numbers more interesting and elaborate by adding different designs to them, such as rainbow shading, spots, lines, small shapes etc.

5 Finished.

Tips

If you make a mistake, use the marker or coloring pencil to rescue the shape and fix it as nicely as possible.

Things You'll Need

Pencil Paper Markers Colored pencils

How to Draw Bubble Letters

Draw a letter with a single line. We'll start with a simple capital letter: "L"

Draw an outline around the letter (lightly with a pencil), and make sure to do two things:

Make the outline with no sharp corners or angles, for now. Later, you can experiment with making corners here and there to give the bubble letters your own unique twist. Make the outline the same distance from the actual letter, all the way around the shape of the letter.

Keep making outlines until your bubble letter is as big as you want it to be.

Erase all of the interior outlines, as well as the initial letter. Make sure you erase ALL the inside so there are NO visible marks.

Color in the letter if you would like.

Trace the remaining outline with a marker.

Practice and experiment with colors, patterns, and the roundness of your outlines.

Warnings

Be extra careful with Z,S,R,X,A and sometimes a K or Y. Letters with lots of corners and sharp angles are a little more difficult to navigate, and can end up looking like an indistinguishable blob!

How to Draw 3D Block Letters

The key to making them look 3D is to give the impression that light is shining on them and casting a slight shadow. It can be a little tricky to master, so here's a breakdown on how to create this effect.

Sketch out thick lettering. Begin by sketching a thick lettering of your word or name in the middle of your paper.

Choose the angle. Choose the angle. On any space of your paper mark an X on the left or right-most upper part of your word on your paper. Then draw lines from letters of your word or name to the X mark. Remember also to draw the lines from the corners of the letter. 1. 3

Create dimension. Create dimension. Then after creating the lines, use them as a guide to create a thick dimension on the letter. 2. 4

Finish the letters.

Finish the letters. Keep applying the steps, until you were able to finish each letter. In this case, the number 3 is the last letter or number to 3D. Remember also to carefully erase the lines once youre finished with one letter to help you easily draw the effect. 3. 5

Outline. Outline. Outline youre drawing with a black pen or marker and erase also your pencil marks to clean-up your drawing. Draw also a thick line on the contours of the word; use a pen with a large point. 4. 6

Color it. Color it. Use one color with a light and dark variation such as on the illustration purple and dark violet. Method 2 1. 1

Write it out. Write it out. Start by writing the letter you want to draw.

2. 2

Outline it. Outline it. Outline the letter with ONE thin line. 3. 3

Connect everything. Connect everything. Connect the ends of the inner letter to the corners of the line around it. 4. 4

Create the light. Create the light. Decide where your light source is going to be. You can draw a circle or square or some other symbol that will let you know where the light is coming from.

5. 5

Shade in. Shade in. Pretend you are looking at a real block letter sitting in front of you. Shade in the spots that light isn't shining on.

Tips

You might want to start with a pencil, and then use a trace for the shading. Experiment with different letters and words and shadows. See what you can come up with! If your letters will be shown on a computer display, the light source should be on the upper left. This is the convention that all computer programs try to observe. If you don't do this, your letters may look hollowed out.

You can also shade in the background around the letter to make it look better.

How to Freewrite
Do you have writers' block? Did you choose a topic or idea to develop, but now you find yourself stuck? Try free writing! This exercise is used by writers to gather their thoughts and ideas before they begin a document, with the result being an endless,

non-punctuated, and free-flowing paragraph that'll be immensely helpful in the preliminary writing process. Set a timer or use the clock on your computer screen. Give yourself 5 to 10 minutes to write continuously. This is so you get going and write quickly. Spend the time writing, not worrying about the time. Select a topic for your free writing. If you've chosen to do focused free writing, write this topic at the top of your page. If you just wish to write without a topic, go ahead without one. You may be surprised at what you write even on days when you begin with "I can't think of anything to write here."

Start your timer. 4 Write down whatever comes to mind. It can be in relation to your topic if you have one or if you are doing unfocused free writing because you are trying to come up with an idea or topic, just write down every random thought that crosses your mind as quickly as possible. 5 Continue writing until the designated time has run out. Do not stop until that point.

Do not pay attention to grammar or typos. If there are any incomplete sentences or misspelled words, don't worry. Just keep going. If you run into a dead end or draw a blank, keep writing the same word or phrase over and over again until something else pops into your mind. One idea is to take a quick glance around the room and choose one object to describe. When the time has run out, look over what you have written and circle or underline ideas that you like or that you think that might be useful for your project.

6 Group your marked ideas and phrases and decide where they lead you in your writing process. 7 Use online tools such as 420fables to make freewriting a regular part of your daily writing discipline. 8 Begin your rough draft. If you have enough to start your paper or document, then begin working on your rough draft. If you do not have enough ideas, free write for another session, or try another informal invention technique such as brainstorming or mind mapping Presupposition.

Tips

If you do begin with an idea or prompt, never feel that you must stick to the original topic in a free write. Feel free to follow tangential or random associations. A good way to avoid wanting to edit free writing is to turn off your computer screen so that you cannot see the words that are being typed. Try to write somethinganything!every day.

Some writers find that the free writing process works better if they use a notebook and pen, even if they use a computer for their other writing. Keeping a notebook just for free writes helps to keep them together so you can access them later. Try to use a smooth writing pen or mechanical pencil so you don't have to worry about your pen drying out or your pencil getting blunt. Dating your writes will help to find them later, too. Don't worry. No one has ever been permanently blocked from writing. In fact, the best writing comes out of that! Get support from your family and friends. If possible, use a simple text program, like Wordpad in Windows, or TextEdit in Mac. They are easier to use than Microsoft Word or Mac Pages. Editing the font or messing with italics (unless you know the keyboard shortcuts) can distract you from the real reason you are there: to write. If you are having a hard time at the start then use your senses, simply write what you are feeling directly through your senses: Is it hot or cold or maybe you are hungry or tired, whatever you are feeling just write it and then the rest will come to you. Read different genres of books; not just what you plan on writing about. A countdown timer with an alarm may be better than just a clock as it will save you from constantly looking at it. Internet searches on "free writing prompts" or "timed-writing prompts" will lead to many ideas for free write topics. If you are absolutely stuck, scribble 'I don't know what to write' over and over again. Eventually your underworked mind will get bored of this and come up with something. Free writing as a group process can be especially rewarding and expanding. In Microsoft Word, another way to avoid editing typos is to turn off the proofing (red underlines). For MW 2007 users, click the circle that glows yellow at the top left corner when you mouse over it. A list will drop out. Click "Word Options" at the bottom right of the list; a window will pop open. At the list on the left hand side, click "Proofing". There will be 3 sections. In the 2nd section, unchecked all the ticks in the boxes, and hit "OK". Now, even if a mistake is made, there will not be red underlines. To get proofing back, just repeat the process, but re-check the ticks in the boxes. Listen to music to help yourself relax. It can be any kind of music - whatever you enjoy, really. Read a lot!

Warnings

Free writing is not guaranteed to work for everyone, but it can help to break even the toughest writer's block. This is not a good time to test your brand new spell checking program or grammar checking program, or to make sure the old one works properly.

How to Write a Rough Draft

Writing is fun. But it needs to be organized. You can do this by creating rough drafts.

1. Remember, rough drafts don't necessarily have to be rough! 2. 2 Avoid procrastinating. When ever you get an idea for a story immediately start. Never delay. Delaying will make you forget important points i.e: the super start. 3. 3 Write in short paragraphs. 4. 4 Write in pencil. This helps you erase something that just won't fit. 5. 5 Devote your spare time, to your story. It helps writing each day. Even if you write only a paragraph or a line 6. 6 Use a connecting thread. After you have finished writing individual paragraphs join them all with a connecting thread. Be sequential. 7. 7 Read the drafted matter. Show it to family members or friends. Listen to their advice and additions. Make changes accordingly. 8. 8 Improve your draft and never give up. If someone criticizes your draft, ask them why. Improve on your shortcomings. 9. 9 Type out your article once you are done with your rough draft. After all the things are done and your story or novel is perfect, type it out.

Edit Tips

Imagine and observe. Look at the way certain people behave to get some character sketches. Look at the nature or the surroundings. Research for your story. What is the story about? Horror? Adventure? Romance? Different Cultures? Read as much as possible.

Exercise you vocabulary. Keep a dictionary on hand. Don't be afraid to re-draft. That is how we learn. Put yourself in the story. Write what would you do if you were there. That is what makes the story interesting and realistic. Lastly, enjoy yourself.

Edit Warnings

Don't lose your drafts! Keep them filed or write them in long exercise books. Keep the books at one place. Don't leave them scattered. Type it in only when the novel or story is complete. Don't store in on your PC. Get a printout an keep it filed. A story stored on a PC is just as lost even if you have a rough draft.

Edit Things You'll Need

Pencil Paper/ Notebooks PC for research Dictionary for vocabulary

Sample Freewrite on Specific Topic

Timed: 7 minutes Halloween I used to love Halloween. It was a time when I would get kind of scared, but in that exciting way. We would dress up. It was always hard to decide what to be. I think I was a roller skating waitress one year, a mermaid another year, Belle from Beauty and the Beast another time. I looked forward to dressing up and going trick or treating. I used to go with my brother for a while, but then he grew out of it, and I dont think I ever did (plus Ive always looked younger than my age). So I bet I went trick or treating far longer than any child should, but oh well! Our neighborhood was on a dead end street, not many kids, so we didnt get a lot of trick or treaters, nor did we have a lot of houses to go to, so we used to drive/walk out a little further to get to the good houses. Now that im older, I still enjoy Halloween...but its different. I like to carve pumpkins, roast the pumpkin seeds, eat pumpkin cookies, etc. but I still miss that childhood feeling of excitement when it comes to the holiday. This year it doesnt feel like Halloween at all. Maybe because weve been having a heatwave here in LA and its bright and sunny and I could probably walk around in a sundress all day. Maybe its because I wont be at home carving a pumpkin and watching a scary movie, waiting for the two trick or treaters to come by. I want it to feel like Halloween. I want to feel scared. To feel that rush of fall, that wonderful new feeling of the season.

I think ill still go buy a pumpkin and carve it myself. roast my own seeds. Im performing in a show tonight, so I guess thats my costume. Who knows if anyones gonna show up since its

Halloween, but whatever. Its still something to do that doesnt involve seeing girls dressed up as sexy everythings. Gosh...maybe thats whats ruined Halloween. Those girls who use it as an excuse to wear next to nothing. Ooh, Im a sexy Care Bear, Im sexy Harry Potter, Im a sexy flea. NO ONE CARES! So lame. I dont think Ive ever used Halloween as an excuse to show some skin. Im not trying to sound high and mighty, Im just saying...its dumb and transparent and so unoriginal. I just miss that childhood celebration of Halloween...not the adult one where its just another night to act like an idiot. Possible ideas from freewrite: 1. But I still miss that childhood feeling of excitement when it comes to the holiday. 2. I just miss that childhood celebration of halloween...not the adult one where its just another night to act like an idiot. Perhaps this could lead into a story about missing childhood/still feeling like a child. Missing that excitement of childhood, experiencing holidays differently. Not wanting to conform to other adults and how they celebrate...

How to Make a Mind Map

Mapping is one of the more common types of informal invention. It should be used when writers encounter writers' block or when they are having trouble organizing their thoughts or ideas. Problems solvers can use mind maps to address challenges and resources without judgment. This type of informal invention is good for coming up with ideas that are connected to a central topic, and it can also be used to further develop ideas that have already been discovered. Mapping is used by writers to gather their thoughts and ideas before they begin a paper or other document. It is more for visual learners and can be used in both fiction and non-fiction writing. The end result of mapping should be a web-like structure of words and ideas that are somehow related in the writer's mind. Here are some guidelines for this type of invention:

Understand some uses of creating mind maps.

Revision notes. Brainstorming. This can be done in a group. Planning. Project, job interview, CV, Presentation. Learning a language. Goal setting. Note taking during a meeting or lecture. Decision making Book summary. Creative writing. It can be effectively used for family history. Research.

Prepare a rough draft. Quickly put together a rough draft. Redraft with colours, images and print words. 3

Generate a topic. What will be the focus of your thinking? Your topic should be no more than a few words. By keeping your topic simple, you will be able to understand more aspects of it through the map. A broader topic will give you more with which to work in the future. 4 Place that topic in the center of the page. Ideally you want to draw this topic, writing the topic in bold letters should only be used for things without a visual form. 5 Size. Mind maps should be no larger than an A4 piece of paper to cover more come up with a master mind map which acts as a contents page for various smaller mind maps. 6 Start writing what comes to mind. As you generate thoughts, draw branches from the main topic. Keep it to as few words as possible. As you mind map more, try to continue to narrow the amount of words per branch. Print clearly. 7 Be very succinct in your choices of words for your map. Write single words or simple phrases. 8 Continue branching. Make more branches off of your main topic. Try to extend your thoughts from one idea to the next. Draw lines between thoughts to create lateral thinking. 9 As new ideas come forth, draw a different branch from your topic and expand as necessary. 10 Repeat branching until all your ideas appear on the map.

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When you are finished mapping, carefully study the connections that you have made between your thoughts and ideas and try to relate them.

Tips

Colour should be used, it makes you mind maps more memorable and can help to differentiate or connect your branches. Graphics can always represent words: feel free to draw pictures instead of writing words or along side the words Keep one branch of thought one color and another branch a different color. Record what you are thinking by speaking out loud. No censorship is allowed in this type of invention. Attach more paper if necessary. Break the "on the page mentality." Don't get stuck in one area, keep your ideas flowing. Do not be discouraged if some of your branches prove unpromising. Just start at the central idea and work your way out again.

Warnings

Keeping your map clean is essential. If your map becomes too messy, it will be harder to go back and understand what you have written.

Edit Things You'll Need

A3 Paper Pen/Pencil Colored markers or colored pencils

How to Brainstorm

Brainstorming is one of the most common types of informal invention. It can be used when writers encounter writers' block or when they are not sure what to write about. Brainstorming can also be used to guide writers in a certain direction if they already have a topic or idea that they wish to explore. This exercise helps writers to gather their thoughts and ideas before they begin writing a paper or other document. The end result of brainstorming should be lists of words or phrases that are somehow related in the writer's mind. These lists may be helpful in the preliminary writing process. Here are some guidelines for this type of invention:

Create a mind map of the problem in question.

Set your timer. It can be any time that you feel would put your brainstorming sessions to their full potential. One suggestion would be a topic word or a thought that you would like to explore at the top of your paper. Maybe use words such as 'education' or 'government.' Continue writing words or phrases in list form down the page until your time has run out. 3 Never stop writing. Even if you have to write down an idea that's completely stupid and wouldn't work, it's better than stopping and interrupting the creative flow. Keep working, and if you can't think of anything, continue to write "I don't know, I don't know" in a continuous loop. This will get so boring that your idle brain will come up with something. 4 Assume that no word is self-explanatory. Continue to focus on one topic word until you cannot describe it with any further detail. In other words, take a deeper look at an individual or minute part of a larger whole. 5 As your thoughts slow or become stagnant, begin to review your lists periodically. Previous terms may need further explanation, or may bring forth new ideas to the surface. 6 When you are finished brainstorming, re-organize your words and phrases into sequential categories. 7 If you have a sufficient collection of good ideas, begin to work on the rough draft. If more ideas are needed, try other informal invention techniques such as freewriting or mapping. 8

Use online tools such as 420fables to make freewriting a regular part of your daily writing discipline. 9 Utilizing a dictionary, search for random words. Close your eyes and place your finger on the page or choose the most attractive word as you scan through the pages. Write these words down as well as any other thoughts that may be in relation to these words. Another good tool for selecting random words can be found here.

Tips

Don't immediately dismiss an idea. Continue to write and see where your thoughts take you. Brainstorming can be difficult during your first few sessions, but don't give up! If it doesn't work, try again. Brainstorming is an uncensored practice. Try not to make any corrections during the brainstorming process. Keep going, even if you come across a good idea near the beginning of the brain storm session; as other ideas that are just as good - or even better may come along. While brainstorming, it can be helpful to listen to classical music or jazz, or any music without lyrics. Don't be afraid to go crazy with your thoughts. Save your brainstorming papers, as you never know when you may need them. Try brainstorming with a friend. They might have different ideas and your collaboration could end up with the perfect result! Try, as illustrated above, using sticky notes. Every time you think of something -ANYTHING!- write it down and stick it up. It could come back around to be useful. A few extra writing utensils along with a thick pad of paper ensures for an adequate supply of materials to continue the flow of your work without interruption. Play the imagination game in your free time. Look at something and try to associate something else with it. And then something else with the second thing. For example: apple -> banana -> banana peel -> comedy -> funny -> clown -> circus -> lion.. and so on.

Warnings

Brainstorming is not guaranteed to break the toughest writers' block, but it should give you a mental warm-up and an idea of where you are going with your writing process. Brainstorming can be very frustrating at times, so remember to take a break every so often.

How to Sign a Cool Signature

Get a piece of paper and write your normal signature. What do you like about it? What needs work? Do you have a lot of interesting letters (containing loops, crosses,

dots, etc.) or a lot of plain letters (especially ones that look similar/the same in upper- and lowercase)? Make note of any areas that have the potential to become focal points.

Rewrite your signature and experiment with a variety of styles and flourishes. See what looks appropriate for your name, feels good in your hand, and isnt too cumbersome to write repeatedly. For example, you might:

Turn one of your letters into an underline. While this is commonly done with the last letter, feel free to do it with any letter that lends itself to an underlining flourish. jigar

Underline your signature with loops. This is a very fluid, ornate way to spice up a signature.

Allow your capital letters to encircle the lowercase letters. This is a useful way to spice up an name that doesnt have any lower loops (g, j, etc.) you can play with.

Use repeating elements. The three large ovals in this signature create an echo effect and help tie the whole design together.

Exaggerate a single letter. This can give your signature a complicated look without slowing your sign time to a crawl.

Underline your signature with zig-zags. This is a classical way to make a simple signature more interesting.

Add symbols to your signature. If you want to go this route, its best to keep the rest of your signature straightforward to save time and avoid overwhelming the design.

Encircle the signature with loops. This creates a very regal, official-looking signature.

Enlarge the bottoms of your letters. This is one of the simplest and most common ways to spruce up a signature.

Use old-timey lettering. Double up on your horizontal crosses, end your looped letters in hooks and flourishes, and use a fountain pen if possible.

 3 Look at famous signatures for inspiration. Walt Disney, Queen Elizabeth I, Salvadore Dali, Mae West, and John Hancock are all known for their unique signature styles. Feel free to borrow elements from these signatures and add them to your own.

4 Dont forget to personalize your signature. Though borrowing from other peoples styles can be useful, make sure to express your own personality in the signature as well. 5

Experiment with a chisel-edged pen. This adds flair to even a simple signature. 6 Think twice before going messy. Though its fun to stretch the limits of your signature style, carefully consider whether or not its practical for you to have an illegible one.

7 Practice all the styles that you admire. In addition to simply adding particular flourishes, try different sizes, combinations, and slants.

 8 Find individual elements that you like. What works? What doesnt? What suits your personality?

9 Combine your favorite elements into one signature.

 10 Practice this new signature over and over until writing it feels natural. And remember, you can always change the writing .

Warnings

Be careful with how often you change your signature, as it may result in identity confusion if it doesn't match your ID, driver's license, the way you have signed up at the bank, or even your library card.

Keep your official signature fairly simple. Having to recreate an elaborate, time-consuming monstrosity every time you buy groceries will get old quickly.

How to Improve Your IQ

Intelligence Quotient, is a scientific assessment of your intelligence derived from standardized tests that measure problem solving abilities, spatial imagery, memory, general knowledge, and other factors. While there are limits based on native intelligence levels, recent studies have shown that it's possible to increase your intelligence. We'll show you some ways to make this happen. Take risks with your brain. Have you become a Scrabble master, able toss out 40-point words even when your rack looks like EEIOAUC? Fine, congratulations. Now go become a Sudoku master. When you reach that goal, move on. Become a Go master, or chess expert.

Once you become good at a particular skill, your brain stops working as hard. It doesn't expend the resources, or trigger that dopamine rush that helps make you smarter. Feel free to continue to wallop the competition in Scrabble, but keep finding new "brain games" to explore.

2 Play logic/strategy games. In 2008, scientists Susanne Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl devised a method that would increase "fluid intelligence"the ability to draw connections between things, solve problems, and adapt to new situations. By having test subjects pay attention to two

different streams of information, they found they exhibited a significant gain in reasoning abilities.[1]

A game based on this study using dual n-back tasks can be found at http://www.soakyourhead.com/dual-n-back.aspx.

3. Play video games. Games can be a great way to stimulate the brain. Try to play a game that is out of your usual range of choices. It will help you think differently. Especially look for games that provide you with problems to solve or force you to think quickly. o Scientific studies have shown that playing the popular game Tetris leads to more efficient brain activity; as players become more proficient at the game, their brains show a reduced consumption of glucose (the body's main fuel).[2] The conclusions of this study point out that glucose consumption is reduced when learning has taken place. This would be expected as when a person becomes more proficient in any activity, the effort required decreases. o When playing first person shooter games, try to get into the atmosphere, look at details, think every move as if it were real. This way you don't mindlessly finish the game, and you stimulate the brain to think more than just using reflexive actions. 4. 4 Work on challenging your brain in new ways. Try cryptology, for example. This is when a message is written in codes and you try to figure it out. It's challenging for some, but after a while may even become enjoyable. All logic puzzles are great.

o o

Do logic and lateral thinking puzzles. These help you explore new areas, and solve problems in different ways. Practice crosswords and sudoku. These activities stimulate your mind and thought processes. People may not normally consider word searches thought-provoking, but if practiced in addition to other mind games, they could prove to be easy and stimulating.

Exercise The Body, Exercise The Brain 1. 1 Get physical, and exercise your body. Keeping your body fit as well as your mind is a greatand scientifically provenway to enhance brain power. 2. 2 Expand your boundaries. Just like sitting at your desk all day is bad for your physical self, sitting in the same mental seat all the time is bad for your brain. To break out of that, make it a lifelong goal to continually learn new things.

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Study art and architecture, to see a visual representation of the mind in action. Try a new way to drive to work, or a novelty such as bungee jumping, or devoting some part of your life to becoming an excellent painter. The "what" is not as important as the actual doing. New experiences trigger a release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which increases neurons and create a sense of pleasure.[3] The more you learn, the more you'll know, and your intelligence will grow as a result.

3. 3 Think of new ways to do old things. If you drive to work every day, and every day you take the same road, it becomes routineeven if it's an hourlong commute. You get to know every turn, every pothole, every bottleneck, every red light, and every speed trap. It becomes so commonplace that you stop paying attention to it. You stop thinking. Anything you do by rote will curtail your thinking process. Break that habit.
o

For example, find a different way to work each day. Some ways may take a few minutes longer, some may be shorter. Do it on the way home, and you don't have to worry about being late! If like to write by creating a draft longhand first, then entering it into the computer when done, try entering each day's work as you go. You may discover something about your writing, or about a character, that you didn't realize as you wrote it out.

4.

Anything that shakes up your mechanical approach to something is a potential rut to break away from.

4 Perseverance furthers. Ignore limiting stereotypes such as "An old dog cannot learn new tricks." Imagine the success you will feel when you bump your IQ score up ten points! Like anything else, your brain functions better when used. Actively exercising your brain has even been linked to staving off problems such as Alzheimer's Disease.[4]

4. 5. 5 Write whenever possible. Send a note instead of an email, or write a draft of a paper (or an outline) in longhand versus on your computer. It will increase visual and kinesthetic stimulation.
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Try writing with your non-dominant hand. Writing with your opposite hand can, in fact, lead to stimulation of the side of the brain that is opposite to that hand. So perhaps a southpaw could go righty and think more logically, or a righty could try going left-handed to be more creative. Keep in mind this is only a hypothesis, but worth exploring.

6. 6 Excel in school and have a better career. There is a huge amount of evidence substantiating the correlation between excellent grades and better intelligence. Good grades are the path to better careers and better ways of life.
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Scientific encephalopathy case studies show that the brains of sophisticated professionals are anatomically larger, healthier and having more prominent convolutions, whereas the labour workers have much thinner neocortex, implicating lower than average intelligence. This is because the labourers do not use their brains often. Intense learning which is required by many challenging, professional careers can certainly trigger neurogenesis and improve brain's cognitive capacity.

Enjoy Society and Culture 1. 1 Expose yourself. Be active in your community, with social media, and with the world around you. The more you are involved with other people, with other opinions, and other ideas, the more you will learn. You may not always agree with what you learn or find out, but by challenging your preconceived notions, you will either strengthen your own beliefs, or adapt, grow, and adopt new beliefs based on new information.

2. 2 Be observant. Part of "being smart" is being aware of things at a higher level, and understanding (or developing an understanding of) the correlations among what might otherwise seem to be disparate or random events.
o

For example, you see that two cars, heading in the opposite direction, collided head-on. Thinking simply, one could say "oops, accidents happen," and leave it at that. If you expand your observation, you may discover meta-factors that created the conditions that led to the crash: ice on the road may have caused one car to lose traction; perhaps the two cars were heading the opposite direction on a one-way street. Or

perhaps there was a dog in one car who, excited by the sight of a dog on the side of the road, jumped onto the driver's lap; the driver lost control, and hit the other car. Expansive observations can be to more productive areas as well architecture, art, and astronomy, for example, and that's just starting with the the As!

3. 3 Listen to classical music. The Mozart effect have show that by listening to classical music for only 10 minutes, a short-term improvement of eight or nine points can be measured. This could have a longer-term effect, but may take somebody with a large IQ to prove it! 4. 4 Read voraciously. Reading enhances the mind's ability to comprehend, as well as encouraging you to think critically. Reading a book that you have never read before broadens your horizons, thus increasing your IQ.
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Reading different genres is even more productive, as well as reading newspapers, current events magazines, multi-content periodicals (such as the New Yorker), even technical manuals. Make sure the book is in your reading level. Reading something that is too easy for you doesn't do anything but entertain, and while you may increase your IQ by reading a novel beyond your reading level, constantly referring to a dictionary will sap the joy out of reading.

Don't Stop Learning 1. 1 Keep track of your progress. Take a weekly IQ test and record your results. If you would like to view your improvements, consider placing the results on a line graph using Excel or another graph-compatible spreadsheet program. (See external links for a free, tested online IQ test).

Bear in mind that many online IQ tests are not legitimate, and many ask for a mobile number at the end for the results. These are spam. The IQ quiz that could be considered the true IQ quiz is the StanfordBinet and is the only true IQ test accepted by universities.

Tips

Sleep. In order to store information into the long-term memory, you need to get enough sleep to transfer the short-term into the long-term. Studies show that on average, a teenager gets a bump up a grade on a test (A- -A, C+-C, etc) if he or she studies over a few weeks, and for every fifteen minutes in excess of 8 hours of sleep they get, their grade gets the bump up. Remember, this in on average. The bump up will increase or remain the same depending on the student. Just remember, it is a proven fact that sleeping longer stores more information into the long-term memory. Turn off the TV and put your mind to work! This also means mindless reading as stimulation is the key. Take a topic and learn it thoroughly in order to understand it. Do cardiovascular exercise and cut down on fatty foods to circulate the blood flow to your brain. Play games like chess and crossword puzzles. They help you to think and it can be fun at the same time. Use a Rubik's Cube, 15-puzzle, or other toy to pass the time instead of watching TV.

Eat brain food. Fish is one such brain food. However, avoid fish such as Tuna, as it often contains a high amount of mercury. Also try an Omega 3 or fish oil supplement. These also have great effects on your health. Exercise. This increases blood flow to the brain-resulting also in increased thought/memory. Substitute sugary drinks for water and eat fruits and vegetables regularly. Take nice, slow deep breaths when you are in thought.

Warnings

Don't ever think that there isn't a way to remember something. We have a lot to work with. Not only that, but there are several types of memory aid techniques and strategies, such as mnemonics.