The Pleasure of Writing in Cursive
I was never able to let go of handwriting, finding it too beautiful an art to allow it to wither away. I enjoy sitting back with a notebook and feeling my pen glide over crisp paper. My hand flows as it wishes, handling each curve with easy precision. As I watch the page fill itself with loosely rounded letters I smile in relief, thinking to myself that I still have it.
When I write in cursive, I see how well it engages my brain and unleashes creativity. The beautiful handwritten words, the pretty pen and bright-coloured notebook take centre stage as does my breathing. When handwriting quietly for pleasure, our breath appears to be almost in synch with each stroke of the pen, breathing in when the letter curves up and breathing out with the letter curves down. The full experience is meditative and visually soothing
It also feels artistic, almost like drawing. The more empty lines I see on the page, the more words I want to write to fill them in, simply because it feels nice. When that first page is complete, I turn it over and write on the reverse side. And when there is no room left on that page, I turn to the other side of the notebook and relish that wonderful sensation of placing my hand on a stack of fresh paper. New words and ideas come flooding in and the pen glides even better.
Continues below.
It’s exercise for our hands as well. We feel the muscles working, sometimes forcing us to stop to wiggle our fingers or massage our palms; just for a minute. It’s a good pain. The kind of pain experienced after a light workout. The ache that tells our body it needed to move and that we pushed it just enough to activate underused muscles. Definitely, not the acute stabbing carpel tunnel pain from continuously using a mouse and keyboard. No eye strain either.
I wrote this piece in my notebook before typing it on my computer. I’m now less relaxed as I type. The glare from my computer, the tapping of the keys and my posture are all distracting me from the art and pleasure of writing. The computer is now the focus of attention, not the gentle sweeps of my hand.
I’ve come to accept my need to sit at my desk or in a comfortable armchair with a pen and some lovely paper for my ideas and thoughts to feel real, which is why I always turn to handwriting for anything that is truly meaningful. If you haven’t yet returned to cursive writing, do come back. You just may rediscover an unbelievably liberating practice that nurtures heart, body and soul.
“Don’t be ‘a writer’. Be writing.”
TEXT BY FATIMA RIZZO