Sunday, March 01, 2009

Let's talk about writing

Handwriting, that is. In my few turns around the block I've established a few things, hey let's agree to call them 'facts' heh heh, that I believe are related:

1. Writers have dreadful handwriting, but designers have beautiful handwriting.

2. When writers were kids they hated colouring in, but when designers were kids, they loved colouring in.

Sweeping generalisations? Me? Allow me to continue with a few more, um, facts:

1. Designers want things to look good, therefore they care about what their handwriting looks like.

2. Designers have some innate artistic ability, therefore they are able to make their handwriting look good.

3. Writers couldn't care less what things look like, as long as they have time to write.

4. Writers couldn't care less what things look like, it's the contents that matter.

5. Taking three and four together, ergo writers don't care what their handwriting looks like.

6. Most writers have zero physical artistic ability. Apart from the ones that are artists as well, and you, my friends are a whole other group of talented beasties, of whom I am merely jealous. Anyway, for the rest of we mere mortal writers, our hands just don't cooperate.

Remember the colouring?

1. The future designer kids wanted things to look good, therefore they cared about keeping things between the lines.

2. The future writer kids got bored. Couldn't care less about the lines. Just wanted to get the darn things finished so we could go and do something else. Honestly, could anything be more boring than filling in a blank space with a blunt crayon? Yes, filling in two blank spaces with a blunt crayon.

3. Hours of devoted colouring strengthened the designers hands. Add in the natural ability, plus the caring - it's the perfect combo for beautiful writing.

4. The writers' hands remained weak and wibbly wobbly. Not only is our writing not beautiful, it's a wild scrawl.

I sooooo qualify to be a writer.

PS If you are a writer with beautiful handwriting who loved colouring in as a child, are you sure you're in the right profession?

18 comments:

writtenwyrdd said...

I used to have beautiful handwriting, but since having wrist problems I have trouble in that I keep accidentally leaving out letters! It sounds weird, but apparently the signal doesn't quite make it to the hands before I am off onto another letter. I think it's a function of the hands not working so fast any longer.

I am more a writer than an artist, so, yep, I'm quite sure that despite my attractive handwriting that was I am in the 'write' field, lol.

jjdebenedictis said...

I can draw and colour well (and write well, I hope), but also have ugly handwriting. Am I a freak? {8-(

Sarah Laurenson said...

Hm. I hate to write in script, so the only thing that I do write that way is my name - when I have to - and it's mostly flatlined.

I print everything.

And I have some natural artistic ability. I wouldn't say I'm an artist as I don't practice that craft and my abilities are fairly rusty as a result.

Not sure where that puts me.

fairyhedgehog said...

I can do a bit of drawing and painting but colouring in? Count me out! As you say, it's excruciatingly boring. I could never understand why they put such emphasis on it at school.

My handwriting is interesting. I write for myself mostly and it can be challenging to work out what I meant. Thank heavens for computers and being able to type.

pacatrue said...

I have to print somewhat legibly on a board several times a week, but otherwise lousy handwriting. I too only print, no cursive script, except the signature -- which is just a vague shape of the first letter of each word and a line. Oh, but I put another line over the second as if there were actually a "t" there.

Robin B. said...

I was gonna say my handwriting is hieroglyphically bad, except really, hieroglyphs are attractive, legible and secret-y, whereas my handwriting is illegible (even to me if I wait too long to reread my notes), unattractive...but, oh, OK, the illegibility does somehow make it look screty-y. So there's that.

So yeah, I'm with you on the handwriting thing.

I used to love to color in, though - although I never made it past the coloring-in stage. My daughters, both artists (as in painting, drawing, etc.) say even my stick figures are bad.

But I did read once that DH Lawrnence also painted - not sure what that means - just thought I'd toss it in.

Blogless Troll said...

I don't know about coloring, but I used to love to take my crayons outside on a sunny day and weld them together with a magnifying glass. Either end to end, or tear the paper off and connect them longways.

My handwriting sucks, but here's what I did. It's still illegible, but now it's illegible with a lot less effort.

Blogless Troll said...

Also, how do I get off the High Threat list? Is there a customer complaint form I can fill out? I'm posting daily totals--that's actual numbers--unlike some who I will not name but who are permanently stuck on the approves of list. If I need to grease the wheels or something let me know.

Robin B. said...

Ha ha, BT! Um....

McKoala said...

Written, Grandma Koala is having a similar problem playing piano since her injury - both hands play perfectly, but one is precisely one beat behind the other.

Ah, JJdeGob, but did you like colouring in? The handwriting is encouraging.

Hm Sarah, you did paint a good quilt. I may have to discount you from my results. Isn't that what all good statisticians do when something doesn't match up? Ditto Robin, out you go. Good FH, good Paca.

BT, I think it's called creativity. Although when my daughter does it with toothpaste on the bathroom wall it's called a mess.

As for your figures, sorry, haven't been round in a while. I've just checked, and, yes, you deserve a Happy Face Koala, good work! As for the rest...dobbing encouraged, remember?

Some of the golden group aren't reporting on their blogs, but direct to me (with apples). Robin's on a holiday for actually finishing her Magnus Opus, Chris emails me, Sylvia comments here - speaking of which, Sylvia??? Who else is there? Sarah? Off to check now...

Blogless Troll said...

I was just kidding. Didn't mean to rat on anyone.

McKoala said...

No, I like dobbers. Saves me the trouble of going around everybody.

Sarah Laurenson said...

No need to check up on me, Ma. I'm flogging myself just fine. Actually starting to get the hang of this every day thing. Still not sure if I like it though. And today it's more about editing than new writing and I have trouble coming up with a word count for that.

Sarah Laurenson said...

You always toss out the high and the low so as not to throw off the average. I'll take the low toss so's I don't hurt myself when I land.

McKoala said...

You're moving up to low, Sarah.

The Koala is keen on editing and thus you get to count either the number of words you started out with, or the number of words you ended up with, whichever is higher.

Sylvia said...

*gives BT a harsh stare*

My handwriting is atrocious. I write really-really-slowly for my blog and it still looks messy although at least it's legible.

My personal notebooks may as well be encrypted - no way can anyone but me read 'em.

PJD said...

Hmm. I've noticed that my handwriting stinks when I have a lot of words to put onto the page (i.e. fast) or if someone else is looking (i.e. self-conscious). If I really hunker down, pay attention, and take my time, then usually I forget what I was going to write and go off to do something else. Melting crayons together is a great idea. We have so many crayons hanging around here and no one to use them any more now that my boys have moved on to colored pencils and permanent indelible markers.

McKoala said...

Hey, Sylvia, just keep your eye on BT now and feel free to tell tales if you see him slacking off...

PJD, send photos of the finished result!