On Writing by Hand (Part 2)
Penmanship and it's arguable hidden powers, looking smart, feeling bougie and justifying one's stationery fetish.
If you’re interested in languages and writing, I recommend a series of books by
, such as his brilliant “Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet”1 and “Language Families of the World”2.Excellent writing either educates or entertains. His books do both in a way that no other books do. I can’t recommend them enough.
In “Ancient Writing and the History of the Alpha“, he asks, “Do you teach your children cursive writing, and if so, why?”
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Last week, we discussed the pros and cons of writing by hand. If you missed it, you can read it here.
This time, I’d like to throw in a few more arguments in favour of penmanship and, hopefully, provide
with my answer to his question.A Complementary Cognitive Artifact
Some practitioners argue that writing by hand is more of a physical act than mental, as is the case when using a computer. I’ve heard claims that the thought would continue lurking in the brain until it was laid down on a crusted tree pulp with a stone stick (graphite), at least for those writing with pencils.
I can see why this could be. Once I realised that more and more people could no longer write by hand, I inevitably made a connection to
’s notion of Complementary vs Competitive Cognitive Artifacts3. Much like operating an abacus, which would progressively develop the visual and motor parts of the brain to perform calculations even without the device, writing by hand might have a similar effect that would grow over time.From personal experience, I know that I don’t need any physical tools to imagine a written word, how it would be written or the idea it’d represent, even if I write predominantly by typing.
Like many, I suffer from the effects of racing thoughts, preventing me from quickly falling asleep at night. These thoughts are mainly useless autobiographical junk. However, now and then, an idea worth capturing would pop up. I’d grab a notebook and a pen from the bedside table and scribble my thoughts in pitch-black darkness. Surprisingly, these notes are legible and quite calligraphic in a lit environment the next day. It’s a few grades worse than when I can see what I’m doing, but it proves that most handwriting ability was forever imprinted in muscle memory.
Crystallisation of Thoughts
If you ever tried to write down your dream or explain something you were sure you knew very well, you might remember how messy your first attempt was. Writing it down, preferably even several times, would iteratively improve your storyline. Gradually, emerging details would be mixed in, confusing ones would be carved out, and you’ll get a feel of the sequence that gets the point across in the most optimal way.4
Improved Memory
Many polyglots recommend creating your flashcards by hand in the early stages of your language-learning quest instead of pre-made ones.
Writing characters or character combinations turns them into reusable tokens you’ll train your brain to recognise. This could be ordinary radicals in Japanese Kanji or sounds represented by groups of letters in German, such as “ch” or “tsch”. Your goal as a student is to acquire muscle memory and a mind-muscle connection similar to the one athletes develop during deliberate practice. The goal is to turn it into an automated machine that is identical to the ability to speak to a passenger, listen to music, and chew gum while driving a car to a familiar destination.
Passion
There’s an incredibly fascinating world of stationery celebrating the art of writing. Its history is rich, and its community is vibrant. Take
’s lovely newsletter, for example.You’ll understand the sentiment if you ever felt the extra motivation to hit the gym after splurging on new athletic apparel. Sometimes, you’ll want to sit down and write simply by using that favourite fountain pen loaded with exotic bottled ink to write on silky-smooth Midori paper. Initial warmup often becomes a full-fledged writing session as you start moving the nib.
Many modern writers consider this seemingly extraneous step paramount despite its downsides. Neil Gaiman’s first drafts are all hand-written for his eyes only. Their subsequent second draft is being typed into a computer, at which point he applies the first portion of edits.
In his essay “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer”5, Wendell Berry describes how his first drafts, written by hand with pen and paper, are later typed by his wife on a Royal standard typewriter.
In his book “The Way Home”6, Mark Boyle also discusses the positive effects of writing his book by hand. Although it might sound like nostalgia or extravaganza to some, it is a crucial ingredient for more creatives than you might think.
Improved Artistic Vision
Another side effect I’ve noticed was that people started complimenting me on how the pages of my handwritten notes looked. Since colour and line variation characteristics of fountain pens and carefully spaced characters on high-quality paper are not commonplace, they often attract the attention of those looking over your shoulder. I feel like the cost of a compliment covers the expenses of my stationery equipment manifold.
Unlocking of Additional Potential
Deliberate practice of writing by hand can be a “proxy drug” to other forms of creativity. For example, you could venture into a drawing to maximise the use of your favourite pens, inks, and high-tech mechanical pencils. There’s a reason why there are so many online classes on creating beautiful illustrated and hand-lettered journals out there.
I was drawn into these murky waters mostly because I could never imagine how much engineering thought goes into writing instruments we take for granted. Even the famous French “BiC” Christal, the cheapest, most ubiquitous pen on the planet, is full of rich historical titbits that, once discovered, will arguably make you a better writer/thinker. And isn’t it what we’re all here for?
(2023). Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet.
McWhorter, J. (2018). Language Families of the World.
https://archive.ieet.org/articles/Danaher20160924.html
Pennebaker, J. W., & Smyth, J. M. (2016). Opening Up by Writing It Down, Third Edition: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain. Guilford Publications.
Berry, W. (2019). The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry. Catapult.
Boyle, M. (2019). The Way Home: Tales from a Life Without Technology. ONEWorld Publications.