How to write faster? (physically)

3raser10

it may sound stupid but it is a huge issue for me right now as I am going in 6th year I am getting stressed about it so I'd really appreciate any advice/tips...please!

dee_mc

3raser10 wrote: »

it may sound stupid but it is a huge issue for me right now as I am going in 6th year I am getting stressed about it so I'd really appreciate any advice/tips...please!

Practice really is the only answer, practice writing absolutely anything and after a while your speed will naturally improve.

a0ifee

it's not stupid, pretty common problem I'd say, a lot of people struggle with timing in the exam!

I'd say your best bet is to just practise writing, write anything but set yourself goals, like maybe write 3 a4 in X minutes etc.! Don't see any easier alternative to be honest..

Jade.

Do your homework with set times. If you've to write an essay in X minutes in the exam only allow yourself the same amount of time for homework. Eventually with practice you'll find yourself writing faster and getting them done in your set time.

Flintlock

Maybe use a lighter pen or accustom yourself to using a particular type of pen

Tweej

Just remember to stay focused. In my English exam I'd notice that I started writing slower and slower and slower. Just concentrate and force yourself to write faster.

shootie

If you get stressed about writing faster it will impact on your work, just try and write at the fastest pace comfortable and your natural speed should continue. I got caught out in my History exam for slow writing though so I'm quite the hypocrite , but it's a mental thing more than anything. Learn to time all of your questions, study the exam layout and marks given for each question and allocate a time to do a question and study from there.

Corvo Attano

Its all determination and practice. Like running actually. My writing was dreadfully slow and by the end of 6th year I had becme one of the fastest.

For starters try write smaller and with smaller spaces between words.

beveragelady

A big problem that I see a lot is that primary schools teach joined handwriting at quite a late stage now. Sometimes they only get to it in sixth class. Kids leave primary school and about 80% never use joined handwriting again. They seem to be stuck on a rounded babyish style, which is much slower (and inhibits literacy). It also makes a terrible impression, a bit like somebody talking in a baby voice and expecting to be taken seriously.
I don't know if you use joined handwriting, but if you don't you should definitely start practicing. It won't take you long to find a style that suits you, and you will soon see an increase in speed.
If you already are using joined handwriting maybe you're putting too much time into ornate curlicues or fancy capital letters.
Whatever your situation, the solution is to practice!

endacl

Get off the computer and stop typing things. Writing is a skill like any other. If you're not using it you're losing it.

Found This Fork Sir

Pretty much what beverage lady said, using joined writing is much faster than seperated, I've found anyways. Aswell, if you lean very hard on your pen when writing, try not leaning so much. I write fastest when my pen is barely touching the page.

Disclaimer: This advice may cause your handwriting to look terrible, mine's impossible to read.

Corvo Attano

I ended up with a half joint half print abomination.

Found This Fork Sir

Mine ended up somewhat like that, I had to change certain joined letters to strange cursive versions of the print letters so that my teachers would stop thinking I was so imcompetent that I couldn't use capital letters. My capital letters sometimes looked like small letters before the handwriting overhaul.

Corvo Attano

I quite like mine though. A degree of the speed of joint with the clarity of print.

Yoghurt87

Practice writing, yes, but also practice muscular relaxation. Focus in particular on your hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder. It's important to be able to consciously recognise and relax tension in your arm, as if it builds up (which is understandable in an exam situation) it can lead to stiffness and cramp which will slow you down and make you uncomfortable.

Your aim is fluid, steady, and sustainable movement - have a go at practising while listening to different tempo music and see if this affects your pace and writing quality. If you find a beat that works for you, it might help to incorporate this into the exam setting by humming a few bars to remind yourself of your optimum speed.

3raser10

Vito Corleone wrote: »

Never learned cursive writing properly (so just write normally) and I am an awful fast writer when in exams. In class it was a different story though. Would it not waste a lot of time if the OP started joint writing now (assuming they don't usually write that way)?

my writing is cursive I start writing fast then after only a few minutes my hand gets really tired. I guess lack of practise is the reason

maniac2000

Just write all your notes as fast as you can while keeping the writing legible of course and eventually your hand will adapt! Nothing else!

sleepyheadh

sorry but some of this advice is terrible. i had the same problem last year, went to occupational therapy and the like to try and sort it out. basically she said there is no real way to change the way you write, not this late into it anyway. personally i agree with her. i found it impossible to improve my writing. it can also be very stressful as people just tell you to write faster and relax this and squeeze that.

saying someone how writes in block is the same as a person speaking with a baby voice is one of the most ridiculous things i have ever heard.

my advice would be to look into a laptop. that is what i did and it made all the difference. after english and geography i had no hand pain. also it stops you from thinking about your handwriting when you should be focusing on the exam.

now is the time to do this, as it does take awhile to really build up some speed.

best of luck.

sleepyheadh

" If you find a beat that works for you, it might help to incorporate this into the exam setting by humming a few bars to remind yourself of your optimum speed."

is this a joke?

Corvo Attano

sleepyheadh wrote: »

sorry but some of this advice is terrible. i had the same problem last year, went to occupational therapy and the like to try and sort it out. basically she said there is no real way to change the way you write, not this late into it anyway. personally i agree with her. i found it impossible to improve my writing. it can also be very stressful as people just tell you to write faster and relax this and squeeze that.

You found it impossible. I didnt. Don't tell the OP that there is nothing they can do because that is just not true.

sleepyheadh wrote: »

my advice would be to look into a laptop. that is what i did and it made all the difference. after english and geography i had no hand pain. also it stops you from thinking about your handwriting when you should be focusing on the exam.

Since when is the LC available on laptops?

beveragelady

sleepyheadh wrote: »

saying someone how writes in block is the same as a person speaking with a baby voice is one of the most ridiculous things i have ever heard.

.

Talk to people who correct leaving cert English. (Maybe other subjects too, but English is my area.) Even with the PCLM system there are still discretionary marks as the scheme leaves room for subjectivity. Baby handwriting leaves a particular impression. Maybe it's not right, maybe it's not fair, but it's a fact.
Another fact is that joined handwriting is faster, and more conducive to habitual proper spelling. Ahem, sleepyhead...

A laptop is available in some 'special needs' cases in for state exams. A physical disability, for example, might qualify a candidate for a special centre and a laptop submission, but that would have to be sought through the school. If you managed your junior cert on paper and nothing has changed since then I doubt you'd qualify for a laptop for the leaving cert. There's probably no harm looking into it, but don't count on it, it's a long shot. An inability to write fast enough is not a specific disability and the department of education isn't as generous with special centres and other resources as they used to be.
Practice is the answer, there's no quick solution.

Yoghurt87

sleepyheadh wrote: »

" If you find a beat that works for you, it might help to incorporate this into the exam setting by humming a few bars to remind yourself of your optimum speed."

is this a joke?

No sleepyheadh, at least it wasn't intended to be. It was just a suggestion, based on the influence of music tempo on speed in driving, exercise, piano-playing (metronome), dancing, etc. Having a rhythm that the OP has practised to might offer a distraction from the stress of thinking 'I should be writing faster' and serve as a cue to relax the hand physically if it's becoming tense.

Incidentally, as you mentioned occupational therapy in your previous post, music is sometimes incorporated into OT programmes for handwriting (e.g. Callirobics) and has been demonstrated to improve therapeutic effect. These would more commonly be used by paediatric OTs or by those working in special education settings, but there's no reason to believe the same strategies wouldn't be as effective with older teenagers and adults.

sleepyheadh

ok so, Corvo Attano: - firstly getting a laptop in the in leaving is very simply. all you have to do is fill in the forms, have an O.T to sign off that it would be appropriate - which they will do if you say you have pain or the speed of your handwriting is affecting your performance. i have done all of this only last year. you then have to provide two sample of your work and thats it. the LC is now "available on laptops" as you put it.

the whole thing about there being things available. yes, i am sure there are things, but the OP only has 9months here. all these things take time, whereas i'm sure the OP has been typing for a while now and would certainly be the quickest to improve.

beveragelady:

i have talked to many people who correct english. anyone who really properly corrects english or other subjects for that matter are not influenced by the quality of the handwriting. someone who writes in "baby writing" as you put it will be marked the same as a person who uses cursive. it kind of worries me that you seem to be in a position where you could be correcting LC papers!

And by the way - "Another fact is that joined handwriting is faster, and more conducive to habitual proper spelling. Ahem, sleepyhead..." - somehow i must have missed when this "fact" was announced. do you have any proof that cursive is faster or in fact is more conducive to habitual proper spelling?

your thing about if you managed the Jc the Lc is be the same is ridiculous. i did my JC on paper and my Lc of laptop. in fact i did my first LC on paper and the second one i did was on a laptop. it is a very simply process and anyone who really seeks it out will get it. when you mentioned it wasn't a specific learning disability to have slow handwriting ,no one thinks it is. it is a special consideration.

Yoghurt87: you obviously don't have any experience with handwriting issues. as someone who has had grave issues with the subject - to me, that suggestion is ludicrous. Saying that handwritten speed is comparable to driving, exercise, piano-playing (metronome), and dancing is crazy.

yes i have looked into calliorbics, i question if you have because when you do it is ridiculous. suggesting it to someone who has only 9 months to improve their handwriting is not helpful. plus the fact that the OP is most probably experiencing some stress and has not got the kind of time in invest in "air drawing" and the like.

3raser10

sleepyheadh wrote: »

sorry but some of this advice is terrible. i had the same problem last year, went to occupational therapy and the like to try and sort it out. basically she said there is no real way to change the way you write, not this late into it anyway. personally i agree with her. i found it impossible to improve my writing. it can also be very stressful as people just tell you to write faster and relax this and squeeze that.

saying someone how writes in block is the same as a person speaking with a baby voice is one of the most ridiculous things i have ever heard.

my advice would be to look into a laptop. that is what i did and it made all the difference. after english and geography i had no hand pain. also it stops you from thinking about your handwriting when you should be focusing on the exam.

now is the time to do this, as it does take awhile to really build up some speed.

best of luck.

thanks but i don't think any of this advice is terrible & no I hardly think I'd be allowed to type instead of write so I REALLY need to practise and hopefully this time next year I'll be one of the fastest writers (one can hope :P)

sleepyheadh

3raser10 wrote: »

no I hardly think I'd be allowed to type instead of write

if you want to you can its really easy, but if you want to do some calliobics you can but jsut remember the longer you leave the laptop the hardier it is to get. there are cut off dates and the like, so dont leave it to late:)

Amirani

I got an A1 writing in block handwriting so I don't know what you're ****ting on about. Plenty of people in the real World (outside of the academic enclave some teachers seem to inhabit) use block writing because it's far easier to read, which is sort of the point of writing.

OP, if you don't currently write joined then I wouldn't suggest trying to learn now. It's a really awful suggestion.

3raser10

sleepyheadh wrote: »

if you want to you can its really easy, but if you want to do some calliobics you can but jsut remember the longer you leave the laptop the hardier it is to get. there are cut off dates and the like, so dont leave it to late:)

well...I'll give it a shot when school starts ( i don't think I'd be allowed to but still)

sleepyheadh

NiallSparky wrote: »

I got an A1 writing in block handwriting so I don't know what you're ****ting on about. Plenty of people in the real World (outside of the academic enclave some teachers seem to inhabit) use block writing because it's far easier to read, which is sort of the point of writing.

OP, if you don't currently write joined then I wouldn't suggest trying to learn now. It's a really awful suggestion.

well said!

the_syco

Learn to write with the other hand? Although this sounds odd, after writing for a while, your hand will tire. Being able to write fast with both hands will enable you to continue to write at speed when your main writing hand becomes tired. But only if you've at least a year before the exams!

Please ensure you learn how to write with the secondary hand with someone who writes with that hand/ EG; if learning to write left-handed, learning it from someone who writes right-handed won't do you any favours.

sleepyheadh

the_syco wrote: »

Learn to write with the other hand? Although this sounds odd, after writing for a while, your hand will tire. Being able to write fast with both hands will enable you to continue to write at speed when your main writing hand becomes tired. But only if you've at least a year before the exams!

Please ensure you learn how to write with the secondary hand with someone who writes with that hand/ EG; if learning to write left-handed, learning it from someone who writes right-handed won't do you any favours.

ok ok now that is a joke, right?

dee_mc

I also got an A1 in English using block writing, my cursive becomes borderline illegible when I write quickly so I made a conscious decision to write in block. It didn't effect my speed of writing.
Presumably the ideal balance would be to write quickly and legibly; OP sounds sensible enough to make up his/her own mind whether this will be achieved by cursive or block writing!
I've never heard of students being penalised for using a particular type of writing; while I can imagine a marker might be biased in favour of the work of students whose writing could be more easily understood, having worked with exam papers and knowing how papers are marked according to marking schemes, it's clear that such bias could not be translated into better marks for better writing!

Yoghurt87

Just to clarify for sleepyheadh, the suggestion I made to the OP was to give a try at writing while playing different types of music, and evaluate for him/herself whether anything of use could be taken from that and adapted to the exam situation.

I did not suggest that the OP try callirobics, I was just giving an example of how one programme, directed at improving handwriting, integrates music into a broader programme which also looks at posture, writing utensils, attention, relaxation, etc. Handwriting without Tears is probably the most widely used programme in schools here for children with handwriting difficulties, and again they adopt a multisensory approach to teaching which also has demonstrated results.

I accept that you disagree with the concept that handwriting in adulthood can be meaningfully improved, and I'm sorry that you had a negative experience with this in the past. The OP posed an open-minded request for help and I offered a suggestion in that spirit, no less than your own.

OP - I wish you luck and hope you will continue to get some helpful suggestions coming through. And very best wishes with your LC year

sleepyheadh

i think the OP might find Handwriting without tears may be a might offensive to their intellect, i mean it is designed for people in the fourth grade! 9 or 10 year olds max.

i know thats what you suggested but i find the idea of the OP sitting down in june to take english paper 1 and humming "whole lot of love" by Zeppelin. even you must see it is completely farcical and i tad insulting.

but yeah OP check out http://www.hwtears.com it should be good for a few laughs ;-)

spurious

It's never too late to learn how to write properly.

One thing many people do wrong is they grip the pen too tightly which makes the hand tire easily.

3raser10

sleepyheadh wrote: »

i think the OP might find Handwriting without tears may be a might offensive to their intellect, i mean it is designed for people in the fourth grade! 9 or 10 year olds max.

i know thats what you suggested but i find the idea of the OP sitting down in june to take english paper 1 and humming "whole lot of love" by Zeppelin. even you must see it is completely farcical and i tad insulting.

but yeah OP check out http://www.hwtears.com it should be good for a few laughs ;-)

s/he didn't mean exactly this programme...was using it as an example so its all good

3raser10

NiallSparky wrote: »

I got an A1 writing in block handwriting so I don't know what you're ****ting on about. Plenty of people in the real World (outside of the academic enclave some teachers seem to inhabit) use block writing because it's far easier to read, which is sort of the point of writing.

OP, if you don't currently write joined then I wouldn't suggest trying to learn now. It's a really awful suggestion.

I write joined (yet slow :mad:)

the_syco

sleepyheadh wrote: »

ok ok now that is a joke, right?

Not really. Some people find that they can pick up the skill quite easy, although most of us will fail badly. Some people got to write left handed, some left handed people were only taught to write right handed, but can pick up the skill quite easily. A small percentage, but something one should look at nevertheless.

spurious wrote: »

One thing many people do wrong is they grip the pen too tightly which makes the hand tire easily.

To add to this; I d get into this habit with most thin cheap ball point pens. Having a slightly thicker pen can mean that you can grip it more comfortably, and thus more lighter. Finally, something not so cheap means that you don't have to press it down so hard onto the paper, and so can write faster. If you find this is the case, it may be worth your while getting two or three such pens for the exam.

CookieMonster.x

I can write quite quickly while being able to actually read it at the same time. One of the things I noticed while taking down notes is that people lean over the table to write. This takes up time as you have to look up again to read and then back down to write. I sit up straight and barely move my head, just my eyes. It helps that I can write without looking. As well as that, some people tend to spend a long time perfecting their handwriting.. It will still be legible if your Os aren't perfect! Another thing would be not to lean too hard on your pen. Not only does it slow you up but it also gets sore after a while.
Try writing a page from a book and try to do it in a shorter time each time while still keeping your writing legible. Hope this helps!