I’m sure any handwriting analyst would have a field day if they looked through my journals.
Have you ever taken the time to really look at your own handwriting? I look through old college notebooks and I’m stunned at how sloppy it’s become over the years.
What it really boils down to, though, is that I currently have two main styles of handwriting:
- The “I Have Plenty of Time To Write Because This Isn’t Too Important” style, and…
- The “I Have The Best Idea I’ve Ever Had In My Life And My Writing Can’t Keep Up With My Brain” style.
Behold…Sample No. 1.
While it’s not as neat as my handwriting would have been when I was, say, 14 years old, it’s still dramatically better than the stuff I usually write down most of the time these days.
And that brings me to Sample No. 2.
This one just screams, “Ohmygosh! I just saw someone holding a sign by the side of the road and what if they were part of a traveling band and this would make a great story idea so I’d better write it down before it slips my mind and what if they also didn’t own a pet–just a plastic cactus–as one of their little personality quirks but they actually fed and watered it and dsifouwnoiuwn…”
However, I have recently begun wandering into some new handwriting territory. There’s the “Quirky Thought But I Still Have To Write It On Whatever Scrap Of Paper Is Within Reach” style…
And the “Yeah, I’m Done” style…for the days when writer’s block strikes.
If my handwriting starts to morph into Morse code, it might be time to start recording my thoughts.