Using a Comfortable, Quality Pen

Using a Comfortable, Quality Pen

I’ve been asked on many occasions just how important the actual pen they use would be in either writing or handwriting analysis.

Comfort in writing and ease of writing is incredibly important. I have had people declare that they cannot write at all with a fine-tipped pen; others insist they need a medium-tipped ballpoint pen. More people today request gel pens because it makes it easier and more fun for them to write.

With everything and everyone moving faster than the proverbial speed of light, ease of writing becomes that much more critical. Bic’s ReAction Pen, for example, has the writer feeling that their hand is dancing and even racing across the page, a delightful combination of the solidity of the ballpoint pen and the flowing ease of a gel pen. For those who grip the pen heavily and develop calloused skin on the sides of their fingers, the soft rubber grip of this particular pen will be a welcome relief for many.

I asked a representative of Laywine’s Pens on 25 Belair in Yorkville, Toronto why people choose a high quality writing instrument. She said it was a matter of aesthetics, together with the pleasure of having and using a well-balanced pen in your hand.

The Laywine’s expert also said the importance of a high-quality pen had to do with the quality of the ink flow. As people push the paper with the pen, they’re looking for the good feeling of the ink flowing and the satisfaction in producing the line of the pen that you create on paper.

Further, the Laywine’s expert told me that a fine quality pen would satisfy the visual needs of the person using the pen, analogous to a nice graphic design poster. There is an element of art insofar as the aspect of visual art, with the look of the letter as it is being shaped with a fine-quality pen.

Finally, many people feel they attain a higher status in using a high-quality pen, similar to the status they would attain from driving a top-of-the-line car.

As far as I’m concerned, there is a ‘sensuality’ attached to seeing a line of substance and some texture produced from a writing instrument. Seeing and using a beautiful, top-quality pen can fulfill an artistic side of people they may not even be aware they need to feel and express!

Be sure to view my 5-minute “Power of the Pen” DVD on my Home Page at www.handwritinganalysistoronto.com

Importance of Cursive Writing - Part 3

Importance of Cursive Writing - Part 3


Learning disabilities expert Betty Sheffield has found that, “handwriting allows access to kinesthetic memory, the earliest, strongest and most reliable memory channel. Put simply, when children write what they have learned, they learn it better.”

Here is a quote from “What America Lost: Tracking Attitude Changes Through Handwriting” by Sallie Bolich: “In the early nineties, Jeanette Farmer, a Certified Graphoanalyst in Denver Colorado learned of a study, completed in 160 by Dr. Rudolf Pophal, a German neurologist and graphologist, which proved handwriting actually creates a physiological/psychological link in the brain. … Her theory was that ‘push pulls’ and ‘ovals’, those drills so strictly administered long ago, aided development of neural pathways to the brain thought to improve impulse control, thus increasing the students’ ability to concentrate.”

Handwriting does require a significant amount of practice, perseverance, focus and concentration. Handwriting stabilizes the emotional brain because of the repetitive and rhythmic manipulation of the thumb and forefinger over time. This involves the development of the prefrontal cortex part of the brain. The word ‘focus’ is important: Studies show that children who are able to focus perform better in many areas of their life. Therefore, practicing handwriting until it becomes an ‘automatic skill’ is one of the best avenues to develop ‘focus’.

As the writing skill develops, so does the hand-brain-eye coordination that can be transferred to other tasks. Some researchers believe the brain paths created by developing the eye-hand co-ordination at an early age will lead to higher brain function later.

Throughout history, when the importance of handwriting was emphasized, the literacy of the population was enhanced. Historically there have been many cycles of literacy to illiteracy: The one fact that has been consistent is that during times when the population was not literate, the people went through more difficulties.

Writing focuses attention: Both the mechanical skill and creative intellectual processes are developed. Like it or not, people still judge you by your handwriting—some employers judge you by your handwriting.



Be sure to view my 5-minute “Power of the Pen” DVD on my Home Page at www.handwritinganalysistoronto.com