That may not make any sense, but I'm a very good writer as an adult -- and I attribute it partially to the care I took as a kid when writing by hand as carefully as possible to avoid mistakes, avoid crossing things out, etc.
Yup, same here. Doing crosswords in pen also helped.
I love word processors. Spell check. Grammar and punctuation check. Control c, control x control v. Love, love, love it! So much better than a typewriter and no need for white out or a correction tape. No piles of crumpled paper with one error marring the entire page.
Yes, I learned the Palmer Method. Hated every second. I studied calligraphy as a part of an ad design course. Slightly better than cursive and more creative, but not something I would spend time doing unless required.
The old documents from the 18th century are full of those Germanic-looking letters that, for me, were always confusing. I can read them, but it is almost an act of translation at times. I get the idea of the connection formed when deciphering old script, but I think I tend more to see the entire page as a work of art. Typeface is better, for me, when I am reading for content.
Effort for its own sake could just as easily be applied to content as to form. Excessive care given to the handwritten form could just as likely stunt the expression of thought. I like putting thoughts into words, but I would rather spend the time honing the thoughts and polishing the language than tediously forming each letter or word. Sometimes, while writing, a thought occurs that needs to have been inserted prior. Pre-word processors, that meant re-writing/re-typing entire sections. Now, it means going to the correct spot and simply inserting the addition. It is one of the technological advances I would miss mightily if it were to disappear.
I took lecture notes in my own version of Speed Writing when I was in college. Part script, part printing, lots of diagramming, underlining, etc. It sufficed, but I also remember hand cramps and that funny callus on the outside of the little finger on my right hand. Typing notes as a study exercise also resulted in worse carpal tunnel symptoms than using my nice ergonomic keyboard.
I write stories and wrote poetry when younger. I think my thoughts flow unimpeded with a word processor and I can correct either on the fly or in a short time proof reading when I am finished.
Pretty handwriting is a nice accomplishment. Maybe it fosters disciplined thought. But it was, for me, IMO, a waste of time and effort.
I’ve read a lot of your posts and you write well because you know what you are talking about, you think about what you are saying and have the vocabulary and experiences to illustrate those thoughts. You may credit your having learned Palmer Method, but it is just as likely your own careful way of thought and communication. Certainly, you aren’t hand writing your FR posts!
The thing about Rachael is she can’t read at all, let alone write beyond a signature. She was primed to say *cursive*. She is undisciplined in thought, word and deed. She lives in a world that values appearance and attitude over substance and accomplishment, but she is far from unique in that. You could observe that she is an exemplar of the current age and many of us are obsolete relics. And that would unfortunately be correct.