While some people seemed to be blessed with beautiful and expressive penmanship, others spend their entire adult lives wondering why their handwriting resembles a child’s clumsy scrawl. Fortunately, there are many tactics you can use to improve your handwriting.

In today’s computer-driven society, opportunities to practice penmanship and improve your handwriting are few and far between. However, regular practice is the most important step to improve your handwriting. Learning to write is similar to learning how to throw a baseball—you can’t expect perfect results on the first try.

To improve your handwriting, it is helpful to analyze your penmanship to determine what you like and don’t like about your lettering style. Are your letters slanted too far in one direction? Are some of your letters noticeably larger or smaller than others? Is the spacing between words uneven? Compare your handwriting to the writing of your friends, family, and coworkers to see how you measure up. Knowing what areas need improvement will make the process to improve your handwriting much easier.

There are many people who believe that your choice of writing instrument will affect your handwriting. To improve your handwriting, visit your local stationary store and pick up a variety of pens. Many people find that their handwriting improves when they use a fountain pen, but you may have your own preferences as well.

Proper technique is often the key to good handwriting. Research has found that many people who have poor handwriting form the letters with their fingers. They put the full weight of their hand on the paper, use the fingers to form the letters, and pick the hand up repeatedly to move it across the paper. This results in a tight, cramped lettering style. To improve your handwriting, let your shoulders and forearms do most of the work. Your fingers should only serve as the guides to forming your letters.

For some individuals, posture has a minor affect on handwriting as well. When you’re slumped in the chair, it’s difficult to form your letters properly. Sit up straight when you write to give your arm enough room to move across the page.

If you’re serious about learning to improve your handwriting, consider taking a calligraphy course. Local community colleges often sponsor short calligraphy courses that you can take even if you’re not enrolled as a full-time student. Although calligraphy is most often used to address wedding invitations or create decorative art pieces, the techniques you learn will improve your everyday handwriting as well.