Write away

Further to my handwriting concerns...I can't quite believe that a person can get through life without using script. Does it show a lack of introspection? One of the primary uses of my pen is in journalling. Although I know some people keep online journals, I can't imagine myself doing so. I like to curl up with my notebook someplace comfortable, and write to my heart's content. This can be a place that it isn't convenient to have a computer -- in bed, outdoors, in a window seat. There are some journalling instructors who recommend using your non-dominant hand to write with, to access deeply buried thoughts and feelings. The use of this suggests that there is, within handwriting, something integral to thought and self-knowledge. To make writing habitual is thus vitally important. If you need ideas or prompting to begin with, Higher Awareness is a good place to start. I encourage anyone to take up the practice of journalling.
The other frequent use I make of a legible and attractive (I like to think) hand is in letter writing. I still write letters the old fashioned way, and don't believe it is a dying art. I have found many delightful penpals who also enjoy the artistic and meaningful experience of communicating via snail mail. Two good places to search out penpals are at Interpals and Sassociations. A bit of determined searching and you can develop fascinating friendships with people all over the world. If you need encouragement in the fine art of correspondence, try picking up Alexandra Stoddard's appealing guide The Gift of a Letter , or the sadly now defunct magazine Victoria's The Pleasures of Staying in Touch. Either way, these are two marvellous ways to increase the use of a fine hand. And to learn everything you may have ever wanted to know about letter writing as an art, or as a fictional device, check out this great epistolary website.