After finishing the Gregg Anniversary Functional Method, I have been getting confident with writing shorthand within my notes, ensuring my proportions stay accurate. However, I still need to look at the outlines as I write otherwise the readability starts to diminish. Any drill or manuals that can help me improve my ability to write shorthand legibly while not needing to constantly look at what I am writing will be much appreciated.
This may just be a matter of practice, but I am eager for suggestions in order to increase my wpm quicker than it already is.
Thanks, Robbie
There’s this notebook…
I skimmed through it… and I’m noting the last sentence: “you must make the brain as well as the hand work in order that they eventually there may be complete harmony in their operation.”
I remember having read that you “mustn’t draw the forms”. I suppose that the key is to forget the drawing and that it occurs at the end of a thorough practice.
If you look at the photos in McClure’s booklet about shorthand penmanship, the model is looking at the paper.
Being able to write almost automatically is key to shorthand speed. But that doesn’t relate to placement of the writing on a physical piece of paper.
Lee
I’m not sure I’m following what you’re asking. One is supposed to look at the notes when writing (shorthand or longhand) — otherwise, how will one be sure that what is written is correct?
This is similar to typing or keyboarding, where we look either at the screen (what is being produced) and/or the source of what we are typing (if it is printed material) to make sure we’re correct, but we don’t necessarily look at the keyboard (unless we need a weird symbol somewhere and we don’t know where it is).
Is this what you mean?
Yeah in a way, I guess just being able to spend less time looking at what I’m writing to save time.
I’ll give you an example. When I’m in class and wanting to make notes, I will read the info off the board and then look at my page and start writing my notes. However, what I want to do is write my notes as I’m reading the info off the board, as a lot of my time is wasted looking back at the board then back at my page.
But not looking at what I’m writing affects my proportions. It may just be a case of practice and likely is. Or maybe a proportion drill manual or something may speed up improvement?
When you write in longhand, do you look at the page when you’re writing? I think I always look at what I’m writing, and if copying something from a board or screen look back and forth.
I can’t recall reading anything in Gregg literature about techniques for writing without looking at what’s being written.
There’s a basic difference between keyboarding and writing by hand. If you’re typing, the equipment takes care of placement on the line and page. I can listen and type without looking at a keyboard at all.
But if it’s a pen and a piece of paper . . . there’s just no way to maintain orientation on the page without looking.
Photographs and videos of people writing shorthand always show the writer looking at the writer. If you see a video of a court reporter or captioner using a shorthand machine, though, they’re often not looking at the device. These are two very different processes.
Lee