Hello,
My name is Jeff and I live in New Hampshire, USA. I found Gregg Shorthand in preparation for beginning my shorthand journey. I’ve just started working through Gregg Shorthand Manual Simplified 2nd edition.
My goal is to become proficient enough with shorthand to allow me to get my thoughts to paper with a minimum of delay. To achieve this goal I have set time aside daily to work on completing the Gregg Shorthand Manual lessons over the next year or so.
For practice, I divide wide-ruled letter paper into six columns with the words written down the first column. Then I try to produce the outline in the next column. I then correct my attempts in red ink. After a short break, I come back and cover the words, then try to decipher my outline and write the word into the next column. Take another longer break, often the next day, and repeat. I plan to stay in the current lesson until I can complete three cycles with no mistakes.
I’m not exactly sure why I want to learn shorthand. I enjoy penmanship and love the flowing look of Gregg Shorthand. The alien look of the outlines fascinates me. I’m intrigued by how learning shorthand might affect the way I feel and understand language. I’m also interested in getting fast enough to write without having to be constrained by my longhand memory buffer. I prefer to keep a traditional pen and paper journal in which shorthand would be very handy. I love the puzzle aspect of learning to encode and decode words and sentences with shorthand. It’s a hobby that’s cheap, entertaining, good for the noggin, and accessible into dotage. What’s not to love.
-JeffP