handwriting

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You Should Be Writing By Hand
2 months ago
- Writing by hand ensures privacy, as it cannot be easily copied or mined by algorithms.
- Handwriting forces deeper thinking and uses different cognitive 'muscles' than typing.
- A blank page is less intimidating than a blank screen, and rewriting by hand produces solid first drafts.
- You cannot delete mistakes while handwriting, encouraging discipline and visible progress.
- Handwriting is less antisocial than using a laptop and makes others feel listened to.
- Notebooks serve as a defense against accusations of using AI for writing.
- The ritual of handwriting fosters a sense of being a 'real writer' and aids creative practice.
- It's never too late to start; carrying a notebook and writing when drifting or overwhelmed helps clarify thoughts.
- The author's personal experience shows handwriting helped with concentration, recovery from illness, and creative exploration.
Show HN: A Handwritten Blogging Platform
2 months ago
- Handwritten blogs encourage slower, more deliberate writing.
- The platform prioritizes authentic thinking over engagement metrics.
- No feeds, algorithms, or likes — just personal pages as written.
- The goal is to make the web feel more human.
Letterpaths: Or how LLMs can be good even when they're bad
2 months ago
- Letterpaths is a library for generating cursive handwriting, built with LLM assistance despite LLMs being incapable of the core visual task.
- LLMs helped build a GUI for a letter editor, allowing manual creation of letter geometry while automating the process.
- A join algorithm was developed with LLM-generated parametrized algorithms and interactive visualizations for tweaking.
- A kerning and join editor was built to review and edit pairwise combinations, focusing on common letter pairs in English.
- The library uses a monorepo structure with live reloading, and GUI state is URL-encoded to preserve state during reloads.
- Key insight: LLMs work best when a feedback loop is established, often by creating disposable high-information-density GUIs to accelerate human work.
Handwriting Like It's 1895
2 months ago
- The author is learning Victorian copperplate handwriting for a project set in 1895, to avoid modern handwriting being a giveaway.
- They come from a family of teachers with excellent handwriting, but their own handwriting has deteriorated due to lack of practice.
- Two main resources are used: a digitized Vere Foster copybook from Charlotte Mason and scans from The Visual Telling of Stories.
- The practice is physically demanding, causing hand, wrist, and forearm ache, with inconsistent results.
- The author learned that copperplate is a version of round hand, designed in the 1660s, and plans to continue practicing.
- Several useful links are provided for further exploration of historical handwriting and scripts.
Writing by Hand is Good for your Brain
2 months ago
- Writing by hand recruits more brain activity, benefiting cognitive processing.
- Use a fountain pen or rollerball gel pen to reduce hand fatigue, as they require less force than pencils or cheap ballpoints.
- Avoid frictionless gadgets like stylus on glass; a small amount of friction (like paper) helps control and reduces tiredness.
- Choose pen/paper combinations that work well; cheap printer paper and legal pads often cause ink bleed, while quality paper (e.g., 25% cotton or higher) performs better.
- Write on one side of the paper to avoid bleed-through and maintain comfort; don't worry about conserving paper.
- Use cursive writing, which is less tiring than printing individual letters.
- Don't worry about perfect legibility or ink blots; minor smudges are normal and washable.
- Left-handed writers can use fountain pens without smearing if they choose quick-drying ink and paper.
- Start with ink cartridges for simplicity, and buy cheaper pens until you find your preferences.
- The methods apply to any writing task—grocery lists, notes, journals—not just novels.

handwriting

You Should Be Writing By Hand

Show HN: A Handwritten Blogging Platform

Letterpaths: Or how LLMs can be good even when they're bad

Handwriting Like It's 1895

Writing by Hand is Good for your Brain