essay on handwriting

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Importance of Handwriting

Categories: Writing Experience

About this sample

Words: 361 |

Published: Mar 28, 2019

Words: 361 | Page: 1 | 2 min read

Works Cited:

Adichie, C. N. (2004). Purple hibiscus. Algonquin Books.
Ang, I. (2001). Silent citizenship: Critical citizens and cultural politics. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 4(2), 165-181.
Bonham, V. (2011). "Women’s voices will not be silenced": Women and silence in contemporary Nigerian fiction. Research in African Literatures, 42(3), 119-133.
Clark, A. H. (2010). A rhetorical analysis of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story." Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric, 1(1), 1-9.
De Weerdt, Y. (2013). The silence of women in African literature: A comparative analysis of Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi. Journal of International Women's Studies, 14(3), 91-105.
Groom, H. (2012). Religion and silence in the fiction of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 47(1), 53-68.
Hadjioannou, M. (2016). "You are a story": Silence, storytelling, and feminist resistance in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novels. MFS Modern Fiction Studies, 62(1), 61-80.
O'Callaghan, E. (2013). A comparison of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 48(2), 269-286.
Ogundimu, F. (2014). Culture, violence and narrative strategies in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 23(2), 90-103.
Zajicek, A. M. (2017). The sound of silence: Contemporary Nigerian women writers and the question of voice. Women's Studies, 46(2), 127-142.

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Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning

Jonathan Lambert

A close-up of a woman's hand writing in a notebook.

If you're like many digitally savvy Americans, it has likely been a while since you've spent much time writing by hand.

The laborious process of tracing out our thoughts, letter by letter, on the page is becoming a relic of the past in our screen-dominated world, where text messages and thumb-typed grocery lists have replaced handwritten letters and sticky notes. Electronic keyboards offer obvious efficiency benefits that have undoubtedly boosted our productivity — imagine having to write all your emails longhand.

To keep up, many schools are introducing computers as early as preschool, meaning some kids may learn the basics of typing before writing by hand.

But giving up this slower, more tactile way of expressing ourselves may come at a significant cost, according to a growing body of research that's uncovering the surprising cognitive benefits of taking pen to paper, or even stylus to iPad — for both children and adults.

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In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.

"There's actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand," says Ramesh Balasubramaniam , a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced. "It has important cognitive benefits."

While those benefits have long been recognized by some (for instance, many authors, including Jennifer Egan and Neil Gaiman , draft their stories by hand to stoke creativity), scientists have only recently started investigating why writing by hand has these effects.

A slew of recent brain imaging research suggests handwriting's power stems from the relative complexity of the process and how it forces different brain systems to work together to reproduce the shapes of letters in our heads onto the page.

Your brain on handwriting

Both handwriting and typing involve moving our hands and fingers to create words on a page. But handwriting, it turns out, requires a lot more fine-tuned coordination between the motor and visual systems. This seems to more deeply engage the brain in ways that support learning.

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"Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of," says Marieke Longcamp , a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université.

Gripping a pen nimbly enough to write is a complicated task, as it requires your brain to continuously monitor the pressure that each finger exerts on the pen. Then, your motor system has to delicately modify that pressure to re-create each letter of the words in your head on the page.

"Your fingers have to each do something different to produce a recognizable letter," says Sophia Vinci-Booher , an educational neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University. Adding to the complexity, your visual system must continuously process that letter as it's formed. With each stroke, your brain compares the unfolding script with mental models of the letters and words, making adjustments to fingers in real time to create the letters' shapes, says Vinci-Booher.

That's not true for typing.

To type "tap" your fingers don't have to trace out the form of the letters — they just make three relatively simple and uniform movements. In comparison, it takes a lot more brainpower, as well as cross-talk between brain areas, to write than type.

Recent brain imaging studies bolster this idea. A study published in January found that when students write by hand, brain areas involved in motor and visual information processing " sync up " with areas crucial to memory formation, firing at frequencies associated with learning.

"We don't see that [synchronized activity] in typewriting at all," says Audrey van der Meer , a psychologist and study co-author at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She suggests that writing by hand is a neurobiologically richer process and that this richness may confer some cognitive benefits.

Other experts agree. "There seems to be something fundamental about engaging your body to produce these shapes," says Robert Wiley , a cognitive psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. "It lets you make associations between your body and what you're seeing and hearing," he says, which might give the mind more footholds for accessing a given concept or idea.

Those extra footholds are especially important for learning in kids, but they may give adults a leg up too. Wiley and others worry that ditching handwriting for typing could have serious consequences for how we all learn and think.

What might be lost as handwriting wanes

The clearest consequence of screens and keyboards replacing pen and paper might be on kids' ability to learn the building blocks of literacy — letters.

"Letter recognition in early childhood is actually one of the best predictors of later reading and math attainment," says Vinci-Booher. Her work suggests the process of learning to write letters by hand is crucial for learning to read them.

"When kids write letters, they're just messy," she says. As kids practice writing "A," each iteration is different, and that variability helps solidify their conceptual understanding of the letter.

Research suggests kids learn to recognize letters better when seeing variable handwritten examples, compared with uniform typed examples.

This helps develop areas of the brain used during reading in older children and adults, Vinci-Booher found.

"This could be one of the ways that early experiences actually translate to long-term life outcomes," she says. "These visually demanding, fine motor actions bake in neural communication patterns that are really important for learning later on."

Ditching handwriting instruction could mean that those skills don't get developed as well, which could impair kids' ability to learn down the road.

"If young children are not receiving any handwriting training, which is very good brain stimulation, then their brains simply won't reach their full potential," says van der Meer. "It's scary to think of the potential consequences."

Many states are trying to avoid these risks by mandating cursive instruction. This year, California started requiring elementary school students to learn cursive , and similar bills are moving through state legislatures in several states, including Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin. (So far, evidence suggests that it's the writing by hand that matters, not whether it's print or cursive.)

Slowing down and processing information

For adults, one of the main benefits of writing by hand is that it simply forces us to slow down.

During a meeting or lecture, it's possible to type what you're hearing verbatim. But often, "you're not actually processing that information — you're just typing in the blind," says van der Meer. "If you take notes by hand, you can't write everything down," she says.

The relative slowness of the medium forces you to process the information, writing key words or phrases and using drawing or arrows to work through ideas, she says. "You make the information your own," she says, which helps it stick in the brain.

Such connections and integration are still possible when typing, but they need to be made more intentionally. And sometimes, efficiency wins out. "When you're writing a long essay, it's obviously much more practical to use a keyboard," says van der Meer.

Still, given our long history of using our hands to mark meaning in the world, some scientists worry about the more diffuse consequences of offloading our thinking to computers.

"We're foisting a lot of our knowledge, extending our cognition, to other devices, so it's only natural that we've started using these other agents to do our writing for us," says Balasubramaniam.

It's possible that this might free up our minds to do other kinds of hard thinking, he says. Or we might be sacrificing a fundamental process that's crucial for the kinds of immersive cognitive experiences that enable us to learn and think at our full potential.

Balasubramaniam stresses, however, that we don't have to ditch digital tools to harness the power of handwriting. So far, research suggests that scribbling with a stylus on a screen activates the same brain pathways as etching ink on paper. It's the movement that counts, he says, not its final form.

Jonathan Lambert is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance journalist who covers science, health and policy.

handwriting

Essay on The Art of Handwriting: A Timeless Expression of Individuality

In the digital age, where keyboards and touchscreens dominate communication, the traditional practice of handwriting may seem like a relic of the past. However, the art of crafting words with pen and paper holds a unique and enduring charm. Handwriting is not merely a functional skill but a deeply personal and expressive form of communication that transcends the convenience of technology. This essay delves into the significance of handwriting, exploring its timeless relevance in fostering individuality and connection.

Quick Overview:

Handwriting serves as a distinctive mode of personal expression. Each individual’s handwriting carries a unique character, reflecting their personality, emotions, and even cultural influences. The slant of letters, the spacing between words, and the choice of writing utensils contribute to the creation of a signature handwriting style.
The act of handwriting engages cognitive functions in ways that typing on a keyboard does not. Studies suggest that the physical act of writing by hand stimulates neural pathways, enhancing memory retention and comprehension. The tactile experience of gripping a pen and forming letters contributes to a deeper connection with the written material.
Throughout history, handwriting has played a crucial role in documenting and preserving cultural heritage. Manuscripts, letters, and handwritten documents offer insights into the thoughts and experiences of individuals across different eras. The artistry of calligraphy, a refined form of handwriting, has been revered in various cultures as an elevated expression of written communication.
Handwritten notes and letters convey a sense of intimacy and sincerity that electronic messages often lack. The effort invested in crafting a handwritten message communicates a personal touch, making the recipient feel valued and special. Whether it’s a heartfelt letter or a simple note, handwriting enhances the emotional resonance of the message.
Handwriting is an essential skill in the educational journey of every individual. The early development of fine motor skills through handwriting lays the foundation for broader cognitive abilities. Learning to write by hand not only facilitates communication but also contributes to the overall development of literacy and language skills.

Conclusion: In conclusion, while the digital era has ushered in new forms of communication, the art of handwriting remains a timeless and cherished practice. Beyond its functional utility, handwriting is a canvas for individual expression, a cognitive exercise, and a cultural heritage. It fosters a connection between the writer and the written word, embodying the uniqueness of each person’s identity.

As we navigate the fast-paced world of technology, it is essential to recognize and preserve the value of handwriting. Whether through personal journals, letters to loved ones, or simply jotting down thoughts on paper, the act of handwriting continues to enrich our lives by adding a personal, human touch to our written expressions. In the symphony of modern communication, let us not forget the artistry and authenticity inherent in the strokes of a well-crafted handwritten message.

Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.

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Handwriting and Writing Essay

The summary.

Since the advent of computers, handwriting has become a thing of the past for many. Many students have resorted to handing in typed assignments as they consider handwriting a tiresome activity, but a few still submit handwritten assignments. Using computers to type is easy and one is able to produce neat work.

It is also easy to correct typing errors using delete and back space keys when typing as opposed to handwriting. Besides, many schools only teach handwriting in the lower grades. Nevertheless, handwriting is convenient for scribbling short notes and reminders.

Moreover, handwriting provides a clear reflection of one’s personality; something that typed work can never bring out. For example, rushed scratches in handwritten piece of work could mean that the writer was angry while writing. It is for this reason that we can recognize one’s handwriting even without reading a word.

Furthermore, Julia Cameron insists in her book titled The Artists Way that writing once in a while is good exercise for the hand muscles. It is always surprising how teachers can write so much on the blackboard considering how tiresome the task can get. On the other hand, typing is less tiresome and one can type volumes of materials within a short time.

The many technological developments since the 21 st century has made work easy for us, but we always tend to cling to the old ways of doing some things. Why is this so? There are various advantages associated with doing some things in the old fashioned way.

First, some of the things we do in the old fashioned way are artistic. They represent acts that have been perfected over time and we would rather hold on to them because somehow we have learned to do them so well and find it hard to adopt the new ways.

For example, writing is an art that one perfects over years to be able to write neatly. Therefore, one would decide to hand write instead of typing because the result for either is the same.

Second, old fashioned ways of doing things have proven to be at times easier and cheaper. This is because the new technologies that act as alternative are either expensive to acquire and their usage requires some kind of training or may not be easily portable.

For example, owning a notepad computer may be too expensive for some people. Even if one decides to buy a desktop, it will still not be portable; therefore, one resorts to the old fashioned methods, i.e. handwriting.

Third, most of the old fashioned methods of doing things involve both the hand and the brain. This has some health benefits through exercising both hand and brain. This is, however, not the case for new technologies like typing where one just presses keys and tabs thus only exercising the hands.

Fourth, doing things the old fashioned way reveals one’s personality more than doing them the modern way. This is because we use our hands and creativity in most cases to produce the final piece of work. This, if well-done, could be more attractive to the eyes than the work done using the modern method.

For example, the work done by a person with neat and legible handwriting would always attract many readers as it stands out from the rest. Besides, things done using the old fashioned way is better appreciated. For example, a good handwritten piece of work is likely to be complemented than if the same piece of work was typed.

But how can the modern children learn the old fashioned way of doing things? We can use the following avenues to learn the old fashioned methods of doing things. Schools provide the first avenue for us to learn. We are taught how to write, cook, and hand sew.

Through such subjects, we are taught to perfect our hand skills while at the same time use the knowledge for examination purposes. Apart from school learning, we can acquire some of these skills by observing other people. For example, one may learn how to cook by just watching other people do it.

Better still, one can undergo some form of training so as to be able to do things the old fashioned way. For example, one may have to be trained for some time to gain the skills of hand sewing.

But for what reasons would one still resort to using these old fashioned methods even if the modern technology is available? First and foremost, the testing of one’s skills leaves very little room for modern technology. For example, sit-in exams demand that one presents handwritten work.

Besides, if one was trained using the old fashioned methods, e.g. in carpentry and sewing, then such a person will have no option, but to practice using the same old methods.

Second, people would do things the old fashioned way because they have the passion for doing it. This becomes a good enough reason for them not to adopt the modern way of doing things. For example, one could hand sew, not because they cannot access a sewing machine, but because they have the passion for hand sewing.

Third, the modern ways of doing things may at times be expensive making them inaccessible to many people. For example, students may resort to handwriting instead of typing because they do not have a computer of their own and it would be expensive to hire typing services.

All in all, doing things the old fashioned way reinforces one’s other skills. Doing things the old way provides the opportunity to perfect one’s work other than letting the machine do everything. This makes people to be cautious in their work to produce good results.

Keeping to the old fashioned ways of doing things also help us to keep our traditions and culture close. For example, people could use fire wood to cook instead of electric and gas appliances for fun and while performing traditional rituals especially during borne fires.

To sum up, the old fashioned skills that we learn can have a significant influence the world since more and more people are now beginning to embrace their culture. We can use these skills to earn one some cash simply by being creative and producing pieces of art work that are capable of attracting many customers. We can even use these skills to solve environmental problems.

For example, if someone makes traditional baskets, then all environmentally conscience people would opt to use such baskets as opposed to plastic bags. The old fashioned skills also have important health benefits, which can never be found in new technologies. For these reasons, let as all appreciate the old fashioned way of doing things and use them whenever it is appropriate.

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IvyPanda. (2019, April 10). Handwriting and Writing. https://ivypanda.com/essays/handwriting-and-writing/

"Handwriting and Writing." IvyPanda , 10 Apr. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/handwriting-and-writing/.

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IvyPanda . 2019. "Handwriting and Writing." April 10, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/handwriting-and-writing/.

1. IvyPanda . "Handwriting and Writing." April 10, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/handwriting-and-writing/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Handwriting and Writing." April 10, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/handwriting-and-writing/.

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Recent IELTS Essay: Handwriting Skills for Children

Below is a recently reported essay question with some useful ideas. This essay question appeared in 2015 and again in 2020. Read through the ideas and learn any new vocabulary.

Some people think that it is important to teach children the skill of handwriting. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Reasons in Support of Children Learning Handwriting Skills

poor handwriting skills or illegible writing can have negative effects on school performance
these are basic and fundamental requirements for any school child
in some situations it is better to write by hand rather than type
children learn better when they are forced to write something by hand

Other Ideas

being proficient in the use of modern technological devices by touch typing is essential for the future
time could be better spent on developing other useful skills and knowledge
therefore less time should be spent focusing on this

Feel free to post more ideas if you have them.

………………………….

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Hello Liz, I have learnt a whole lot through your videos and model answers and I would like to appreciate all that you do for us. I had my ielts general test today and this question came out! However, I didn’t cover this question but I could say seeing your answer right now makes me happy because I stated some similar points. My result will be out in 7 days and I’m hoping to give you the good news. Thanks Liz

Fingers crossed for your results 🙂

liz i wanna ask you something that why nowadays you don’t post any IELTS material and YouTube videos as well

I just posted a new lesson two days ago: https://ieltsliz.com/uk-us-spelling-main-differences/ . Regarding videos, I’m too sick to make videos and have been for a few years now.

Get well soon Liz. Wishing you a healthy recovery. Thank you for all you have and still do for us.

Kind Regards,

Can we use “Kith and Kin” instead of friends and relatives in writing essay 2 ?

No. This is a formal essay about you should stick with appropriate language. Your aim is not to be creative or descriptive. Your aim should be to avoid errors.

Hi Liz, Thank you for all the splendid work you’re doing. This is my problem, I write really slow, and even after practising there seems to be no improvement. It’s seriously affecting performance in Writing. Please, do you have any tip for solving this issue?

If your typing skills are good, you could consider taking the Computer Delivered IELTS test. Otherwise, you will just have to keep practising. There is no other way. You must be able to write about 180 words for task 1 and about 280 words for task 2 in 1 hour. You can use any type of handwriting as long as it is clear to see and shows proper use of capital letters and punctuation.

Hi Liz, I’ve practised cursive handwriting since my childhood. Is it okay to use a cursive handwriting in ielts exam? Or is it advisable to write in print type writing where the letters are not conjoined? Please let me know which option is better to use especially for the Writing section. But I must mention that when I start writing, my handwriting automatically switches to cursive handwriting.

Your handwriting needs to be clear – otherwise – anything goes. Write in any style you want – just make it easy to read.

Ms Liz im weak in enlish ,specially academic writing task 1 and 2.despite knowing all grammar.it is to much difficult for me using paasive in writing. can u tell me how can i improve myself as a good writer….

https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/

Hi Liz, Could you please advise me on this essay. Can I get band 7 for it? I don’t know which area I should improve my writing, thank you so much Liz. It is thought by some that children should be taught to write rather than just be good at touch-typing. In my opinion, I support that idea because I believe that handwriting is very important for all literary people, especially for children even though they are living in the computer era. Firstly, handwriting is an essential skill for all pupils who are attending primary to high schools. This is because there are a number of areas in which the schools require them to use their handwriting ability such as taking notes, doing tests and writing homework. If the children were not able to write or wrote but poorly, they might not get the desired results regardless of their good understanding of the subjects, which in turn influence their overall performance. Secondly, learning something by writing it down enable most people to understand more deeply and remember longer. Take for example children who are studying mathematics. Learning math requires the learners to understand the formulas which can be complicate. If the children learnt a formula by writing it down and then analyzing each of its parts, they would be able to understand it more clearly than those who did not. Last but not least, handwriting is also an important skill in later life. There are many situations in reality with which people need to deal by using their handwriting skills such as writing their personal names at bank or completing a form. Those who are able to do these well when necessary are more effective than those who are not and just type all the times. In conclusion, children should practice writing by hand at early age because this skill enables them to study well at school and is vital in their future. Parents and teachers ought to help kindergartens and young pupils practice frequently to ensure the skill is competent to them after the first years of school life.

Sorry I don’t mark writing. https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-essay-correction/ All the best Liz

Thank you for your response Liz. I followed your techniques to complete my essay. Thank you so much for that. I have seen some other teachers’ technique but I think yours are most closed to marking criteria. For example, you use most complex sentences in the essays. I really wish to know if my sentences are good enough and my supporting points are not overgeneralizing and clear. Thank you Liz. Kind regards, Tina

Hey Liz How can I write to you to correct my writing in the 2 Ielts tasks ? best regards

For the question “to what extent do you agree or disagree”, do it really necessary to mention the “extent” in thesis statement such as “partly”, “totally”, “strongly”? Can I just state “I agree” or “I disagree” in my statement?

No, you can just state what your opinion is. You don’t actually need to use the words “partially” or “totally”. See my model essays on the writing task 2 page. All the best Liz

Hi Liz, Could you please check my essay on this topic? Thank you.

In today’s society, people are increasing likely to rely on typing words by computers to deal with daily issues. This growing trend arouses the debate on the importance of learning handwriting skill at an early age. In this essay, I will present my reasons why I strong support the view that it is significant to educate children writing by hand. One reason for this is that handwriting is a basic tool for study. Young students not only need to acquire academic knowledge by listening to the lectures, but also need to make notes, do homework, and take tests. Most of these should be performed by hand written. Poor handwriting could result in negative effects on the performance. For example, an illegible handwritten answer might confuse the reader and cause misunderstanding; therefore, legible work is graded more favorable than messier counterparts. A further reason is that there is a link between golden career opportunity and beautiful handwriting. It is socially acceptable that a person, who could manage proper handwriting skill is always welcome as a well-educated and decent one. Although this view might be biased to some extent, indeed it works commonly. For instance, job applicants with excellent hand written resume in the labor market, tend to be easier to have ideal jobs on all occasions. It is benefited from their skilled handwriting style, which enhances good impression to recruiters, so they are expected to have more opportunities to win particular positions. In conclusion, I agree that it is very consequential for children to learn handwriting skill, because it could help them to succeed in both academic performance and future.

Liz, my teacher said I have actually changed the topic completely,”the question doesnt ask you the benefit of a good hand written skill”, I dont think so . In my opinion, I support the view that handwriting is important to children,so I need to present the benefits of what the children could get from hand writing. In addition, my teacher changed some words, for example, in the first paragraph, he used : I will argue why I strong support the view that it is …..(but some teacher said it can be “I will present my reasons,..”). In the second paragraph, he used: One ‘argument’for this is , instead of mine”one reason for this…” However, I checked another book, it is said the correct one is “one reason for this …”

…..I am so confused…could you please help me with it?

Thank you .

You don’t have to state in the body paragraphs “I will argue why I support…” or “I will present my opinions” because you should already have given your opinion in the introduction. The body paragraphs just explain your main points “Firstly, one reason why handwriting …”. So your writing method for body paragraphs is fine. Although it must be said that your teacher’s method is not wrong, it just isn’t vital. These are all minor differences which will not change your score one way or the other way.

The best way to your a thesis statement for an opinion essay is “In my opinion, I agree that children should be taught …”. You don’t need to tell the examiner what the essay will do, you need to give your answer “do you agree or disagree?”. All the best Liz

Thank you so much! I feel that I could have a better sleep tonight….. I was scored 5 by my teacher so ….

Thank you so much.

I think your teaching method is so useful, and I want to steal some of your ideas ha ha ~ if you dont mind….

Thanks a gain.

Have a lovely day,

Elsa from AUSTRALIA

My ideas are all to help you – feel free to take them all 🙂 Liz

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Importance of Good Handwriting for Students

Good handwriting may be the last thing on a student’s mind. The rush of the hour, the hectic schedules and the volley of assignments to complete, take precedence over good handwriting.

However, it is very important for students to concentrate on adopting good handwriting because it has its own benefits.

Handwriting is unique to every individual. It is like a thumbprint. Different and unique for everyone. There are so many aspects involved in handwriting.

Handwriting encompasses the following

Formation of letters
Amount of pressure applied on paper
The positioning of arms on writing base
Position of fingers while holding the pen or pencil
Spacing between letters

Based on the above aspects handwriting can be classified into two namely good handwriting and bad handwriting. Good handwriting is one that is legible and makes for pleasant reading.

Whereas bad handwriting is one that is illegible and difficult to read.

It is very important for students to have good handwriting. The advantages of having good handwriting will prove beneficial to students in more ways than one.

11 Important Benefits of Good Handwriting for Students

1. improves confidence.

One of the reasons why handwriting is important is because it boosts self confidence. In fact you feel quite superior with good handwriting.

When you have a bad or illegible handwriting you often worry if the reader will be able to understand your written intent.

Good handwriting instills confidence in the writer. Moreover, when you have good handwriting, you are often asked to take the lead when it comes to writing something on behalf of a class. This instills a sense of confidence and pride.

2. Good Handwriting? Higher Intelligence

Good handwriting practice is often associated with higher levels of intelligence. Many handwriting experts are of the opinion that handwriting says a lot about your intelligence and personality.

3. Improved Thinking Skills

Research has shown that there is a direct relation between good handwriting practice and improved thinking skills.

A research paper published in the US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, stated the effects of handwriting experience on functional brain development.

Also, good handwriting serves as a form of exercise for the brain. That is why good handwriting is important.

Unlike typing which is mechanical, writing by hand allows you to think before forming strokes and slants in the alphabet.

4. Retention Power

Good handwriting contributes to the power of retention of the brain. How you may ask? The answer is simple. The brain is able to comprehend the text without much effort and can therefore retain it easily too.

It is also a proven fact that you prefer to read something written well rather than take the effort of an illegible text.

On a more scientific route, the importance of handwriting is seen in research that shows the brain engages more with text written by hand rather than text typed on a keyboard.

The brain has the capacity to retain more information when the matter is written by hand.

This research conducted in Norway and published in the Journal Frontiers in Psychology, make use of electrodes placed across the skull.

It recorded changes in brain activity while performing certain tasks. In this case, writing and typing on the keyboard.

The experiment revealed that areas of the brain co-related with working memory and encoding new information were more active during handwriting.

5. Brain Development

According to the research , there was evidence to prove that brain activation during letter perception is influenced in different, important ways by previous handwriting of letters versus previous typing or tracing of those same letters.

When preliterate children perceive letters, only free-form printing experience results in the recruitment of the visual areas used in letter-processing and the motor regions seen in letter production.

This finding adds to previous research showing that letter perception is facilitated by handwriting experience, and it further suggests that handwriting experience is important for letter processing in the brain.

Thus, it is a proven fact that writing in hand improves brain development in children.

6. Good Handwriting – Great Marks

Teachers, right from primary care to college, stress good handwriting. In fact, some teachers award additional marks for good handwriting to encourage students .

Adopting good handwriting impresses the examiner. It encourages the examiner to read your text. Illegible handwriting discourages the examiner and leaves a bad impression.

Reading bad handwriting is difficult and needs the effort to comprehend. Usually, examiners are put off if they have to correct an answer paper in bad handwriting.

So, this is the time you can impress your examiner. Good handwriting creates a lasting impression

7. Motivates the Writer

Also, when you impress a teacher with your handwriting, your teacher might showcase your work to the rest of the class as an example for neat work. This encourages and motivates you to write well.

8. Reflects Your Character

A person with good handwriting is a more an organised person than one with bad handwriting.

Though not scientifically proven, it is true because a person who has good handwriting takes the effort to make their work look good.

Rather than a person with bad handwriting who just wants to complete work assigned to them.

9. A Career out Of Handwriting

Believe it or not, you can also make a career out of handwriting.

Calligraphy is the visual art out of handwriting. It involves the use of certain special tools like broad-tipped instruments, brushes, pens, etc.

Calligraphy involves fine skill and attention to detail. Calligraphy is a profession too. Many people hire calligraphers to design and write wedding invitations, letters, logo designs and other graphic design work.

Graphology is the study of the characteristics of a person based on handwriting. Graphology is a pseudoscience and is used the world over to determine the psychology of a person.

A number of countries also admit a graphologist’s view as evidence in a matter that comes before a court of law. Though it is not considered conclusive evidence, it is certainly corroborative evidence.

10. Therapy for Dyslexia

However, cursive writing can help. It aids in decoding because it combines hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and memory functions.

She explains “When the hands are involved, it’s a stronger association for learning and memory. When people write things, they remember them longer ”.

11. Creativity at Its Best

With a pen and paper at your disposal, creativity is at its best. Doodling or the art of creating images in an unfocussed manner also contributes to improving handwriting.

Consequences of Bad Handwriting

An article published in The National Medical Journal of India stated that bad handwriting by doctors could lead to fatal consequences.

Apart from this, there are other adverse consequences of bad handwriting.

Given lower scores in exams because of being illegible or due to messy submissions
Can prevent you from becoming a writer
May interfere with spellings

5 Wonderful Tips for Improving Handwriting

Now that we have seen the benefits of good handwriting, lets now take a look at the ways you can improve your handwriting.

Improving your handwriting allows you to take advantage of the benefits of good handwriting as seen above.

1. Use Good Writing Material

The first and foremost step towards improving your handwriting is to use good writing material like pens, pencils, and paper.

Choose a pen that suits your style. You can try out different pens that are kept on trial at the store and decide which one works for you. Ensure that your strokes and curves flow smoothly before selecting your pen.

When it comes to pencils, there are different kinds available in the market. Some pencils cater to artists for example pencils for shading and drawing.

While other pencils are specially meant for writing. Always use sharpened pencils.

2. Identify Your Imperfections

One of the good handwriting tips is to accept your shortcomings. Many times accepting your shortcomings can be the stepping stone for improvement.

Only when you accept that you need to improve on something, you can allow yourself scope for improvement .

3. Grip the Pen/Pencil Properly

Another tip to improve handwriting is to have the right grip for the pen or pencil. To get the right grip, there are pen and pencil grippers available in the market today.

These grippers have contoured grooves that aid you in the right technique of holding the pen or pencil.

4. Sit in The Right Position

Sitting in the right position also improves handwriting. Sit with a straight back on a comfortable chair. Ensure that the table is at the right level and you are able to place your arm and elbow inappropriately.

5. Practice

Do not think that is kiddish to do so. After all learning from the basics is the key to good handwriting.

Today people are judged by their handwriting. That is why it is important to have good handwriting. Handwriting is very essential when it comes to taking down points and communication .

One small error in writing could render an entire message wrong. Therefore, it is safe to say that good handwriting is the key to success.

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Handwriting

Easy Ways to Get Good Handwriting

Last Updated: March 31, 2024 Fact Checked

Analyzing Your Handwriting

Changing your handwriting.

This article was co-authored by Courtney Copriviza and by wikiHow staff writer, Devin McSween . Courtney Copriviza is an Elementary School Teacher based in Maui, HI. Courtney specializes in elementary education, classroom management, and social and emotional development. She holds a BA in Communication with a minor in Urban Education and an MA in Teaching from Santa Clara University. Courtney has also taught high school in Madrid, Spain. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi International Honors Society in Education. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,088,693 times.

We’ve all been there: you’re reviewing your lecture notes but can’t seem to make out your words as they run together and tilt off the page. It would be great if you didn’t have to decode your own writing, so is there any way you can make it better? Whether you’re trying to reign in unruly letters or get back your handwriting flair from years ago, we’ll show you the techniques to use to improve your handwriting. Read on to learn how!

Things You Should Know

Find handwriting inspiration online to develop your handwriting style. Copy your favorite letters to incorporate them into your writing.
Write out the alphabet to make your letters consistent. Then, practice writing full sentences.
Hand write things every chance you get. Write out work to-dos, school notes, start a journal, and send letters to friends.

Look at the size of your letters in relation to each other, too. Capital letters should be larger than lowercase ones, while tall letters like “t” should extend past small letters like “a.”

Step 8 Determine the areas that you want to improve.

You don’t have to adopt an entirely new style or copy someone else’s word for word. Just pick and choose certain aspects of different styles to incorporate the shapes and letters into your writing and make them your own.

Step 2 Find a comfortable grip on your pen or pencil.

Your general posture can help improve your writing, too. Wiggle your wrist to loosen it and relax your shoulders as you write.

When you find the type of pen or pencil you like, experiment with different lead sizes and pen tips to find what thickness makes your handwriting pop, too.

If writing the same phrase over again gets tiring, write down some of your favorite quotes and song lyrics, or practice your own name.

Step 8 Handwrite things whenever you can.

To practice your writing every day, start a journal , make your to-do lists by hand, or complete handwriting practice sheets.

Community Q&A

Handwriting Practice Page

Writing equal sized letters makes your handwriting look neat and tidy. Thanks Helpful 19 Not Helpful 0
Use lined paper to help keep your writing straight. Stay on the line, only taking the letters above or below it as required by the letter's shape (e.g. “q,” “y” and “g”). Thanks Helpful 17 Not Helpful 0
Aim to write at least one paragraph each day to help improve your handwriting. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 5

Tips from our Readers

Writing with a gel pen on smooth paper can make your lines flow better.
Try using a pencil gripper to change your grip.

Don't press the nib, or tip, of your pen hard on the paper as you write. Pressing down hard can cause your hand to cramp, so keep your pressure even. Thanks Helpful 22 Not Helpful 3
Don't throw away your templates or practice sheets. Use these as guidelines as you write to see how the letters should look and what you need to improve. Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 3
To prevent writer's cramp, use your wrist and arm to support your hand. Then, relax your grip on your pen or pencil. Thanks Helpful 12 Not Helpful 4
Reuse your practice sheets and paper as much as you can to prevent excess waste. Use the front and back of each sheet and write in the margins. Thanks Helpful 11 Not Helpful 6

↑ https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-improve-handwriting/
↑ https://realtytimes.com/agentnews/agentadvice/item/8744-20060406_handwriting
↑ https://www.businessinsider.com/tips-to-improve-handwriting-2014-7
↑ https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/resources/ot-activityinformation-sheets/holding-a-pencil/
↑ https://masgrimes.com/journal/how-to-improve-your-handwriting
↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21395194/
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About This Article

To get better handwriting, write so there's enough space between each of your words to fit an imaginary letter "O," and make sure you're writing your letters straight, not slanted. Practice writing with smooth, even lines instead of lines that are squiggly and uneven. Write every day, and handwrite your notes whenever you get a chance so you can keep improving. To learn about how to fix slants and get better line quality while you write, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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12 Reasons Why Handwriting Is Important

2. Engaging the body in writing by hand helps make writing a more holistic activity. There is something uniquely physical and multidimensional about putting pen to paper to form words and sentences.

3. Learning the alphabet by interacting with each letter in many different physical ways helps students imprint and retain the letters and the letter sounds for easier recall when learning to read. Learning letters on a screen engages at most two physical channels: the eyes and the fingertips. It is not possible to tell one letter from another by the shape of the keys. Learning letters through writing them involves numerous tactile experiences, engaging the fine-motor muscles of the fingers and hand, and larger muscles of the arm and body, as well as the eyes.

4. Many writers attest to the value of a handwritten first draft and the subsequent process of reading through and interacting with their writing by annotating, correcting, editing, and reshaping it as a whole. Typing on a screen tempts us instead to edit as we go, fragmenting and dissecting, and potentially interfering with the organic flow of ideas.

5. Even in this digital age, many accomplished people consider it critical to their success to keep a small notebook and pen handy so that they can jot down ideas in the moment and refer back to them later.

6. Many historical documents were written by hand and are now indecipherable to any who are unable to read cursive. The ability to read handwriting is gained through learning to write in one’s own handwriting. Being able to decipher both cursive and print is an important part of language literacy.

7. Handwriting can help us slow down and fully engage with our thoughts. Have you ever heard anyone say, “I type as fast as I think”? This is certainly an asset when transcribing the spoken word, but thoughts need to breathe (as do writers), and writing by hand conveniently holds such a space for thoughts to fully form before being set down in sentences.

8. With a pen in hand, there are instantly accessible creative and artistic opportunities that are not possible to weave into the experience of typing on a keyboard.

9. Handwriting is unique to each individual writer , unlike typeface. One’s handwriting style, and especially one’s signature, is a public and permanent statement. Learning to write well can help make that statement strong, beautiful, and – perhaps most importantly – legible.

10. Handwritten notes to friends and loved ones are intimate and personal in a way that email and typewritten text cannot fully convey. Nothing but handwriting can fully represent the mood and personality of the writer. A handwritten love note is a creative gift to cherish!

11. Proficient writing has a soothing flow and rhythm. While technology and culture is goading us to work faster and more intensely, tasks such as writing can help us find healthy balance in our work, our learning, and our play.

12. Being able to write effortlessly enables the mind to focus more fully on a topic. Struggling with handwriting takes valuable brain energy away from any writing task, but when that skill is mastered, it makes all the difference. Skilled, fluid handwriting is an asset to learning!

Sources and resources

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades, by Maria Konnikova ( New York Times , June 2, 2014). The Importance of Teaching Handwriting, by Louise Spear-Swerling. Why is Handwriting Still Important in the Digital Age? (Pen Heaven). Behind Every Successful Person is a Notebook Full of Ideas (Pen Heaven). How Handwriting Trains the Brain: Forming Letters Is Key to Learning, Memory, Ideas by Gwendolyn Bounds. ( Wall Street Journal , Oct. 5, 2010). The Importance of Handwriting Instruction: Handwriting instruction is crucial for a child’s education , by J. Richard Gentry Ph.D. ( Psychology Today, January 09, 2014.) Master penman Jake Weidmann

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A (Very) Simple Way to Improve Your Writing

Mark Rennella

It’s called the “one-idea rule” — and any level of writer can use it.

The “one idea” rule is a simple concept that can help you sharpen your writing, persuade others by presenting your argument in a clear, concise, and engaging way. What exactly does the rule say?

Every component of a successful piece of writing should express only one idea.
In persuasive writing, your “one idea” is often the argument or belief you are presenting to the reader. Once you identify what that argument is, the “one-idea rule” can help you develop, revise, and connect the various components of your writing.
For instance, let’s say you’re writing an essay. There are three components you will be working with throughout your piece: the title, the paragraphs, and the sentences.
Each of these parts should be dedicated to just one idea. The ideas are not identical, of course, but they’re all related. If done correctly, the smaller ideas (in sentences) all build (in paragraphs) to support the main point (suggested in the title).

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

Most advice about writing looks like a long laundry list of “do’s and don’ts.” These lists can be helpful from time to time, but they’re hard to remember … and, therefore, hard to depend on when you’re having trouble putting your thoughts to paper. During my time in academia, teaching composition at the undergraduate and graduate levels, I saw many people struggle with this.

MR Mark Rennella is Associate Editor at HBP and has published two books, Entrepreneurs, Managers, and Leaders and The Boston Cosmopolitans .

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Handwriting vs typing: is the pen still mightier than the keyboard?

I n the past few days you may well have scribbled out a shopping list on the back of an envelope or stuck a Post-it on your desk. Perhaps you added a comment to your child’s report book or made a few quick notes during a meeting. But when did you last draft a long text by hand? How long ago did you write your last “proper” letter, using a pen and a sheet of writing paper? Are you among the increasing number of people, at work, who are switching completely from writing to typing?

No one can say precisely how much handwriting has declined, but in June a British survey of 2,000 people gave some idea of the extent of the damage. According to the study, commissioned by Docmail , a printing and mailing company, one in three respondents had not written anything by hand in the previous six months. On average they had not put pen to paper in the previous 41 days. People undoubtedly write more than they suppose, but one thing is certain: with information technology we can write so fast that handwritten copy is fast disappearing in the workplace.

In the United States they have already made allowance for this state of affairs. Given that email and texting have replaced snail mail, and that students take notes on their laptops, “cursive” writing – in which the pen is not raised between each character – has been dropped from the Common Core Curriculum Standards, shared by all states. Since 2013 American children have been required to learn how to use a keyboard and write in print. But they will no longer need to worry about the up and down strokes involved in “joined-up” writing, less still the ornamental loops on capitals.

This reform prompted lively controversy. In an editorial published on 4 September 2013, the Los Angeles Times hailed a step forward. “States and schools shouldn’t cling to cursive based on the romantic idea that it’s a tradition, an art form or a basic skill whose disappearance would be a cultural tragedy. Of course, everyone needs to be able to write without computers, but longhand printing generally works fine […] Print is clearer and easier to read than script. For many, it’s easier to write and just about as fast.”

Some states, such as Indiana, have decided to go on teaching cursive writing in school. Without this skill, they assert, young Americans will no longer be able to read birthday cards from their grandparents, comments by teachers on their assignments or the original, handwritten text of the constitution and the Declaration of Independence. “I have to tell you, I can’t remember the last time I read the constitution,” countered Steve Graham, a professor of education at Arizona State University.

This minor revolution is causing quite a stir but it is by no means the first of its kind. Ever since writing was most likely first invented, in Mesopotamia in about 4000BC, it has been through plenty of technological upheavals. The tools and media used for writing have changed many times: from Sumerian tablets to the Phoenician alphabet of the first millennium BC; from the invention of paper in China about 1,000 years later to the first codex, with its handwritten sheets bound together to make a book; from the invention of printing in the 15th century to the appearance of ballpoint pens in the 1940s.

So at first sight the battle between keyboards and pens might seem to be no more than the latest twist in a very long story, yet another new tool that we will end up getting used to. What really matters is not how we produce a text but its quality, we are often told. When we are reading, few of us wonder whether a text was written by hand or word-processed.

But experts on writing do not agree: pens and keyboards bring into play very different cognitive processes. “Handwriting is a complex task which requires various skills – feeling the pen and paper, moving the writing implement, and directing movement by thought,” says Edouard Gentaz, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Geneva. “Children take several years to master this precise motor exercise: you need to hold the scripting tool firmly while moving it in such a way as to leave a different mark for each letter.”

Operating a keyboard is not the same at all: all you have to do is press the right key. It is easy enough for children to learn very fast, but above all the movement is exactly the same whatever the letter. “It’s a big change,” says Roland Jouvent, head of adult psychiatry at Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris. “Handwriting is the result of a singular movement of the body, typing is not.”

Furthermore pens and keyboards use very different media. “Word-processing is a normative, standardised tool,” says Claire Bustarret, a specialist on codex manuscripts at the Maurice Halbwachs research centre in Paris. “Obviously you can change the page layout and switch fonts, but you cannot invent a form not foreseen by the software. Paper allows much greater graphic freedom: you can write on either side, keep to set margins or not, superimpose lines or distort them. There is nothing to make you follow a set pattern. It has three dimensions too, so it can be folded, cut out, stapled or glued.”

An electronic text does not leave the same mark as its handwritten counterpart either. “When you draft a text on the screen, you can change it as much as you like but there is no record of your editing,” Bustarret adds. “The software does keep track of the changes somewhere, but users cannot access them. With a pen and paper, it’s all there. Words crossed out or corrected, bits scribbled in the margin and later additions are there for good, leaving a visual and tactile record of your work and its creative stages.”

But does all this really change our relation to reading and writing? The advocates of digital documents are convinced it makes no difference. “What we want from writing – and what the Sumerians wanted – is cognitive automaticity, the ability to think as fast as possible, freed as much as can be from the strictures of whichever technology we must use to record our thoughts,” Anne Trubek, associate professor of rhetoric and composition at Oberlin College in Ohio, wrote some years ago. “This is what typing does for millions. It allows us to go faster, not because we want everything faster in our hyped-up age, but for the opposite reason: we want more time to think.”

Some neuroscientists are not so sure. They think that giving up handwriting will affect how future generations learn to read. “Drawing each letter by hand substantially improves subsequent recognition,” Gentaz explains.

Marieke Longchamp and Jean-Luc Velay, two researchers at the cognitive neuroscience laboratory at Aix-Marseille University, have carried out a study of 76 children, aged three to five. The group that learned to write letters by hand were better at recognising them than the group that learned to type them on a computer. They repeated the experiment on adults, teaching them Bengali or Tamil characters. The results were much the same as with the children.

Drawing each letter by hand improves our grasp of the alphabet because we really have a “body memory”, Gentaz adds. “Some people have difficulty reading again after a stroke. To help them remember the alphabet again, we ask them to trace the letters with their finger. Often it works, the gesture restoring the memory.”

Although learning to write by hand does seem to play an important part in reading, no one can say whether the tool alters the quality of the text itself. Do we express ourselves more freely and clearly with a pen than with a keyboard? Does it make any difference to the way the brain works? Some studies suggest this may indeed be the case. In a paper published in April in the journal Psychological Science , two US researchers, Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer, claim that note-taking with a pen, rather than a laptop, gives students a better grasp of the subject.

The study focused on more than 300 students at Princeton and the University of California, Los Angeles. It suggested that students who took longhand notes were better able to answer questions on the lecture than those using a laptop. For the scientists, the reason is clear: those working on paper rephrased information as they took notes, which required them to carry out a preliminary process of summarising and comprehension; in contrast, those working on a keyboard tended to take a lot of notes, sometimes even making a literal transcript, but avoided what is known as “desirable difficulty”.

On the basic issue of handwriting France has chosen to take the opposite course from the US. In the early 2000s the ministry of education instructed schools to start teaching cursive writing when pupils entered primary school [aged six]. “For a long time we attached little importance to handwriting, which was seen as a fairly routine exercise,” says school inspector Viviane Bouysse. “But in 2000, drawing on work in the neurosciences, we realised that this learning process was a key step in cognitive development.”

“With joined-up writing children learn words as blocks of letters, which helps with spelling,” Bouysse explains. “It’s important in a country where spelling is so complex! However, the ornamental capitals in the patterns published in the 2013 exercise books have been simplified, with fewer loops and scrolls […] They are important, though, because they distinguish proper names or the start of a sentence.”

Some handwriting advocates regret the disappearance of these ornamental effects. “It’s not just a question of writing a letter: it also involves drawing, acquiring a sense of harmony and balance, with rounded forms,” Jouvent asserts. “There is an element of dancing when we write, a melody in the message, which adds emotion to the text. After all that’s why emoticons were invented, to restore a little emotion to text messages.”

Writing has always been seen as expressing our personality. In his books the historian Philippe Artières explained how doctors and detectives, in the late 19th and early 20th century, found signs of deviance among lunatics and delinquents, simply by examining the way they formed their letters. “With handwriting we come closer to the intimacy of the author,” Jouvent explains. “That’s why we are more powerfully moved by the manuscript of a poem by Verlaine than by the same work simply printed in a book. Each person’s hand is different: the gesture is charged with emotion, lending it a special charm.”

Which no doubt explains the narcissistic relationship we often entertain with our own scrawl.

Despite omnipresent IT, Gentaz believes handwriting will persist. “Touchscreens and styluses are taking us back to handwriting. Our love affair with keyboards may not last,” he says.

“It still plays an important part in everyday life,” Bustarret adds. “We write by hand more often than we think, if only to fill in forms or make a label for a jam jar. Writing is still very much alive in our surroundings – in advertising, signing, graffiti and street demonstrations.” Certainly the graphic arts and calligraphy are thriving.

Perhaps, in their way, they compensate for our soulless keyboards.

This article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde

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Comments (…)

Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning

If you're like many digitally savvy Americans, it has likely been a while since you've spent much time writing by hand.

To keep up, many schools are introducing computers as early as preschool, meaning some kids may learn the basics of typing before writing by hand.

Your brain on handwriting

"Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of," says Marieke Longcamp , a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université.

That's not true for typing.

What might be lost as handwriting wanes

The clearest consequence of screens and keyboards replacing pen and paper might be on kids' ability to learn the building blocks of literacy — letters.

"When kids write letters, they're just messy," she says. As kids practice writing "A," each iteration is different, and that variability helps solidify their conceptual understanding of the letter.

Research suggests kids learn to recognize letters better when seeing variable handwritten examples, compared with uniform typed examples.

This helps develop areas of the brain used during reading in older children and adults, Vinci-Booher found.

Ditching handwriting instruction could mean that those skills don't get developed as well, which could impair kids' ability to learn down the road.

Slowing down and processing information

For adults, one of the main benefits of writing by hand is that it simply forces us to slow down.

Still, given our long history of using our hands to mark meaning in the world, some scientists worry about the more diffuse consequences of offloading our thinking to computers.

"We're foisting a lot of our knowledge, extending our cognition, to other devices, so it's only natural that we've started using these other agents to do our writing for us," says Balasubramaniam.

Jonathan Lambert is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance journalist who covers science, health and policy.

How to Write an Essay

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Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing.

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write.

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing.

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles.

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism.

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does.

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style.

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism.

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work.

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process.

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed.

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels.

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from A Christmas Carol to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

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Best Handwriting Examples and Tips

Writing is a part of everyday life. Perfect handwriting not only helps children improve their academic performance but also increases their focus. Handwriting skills are essential for both youngsters and adults. It is said that perfect handwriting, like speech fluency, is an essential personality trait of a person. Thus, it is essential to have good, clean, legible handwriting.

In this article, we will look at the characteristics of good handwriting and tips on how to improve your handwriting. Furthermore, we have listed some perfect handwritings written by individuals that will leave you awestruck.

What is perfect handwriting?

Specific shape, character spacing, characterization, paper pressure, connecting strokes, beginning and ending strokes, dots and cross-strokes, space between the words, select a look.

Examine your Posture

Select the Appropriate Pen

A beautiful grocery list, a mesmerizing self-affirmation quote, cursive handwriting, a list of cabinet ministers, the finest hindi handwriting, simple notes in simple handwriting.

Perfect handwriting has certain requirements. They are as follows:

The font should be readable.
The alphabets should be uniform, balanced and well-spaced.
You must write with minimal pressure.

Now, let us dive deeper into the characteristics of good handwriting.

Tips on “How to write an Informal Letter”

Characteristics of Good Handwriting

This means that letters should be of the right shape . For example, do not write an ‘a’ to look like an ‘o’.

The amount of space between characters must be appropriate. For example, all alphabets in a word are connected but the alphabets in two different words have a space between them.

The slope of an alphabet (the angle at which a character tends to tilt) must be uniform. Furthermore, ensure that the letter tilts to the right side.

Font size should not be too large or too small to read. Additionally, it must be clearly readable.

Paper pressure refers to the pressure a writer puts on the paper when writing. Applying too much pressure lead to an imprint on the later pages, thus, making the information on those pages illegible.

Connecting strokes are those that link one alphabet to the next. These strokes indicate whether the writer wishes to raise the pen to go to the next word or wants to keep the alphabets together to form one word.

This indicates if the writer uses an ending or a beginning stroke, thus, allowing the reader to understand if he is beginning or ending the sentence.

Dots are used in some characters like ‘i’ and ‘j,’ whereas cross strokes are used in letters like ‘f’ and ‘t’. These dots and cross-strokes must be made perfectly for the handwriting to be considered good.

We have already talked about spaces between the words above, but for handwriting to be perfect and readable, there must be space between the words. Good handwriting with the appropriate gap between words earns a high legibility score.

Make your Handwriting Better

The foundations for good handwriting are laid by solid writing motor abilities . It’s crucial to learn and improve fundamental motions such as the smooth movement of fingers as well as wrists. Furthermore, you should hold the pen correctly, and ensure that you handle the writing tool and paper with less pressure.

These basic skills translate into writing words, sentences and paragraphs.

If you have the basic skills down, then look below for a few tips to improve your handwriting.

Several handwriting styles are available to writers. Cursive handwriting, in which capital and lowercase letters flow together on a sheet of paper, is preferred by the majority. However, some individuals even opt for a print font . Here are the differences between the two types of fonts:

Writers with exceptional handwriting may pursue a profession in hand lettering and typeface design. For example, calligraphers perform calligraphy , an ancient art form in which letterforms are handled with the same attention and regard as painted images.

Examine your Posture

Sit straight with your legs uncrossed, and your feet flat on the ground. Relax your forearm and hand. Then, make your hand floppy by shaking it.

Many youngsters curl their arm over the paper when writing, but sitting up straight, with your forearm resting on the table, allows the arm to move the fingers rather than the wrist, which is better for perfect handwriting.

Fountain pens , which lend themselves nicely to cursive writing, are commonly used in modern calligraphy. Ballpoint pens use less ink, and while they’re fantastic for doodling and scribbled notes, they’re often insufficient for fine lettering. However, they are a student’s choice of pen and are great while writing exams .

Select the Appropriate Paper

Write on lined paper . When beginning to practice writing, opt for a lined paper with lines much larger than normal to ensure good letter formation . When things have improved, you may reduce the width of the lines. Furthermore, a bulky pad may cause your posture to be distorted, so pull off a few pages or use a thin pad.

Look through your work

Write the alphabets on a sheet of lined paper, striving to unite every letter. Concentrate on the letters that are the most difficult for you. For example, your ‘Os’ could resemble your ‘ Qs’ or the other way around. Check if any letters are not properly formed. For example, writing with the tops of your ‘g’ and ‘a’ open, allowing them to be mistaken for a ‘y’ or ‘u’. Finally, make a note of the letters you don’t like and focus on fixing them.

Double-check the letter heights

Letters must have the exact height in proportion to one another; if the height of your letters is incorrect, it will be difficult to understand your writing. For example, your ‘k’ has a small ascender, but ‘g’, ‘j’ and ‘y’ have large descenders that invade the line below, making your writing seem cramped.

Consistent practice is essential

If you want to improve your penmanship start by writing on lined paper. You can use a handwriting book to practice writing, but the most basic method of handwriting practice is to simply write a piece of prose , concentrating on one sentence at a time .

Make sure you have the right grip. Furthermore, avoid using a vice grip with your pen; this approach is unsuitable for any type of writing, even doodling. Instead, use your index finger to guide your pen.

Here is a worksheet you can use to practice.

Cursive Lowercase Letters | Worksheet – Download

Take it easy and go slow

There’s no need to write at breakneck speed unless you’re in a hurry for an exam. Thus, focus on each word and ensure that the content you are writing is clean and legible.

Begin keeping a notebook or journal

Start a daily notebook to practice your handwriting regularly. All you need to do is spend about five minutes writing a small paragraph in your notebook. This will help you improve your handwriting faster. Additionally, you may also maintain a journal and write in it every day.

Make a copy of your favourite handwriting

Get some tracing paper and start copying a new style. The more you duplicate a certain method of writing, the simpler it will be to incorporate its components into your handwriting.

Consider enrolling in a formal class

It may be difficult to obtain a handwriting class after high school, however, calligraphy classes may be found in most cities. Graphic designers may also teach community programs, however, these are mostly for digital skills like layout and typeface design.

We have a step by step instruction guide given below. This guide is a summary of the points mentioned above.

People with the Best Handwriting

One of Continental Kosher Butchers’ clients submitted this list of meats she desired. The customer’s penmanship piqued the shopkeeper’s interest, and he couldn’t help but publish it on Instagram.

Richa Mourya posted this self-affirmation quotation to her Instagram account, captioning it, “Everything you express of yourself comes true.” Her flawless and neat handwriting is astounding and without a doubt one of the greatest examples of perfect handwriting you would’ve ever seen.

A Thank You Note!

Comfort posted a thank you card received to them by a client on Instagram. You can’t help but notice the lovely penmanship for the client.

Gorgeous calligraphy

Best Handwriting has presented gorgeous handwriting that undoubtedly elevated calligraphy to a whole new level, thus, providing handwritten inspiration.

Beautiful Classroom Lesson

Vinyl Sonar can do an almost impossible feat of writing on a chalkboard in such exquisite handwriting. This may be one of the greatest pieces of penmanship in the world.

An Essay on Children’s Day Celebrations

Master handwriting posted a message in immaculate handwriting by Sri Laxmi. This is sure to blow your head.

Master handwriting added another set of handwritten sentences to their collection. These words are written in cursive and will surely inspire you to improve your cursive writing skills.

Master Handwriting presented a list of India’s cabinet ministers in immaculate penmanship. This may be one of the greatest handwriting in the world.

When it comes to handwriting, English isn’t the only language that can exhibit perfect handwriting. This Marathi phrase was written by Samriddhi Deshmukh, who has one of the world’s cleanest, most wonderful, and greatest handwritings.

Your Easy Notes supplies students with a variety of stationery. They demonstrate some of the greatest writings when it comes to handwritten notes.

Handwriting with a stylish sharp edge

Another hit by Master Handwriting offered one of the most stylish cutting edge handwriting. Its lovely English penmanship looks like it is typed rather than penned.

Indian National Flag Essay

One more hit from Master Handwriting some of the world’s greatest handwriting. This is another example of calligraphy-style handwriting that makes you want to change your writing style.

A Handwritten Letter by a Third Grade Student

A third-grade student Ashton wants to ask for new flags. So he writes a letter to a Federal Member of Corio, Richard Marles. This is his beautifully written letter which, Richard Marles even posted on Instagram.

Hindi handwriting that is neat and clean

Your Easy Notes shared one of the greatest Hindi handwriting in the world. It is nice as well as clean and additionally, anybody can read the content. This is a must to look at if you write in Hindi.

Urdu Handwriting at its finest

Another one by Your Easy Notes, however, this time it is written in Urdu. Even if you do not understand Urdu, you can always appreciate how nicely the words are written.

Who has the world’s best handwriting?

Finding the most perfect handwriting in the world is an easy process thanks to the internet . The same was not true in the past when there were geographical limits and thus, determining who had the greatest handwriting in the world was a far more difficult undertaking.

In 2021, Prakriti Malla, an eighth-grade student of Nepal was declared to have the world’s most beautiful handwriting and she quickly became a viral phenomenon on the internet. Her world-class handwriting has yet to be surpassed by anyone, although, to the best of our knowledge, there might be a plethora of people on the globe who have some of the most beautiful handwriting in the world.

What are some of the greatest scripts for handwriting?

Certain scripts are regarded as the best handwriting scripts. These are as follows:

Textura script: It is a middle Age script dating back to the 12th to 16th centuries. Gothic Handwriting or Black Letter Handwriting are some other names for this script.
Cursive Script: This is one of the most beautiful cursive handwriting scripts.
Court Hand Script: This is another mediaeval script that was employed during that time and was regarded as the most beautiful handwriting in the world at the time.

Who has the best handwriting in India?

Ann Mariya Biju, class president, of Nirmala Higher Secondary School in Chemperi, Kannur, has won first place in the ‘artistic handwriting’ category of the World Handwriting Contest. The event, which is judged in New York, takes submissions from all over the world, and, Ann, who won in the teen category, claims that Kerala has only had one previous winner.

She has said that her books and answer papers are so nice that they earn her excellent grades. Ann became interested in calligraphy during the lockdown when she wanted to try something new and different. The youngster has even launched a YouTube channel to show people how to write in calligraphy.

Ann is self-taught and has honed her craft through constant practice, and this is a talent she would like to continue to practice after she becomes a doctor. She performs calligraphy in both English and Malayalam, although she prefers the former since it allows her to explore with different styles. She said, “Proper calligraphy is achieved by the use of good equipment, practice, and effort.” Therefore, she has invested in quality pens and paper for her hobby. Furthermore, she also states that as people have different handwriting each calligrapher would have evolved their style.

Which handwriting style is ideal for students?

Both a print and cursive font is acceptable in an exam. If you can write correctly in the script, then use that, but if your script is not legible, then a print front is the best option. A point to note is that cursive, joined-up writing enhances processing speed and accuracy. Remember that your handwriting should not be flashy or crammed in. It should be simple straightforward and easy-to-read text.

What are the benefits of perfect handwriting?

Benefits of a perfect handwriting, for children, handwriting stimulates the brain.

Writing requires advanced motor and cognitive abilities. Furthermore, as it triggers the visual perception of letters, good handwriting leads to reading fluency.

Students with dyslexia benefit from cursive writing.

Because several of the letters, especially ‘b’ and ‘d’, seem identical, children may struggle with writing in print. Additionally, writing in print may make them uneasy and feel disconnected. Cursive writing gives each letter a unique appearance and thus, helps the student write in a fluid, comfortable manner. Children may also overcome their dyslexic inclinations and gain confidence in their abilities.

For teenagers

Many standardized evaluations, like timed examinations, are based on written work..

Students will lose out on learning opportunities and fall behind if they cannot write quickly and legibly. Furthermore, for many qualifications, good handwriting is a primary element of evaluation.

Poor handwriting can lead to low self-esteem, which in turn can lead to a lack of confidence.

Children who struggle with handwriting may avoid writing altogether. Moreover, it is difficult for children with terrible handwriting to proofread their work. Therefore, they will be unable to see their errors, causing their confidence to plummet even more.

Examiners must decipher the written text.

The examiner must understand the content of the paper. If the handwriting is not legible, then the students will receive a lesser grade even if the paper is good.

Handwriting aids in the development of better writers.

Handwriting greatly affects the composition’s fluidity and quality. Furthermore, legible writing that can be produced quickly and easily allows students to focus on higher-level components of writing composition and topic. Thus, children who have mastered handwriting are more imaginative and talented writers.

Note-taking necessitates the use of handwriting.

Students of all ages should take notes by hand since it increases their attention, understanding, and results. Notes from students must be self-legible, otherwise, they are useless.

Handwriting is used to judge people.

Even after graduation, good penmanship is vital. People are assessed by their handwriting in our society.

It aids communication.

When writing down e-mail addresses, website URLs, and phone numbers, learning to write letters and numbers correctly is vital. Communication might be hampered by a single incorrect letter or number.

You can also read about Common Mistakes made by Calligraphy Beginners

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, getting college essay help: important do's and don’ts.

College Essays

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing —of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay . I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

What Kind of Help for Your Essay Can You Get?

What's Good Editing?

What should an editor do for you, what kind of editing should you avoid, proofreading, what's good proofreading, what kind of proofreading should you avoid.

What Do Colleges Think Of You Getting Help With Your Essay?

Who Can/Should Help You?

Advice for editors.

Should You Pay Money For Essay Editing?

The Bottom Line

What's next, what kind of help with your essay can you get.

Rather than talking in general terms about "help," let's first clarify the two different ways that someone else can improve your writing . There is editing, which is the more intensive kind of assistance that you can use throughout the whole process. And then there's proofreading, which is the last step of really polishing your final product.

Let me go into some more detail about editing and proofreading, and then explain how good editors and proofreaders can help you."

Editing is helping the author (in this case, you) go from a rough draft to a finished work . Editing is the process of asking questions about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and how you're organizing your ideas. But not all editing is good editing . In fact, it's very easy for an editor to cross the line from supportive to overbearing and over-involved.

Ability to clarify assignments. A good editor is usually a good writer, and certainly has to be a good reader. For example, in this case, a good editor should make sure you understand the actual essay prompt you're supposed to be answering.

Open-endedness. Good editing is all about asking questions about your ideas and work, but without providing answers. It's about letting you stick to your story and message, and doesn't alter your point of view.

Think of an editor as a great travel guide. It can show you the many different places your trip could take you. It should explain any parts of the trip that could derail your trip or confuse the traveler. But it never dictates your path, never forces you to go somewhere you don't want to go, and never ignores your interests so that the trip no longer seems like it's your own. So what should good editors do?

Help Brainstorm Topics

Sometimes it's easier to bounce thoughts off of someone else. This doesn't mean that your editor gets to come up with ideas, but they can certainly respond to the various topic options you've come up with. This way, you're less likely to write about the most boring of your ideas, or to write about something that isn't actually important to you.

If you're wondering how to come up with options for your editor to consider, check out our guide to brainstorming topics for your college essay .

Help Revise Your Drafts

Here, your editor can't upset the delicate balance of not intervening too much or too little. It's tricky, but a great way to think about it is to remember: editing is about asking questions, not giving answers .

Revision questions should point out:

Places where more detail or more description would help the reader connect with your essay
Places where structure and logic don't flow, losing the reader's attention
Places where there aren't transitions between paragraphs, confusing the reader
Moments where your narrative or the arguments you're making are unclear

But pointing to potential problems is not the same as actually rewriting—editors let authors fix the problems themselves.

Want to write the perfect college application essay? We can help. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will help you craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay to proudly submit to colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now:

Bad editing is usually very heavy-handed editing. Instead of helping you find your best voice and ideas, a bad editor changes your writing into their own vision.

You may be dealing with a bad editor if they:

Add material (examples, descriptions) that doesn't come from you
Use a thesaurus to make your college essay sound "more mature"
Add meaning or insight to the essay that doesn't come from you
Tell you what to say and how to say it
Write sentences, phrases, and paragraphs for you
Change your voice in the essay so it no longer sounds like it was written by a teenager

Colleges can tell the difference between a 17-year-old's writing and a 50-year-old's writing. Not only that, they have access to your SAT or ACT Writing section, so they can compare your essay to something else you wrote. Writing that's a little more polished is great and expected. But a totally different voice and style will raise questions.

Where's the Line Between Helpful Editing and Unethical Over-Editing?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line.

An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.
An editor should point out where your prose is unclear or vague. But it's completely inappropriate for the editor to rewrite that section of your essay.
An editor should let you know that a section is light on detail or description. But giving you similes and metaphors to beef up that description is a no-go.

Proofreading (also called copy-editing) is checking for errors in the last draft of a written work. It happens at the end of the process and is meant as the final polishing touch. Proofreading is meticulous and detail-oriented, focusing on small corrections. It sands off all the surface rough spots that could alienate the reader.

Because proofreading is usually concerned with making fixes on the word or sentence level, this is the only process where someone else can actually add to or take away things from your essay . This is because what they are adding or taking away tends to be one or two misplaced letters.

Laser focus. Proofreading is all about the tiny details, so the ability to really concentrate on finding small slip-ups is a must.

Excellent grammar and spelling skills. Proofreaders need to dot every "i" and cross every "t." Good proofreaders should correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. They should put foreign words in italics and surround quotations with quotation marks. They should check that you used the correct college's name, and that you adhered to any formatting requirements (name and date at the top of the page, uniform font and size, uniform spacing).

Limited interference. A proofreader needs to make sure that you followed any word limits. But if cuts need to be made to shorten the essay, that's your job and not the proofreader's.

A bad proofreader either tries to turn into an editor, or just lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.

Some signs that you're working with a bad proofreader are:

If they suggest making major changes to the final draft of your essay. Proofreading happens when editing is already finished.
If they aren't particularly good at spelling, or don't know grammar, or aren't detail-oriented enough to find someone else's small mistakes.
If they start swapping out your words for fancier-sounding synonyms, or changing the voice and sound of your essay in other ways. A proofreader is there to check for errors, not to take the 17-year-old out of your writing.

What Do Colleges Think of Your Getting Help With Your Essay?

Admissions officers agree: light editing and proofreading are good—even required ! But they also want to make sure you're the one doing the work on your essay. They want essays with stories, voice, and themes that come from you. They want to see work that reflects your actual writing ability, and that focuses on what you find important.

On the Importance of Editing

Get feedback. Have a fresh pair of eyes give you some feedback. Don't allow someone else to rewrite your essay, but do take advantage of others' edits and opinions when they seem helpful. ( Bates College )

Read your essay aloud to someone. Reading the essay out loud offers a chance to hear how your essay sounds outside your head. This exercise reveals flaws in the essay's flow, highlights grammatical errors and helps you ensure that you are communicating the exact message you intended. ( Dickinson College )

On the Value of Proofreading

Share your essays with at least one or two people who know you well—such as a parent, teacher, counselor, or friend—and ask for feedback. Remember that you ultimately have control over your essays, and your essays should retain your own voice, but others may be able to catch mistakes that you missed and help suggest areas to cut if you are over the word limit. ( Yale University )

Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you. Although we want substance, we also want to be able to see that you can write a paper for our professors and avoid careless mistakes that would drive them crazy. ( Oberlin College )

On Watching Out for Too Much Outside Influence

Limit the number of people who review your essay. Too much input usually means your voice is lost in the writing style. ( Carleton College )

Ask for input (but not too much). Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. ( Vanderbilt University )

Now let's talk about some potential people to approach for your college essay editing and proofreading needs. It's best to start close to home and slowly expand outward. Not only are your family and friends more invested in your success than strangers, but they also have a better handle on your interests and personality. This knowledge is key for judging whether your essay is expressing your true self.

Parents or Close Relatives

Your family may be full of potentially excellent editors! Parents are deeply committed to your well-being, and family members know you and your life well enough to offer details or incidents that can be included in your essay. On the other hand, the rewriting process necessarily involves criticism, which is sometimes hard to hear from someone very close to you.

A parent or close family member is a great choice for an editor if you can answer "yes" to the following questions. Is your parent or close relative a good writer or reader? Do you have a relationship where editing your essay won't create conflict? Are you able to constructively listen to criticism and suggestion from the parent?

One suggestion for defusing face-to-face discussions is to try working on the essay over email. Send your parent a draft, have them write you back some comments, and then you can pick which of their suggestions you want to use and which to discard.

Teachers or Tutors

A humanities teacher that you have a good relationship with is a great choice. I am purposefully saying humanities, and not just English, because teachers of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, and any other classes where you do a lot of writing, are all used to reviewing student work.

Moreover, any teacher or tutor that has been working with you for some time, knows you very well and can vet the essay to make sure it "sounds like you."

If your teacher or tutor has some experience with what college essays are supposed to be like, ask them to be your editor. If not, then ask whether they have time to proofread your final draft.

Guidance or College Counselor at Your School

The best thing about asking your counselor to edit your work is that this is their job. This means that they have a very good sense of what colleges are looking for in an application essay.

At the same time, school counselors tend to have relationships with admissions officers in many colleges, which again gives them insight into what works and which college is focused on what aspect of the application.

Unfortunately, in many schools the guidance counselor tends to be way overextended. If your ratio is 300 students to 1 college counselor, you're unlikely to get that person's undivided attention and focus. It is still useful to ask them for general advice about your potential topics, but don't expect them to be able to stay with your essay from first draft to final version.

Friends, Siblings, or Classmates

Although they most likely don't have much experience with what colleges are hoping to see, your peers are excellent sources for checking that your essay is you .

Friends and siblings are perfect for the read-aloud edit. Read your essay to them so they can listen for words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or phrases that just don't sound like you.

You can even trade essays and give helpful advice on each other's work.

If your editor hasn't worked with college admissions essays very much, no worries! Any astute and attentive reader can still greatly help with your process. But, as in all things, beginners do better with some preparation.

First, your editor should read our advice about how to write a college essay introduction , how to spot and fix a bad college essay , and get a sense of what other students have written by going through some admissions essays that worked .

Then, as they read your essay, they can work through the following series of questions that will help them to guide you.

Introduction Questions

Is the first sentence a killer opening line? Why or why not?
Does the introduction hook the reader? Does it have a colorful, detailed, and interesting narrative? Or does it propose a compelling or surprising idea?
Can you feel the author's voice in the introduction, or is the tone dry, dull, or overly formal? Show the places where the voice comes through.

Essay Body Questions

Does the essay have a through-line? Is it built around a central argument, thought, idea, or focus? Can you put this idea into your own words?
How is the essay organized? By logical progression? Chronologically? Do you feel order when you read it, or are there moments where you are confused or lose the thread of the essay?
Does the essay have both narratives about the author's life and explanations and insight into what these stories reveal about the author's character, personality, goals, or dreams? If not, which is missing?
Does the essay flow? Are there smooth transitions/clever links between paragraphs? Between the narrative and moments of insight?

Reader Response Questions

Does the writer's personality come through? Do we know what the speaker cares about? Do we get a sense of "who he or she is"?
Where did you feel most connected to the essay? Which parts of the essay gave you a "you are there" sensation by invoking your senses? What moments could you picture in your head well?
Where are the details and examples vague and not specific enough?
Did you get an "a-ha!" feeling anywhere in the essay? Is there a moment of insight that connected all the dots for you? Is there a good reveal or "twist" anywhere in the essay?
What are the strengths of this essay? What needs the most improvement?

Should You Pay Money for Essay Editing?

One alternative to asking someone you know to help you with your college essay is the paid editor route. There are two different ways to pay for essay help: a private essay coach or a less personal editing service , like the many proliferating on the internet.

My advice is to think of these options as a last resort rather than your go-to first choice. I'll first go through the reasons why. Then, if you do decide to go with a paid editor, I'll help you decide between a coach and a service.

When to Consider a Paid Editor

In general, I think hiring someone to work on your essay makes a lot of sense if none of the people I discussed above are a possibility for you.

If you can't ask your parents. For example, if your parents aren't good writers, or if English isn't their first language. Or if you think getting your parents to help is going create unnecessary extra conflict in your relationship with them (applying to college is stressful as it is!)

If you can't ask your teacher or tutor. Maybe you don't have a trusted teacher or tutor that has time to look over your essay with focus. Or, for instance, your favorite humanities teacher has very limited experience with college essays and so won't know what admissions officers want to see.

If you can't ask your guidance counselor. This could be because your guidance counselor is way overwhelmed with other students.

If you can't share your essay with those who know you. It might be that your essay is on a very personal topic that you're unwilling to share with parents, teachers, or peers. Just make sure it doesn't fall into one of the bad-idea topics in our article on bad college essays .

If the cost isn't a consideration. Many of these services are quite expensive, and private coaches even more so. If you have finite resources, I'd say that hiring an SAT or ACT tutor (whether it's PrepScholar or someone else) is better way to spend your money . This is because there's no guarantee that a slightly better essay will sufficiently elevate the rest of your application, but a significantly higher SAT score will definitely raise your applicant profile much more.

Should You Hire an Essay Coach?

On the plus side, essay coaches have read dozens or even hundreds of college essays, so they have experience with the format. Also, because you'll be working closely with a specific person, it's more personal than sending your essay to a service, which will know even less about you.

But, on the minus side, you'll still be bouncing ideas off of someone who doesn't know that much about you . In general, if you can adequately get the help from someone you know, there is no advantage to paying someone to help you.

If you do decide to hire a coach, ask your school counselor, or older students that have used the service for recommendations. If you can't afford the coach's fees, ask whether they can work on a sliding scale —many do. And finally, beware those who guarantee admission to your school of choice—essay coaches don't have any special magic that can back up those promises.

Should You Send Your Essay to a Service?

On the plus side, essay editing services provide a similar product to essay coaches, and they cost significantly less . If you have some assurance that you'll be working with a good editor, the lack of face-to-face interaction won't prevent great results.

On the minus side, however, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the service before working with them . If they are churning through many application essays without getting to know the students they are helping, you could end up with an over-edited essay that sounds just like everyone else's. In the worst case scenario, an unscrupulous service could send you back a plagiarized essay.

Getting recommendations from friends or a school counselor for reputable services is key to avoiding heavy-handed editing that writes essays for you or does too much to change your essay. Including a badly-edited essay like this in your application could cause problems if there are inconsistencies. For example, in interviews it might be clear you didn't write the essay, or the skill of the essay might not be reflected in your schoolwork and test scores.

Should You Buy an Essay Written by Someone Else?

Let me elaborate. There are super sketchy places on the internet where you can simply buy a pre-written essay. Don't do this!

For one thing, you'll be lying on an official, signed document. All college applications make you sign a statement saying something like this:

I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented... I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, expulsion, or revocation of course credit, grades, and degree, should the information I have certified be false. (From the Common Application )

For another thing, if your academic record doesn't match the essay's quality, the admissions officer will start thinking your whole application is riddled with lies.

Admission officers have full access to your writing portion of the SAT or ACT so that they can compare work that was done in proctored conditions with that done at home. They can tell if these were written by different people. Not only that, but there are now a number of search engines that faculty and admission officers can use to see if an essay contains strings of words that have appeared in other essays—you have no guarantee that the essay you bought wasn't also bought by 50 other students.

You should get college essay help with both editing and proofreading
A good editor will ask questions about your idea, logic, and structure, and will point out places where clarity is needed
A good editor will absolutely not answer these questions, give you their own ideas, or write the essay or parts of the essay for you
A good proofreader will find typos and check your formatting
All of them agree that getting light editing and proofreading is necessary
Parents, teachers, guidance or college counselor, and peers or siblings
If you can't ask any of those, you can pay for college essay help, but watch out for services or coaches who over-edit you work
Don't buy a pre-written essay! Colleges can tell, and it'll make your whole application sound false.

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications and then explore our step-by-step guide to writing a great college essay .

Using the Common Application for your college applications? We have an excellent guide to the Common App essay prompts and useful advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you . Wondering how other people tackled these prompts? Then work through our roundup of over 130 real college essay examples published by colleges .

Stressed about whether to take the SAT again before submitting your application? Let us help you decide how many times to take this test . If you choose to go for it, we have the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download them for free now:

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Narrative Essays

Narrative: The spoken or written account of connected events; a story

Narrative Introductions

The introduction of a narrative essay sets the scene for the story that follows. Interesting introductions—for any kind of writing—engage and draw readers in because they want to know more.

Since narratives tell a story and involve events, the introduction of a narrative quite often starts in the middle of the action in order to bring the reader into the story immediately, as shown in examples 1, 3, and 5 below. Other effective introductions briefly provide background for the point of the story—often the lesson learned—as in 4 below and the first example on the reverse side.

Below are some strategies for writing effective openings. Remember your introduction should be interesting and draw your reader in. It should make your audience want to read more. If it's a person , begin with a description of the person and then say why that person mattered. If it's an event , begin with the action or begin by reflecting back on why the event mattered, then go into the narrative.

"Potter...take off!" my coach yelled as I was cracking yet another joke during practice.
Why do such a small percentage of high school athletes play Division One sports?
It was a cold, rainy night, under the lights on the field. I lined up the ball on the penalty line under the wet grass. After glancing up at the tied score, I stared into the goalkeeper's eyes.
My heart pounds in my chest. My stomach full of nervous butterflies. I hear the crowd talking and names being cheered.
Slipping the red and white uniform over my head for the first time is a feeling I will never forget.
"No football." Those words rang in my head for hours as I thought about what a stupid decision I had made three nights before.
"SNAP!" I heard the startling sound of my left knee before I ever felt the pain.
According to the NCAA, there are over 400,000 student-athletes in the United States.

Narrative Story

Unified: Ensure all actions in your story develop a central idea or argument.
Interesting: Draw your readers into your scene(s), making them feel as if they're experiencing them first-hand.
Coherent: Indicate changes in time, location, and characters clearly (even if your story is not chronological).
Climactic: Include a moment (the climax) when your ending is revealed or the importance of events is made clear.
Remember the 5 W's : Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Write vividly : Include significant sensory information in the scene (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) to make readers feel they are there
Develop " Thick Descriptions "

Clifford Geertz describes thick descriptions as accounts that include not only facts but also commentary and interpretation . The goal is to vividly describe an action or scene, often through the use of metaphors, analogies, and other forms of interpretation that can emote strong feelings and images in your readers' minds.

"The flatness of the Delta made the shack, the quarters, and the railroad tracks nearby seem like some tabletop model train set. Like many Mississippi shacks, this one looked as if no one had lived there since the birth of the blues. Four sunflowers leaned alongside a sagging porch. When the front door creaked open, cockroaches bigger than pecans scurried for cover [...] walls wept with mildew."

—from Bruce Watson's Freedom Summer

Narrative Checklist

Does the story have a clear and unifying idea? If not, what could that idea be?
If the story doesn't include a thesis sentence, is the unifying idea of the story clear without it?
Is the story unified, with all the details contributing to the central idea?
Is the story arranged chronologically? If not, is the organization of ideas and events still effective and clear?
Do the transitions show the movement from idea to idea and scene to scene?
Are there enough details?
Is there dialogue at important moments?
Is there a climax to the story—moment at which the action is resolved or a key idea is revealed?

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A Different Kind of Dad Book: Lucas Mann on Fatherhood, Writing, and the Essay as an Act of Care

The author of “attachments: essays on fatherhood and other performances” in talks to brian gresko.

Lucas Mann’s collection Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances is the book I wish I had fifteen years ago when I was in my early thirties, at home with a newborn. Those were days when I’d spend eight hours or more in near constant contact with my son, often with no adult interaction (I didn’t even have a smartphone at the time, so forget group chats or social media). By the time my spouse returned from work, I’d feel wrung out and exhausted, and yet, at the same time, hungry for intellectual stimulation, for news of something other than my small world.

There was, too, the particular strangeness of going out in public as a masculine presenting body caring for a baby: the grace allotted to me by some, the eye-rolls and admonishments provided without provocation from others, the level of attention and yet invisibility I garnered in general. As Mann writes of being at home with his own daughter in those early years, “I’m so glad to no longer be in that place; sometimes I miss it in a way that makes my breath catch.”

In the twelve essays that comprise Attachments , Mann grapples with how everything about parenting feels profound and yet utterly banal, original yet done a million times before by humans throughout history, such that talking about it, let alone writing about it, can feel maddening and pointless. He brings to this problem the particular conundrum of being a man writing about caregiving, which can feel performative in the worst way, like another form of male posturing on the page.

Though the heart of these essays are personal, he ranges wide, from an analysis of how Brad Pitt eats in movies and what this says about male body image in our culture, to discussing the rise of “dad bloggers” (I was a daily blogger for Disney’s parenting site once upon a time) and the role of humor in writing about fatherhood, to a beautiful and moving homage to the documentary The Andy Warhol Diaries .

There are few books where I think “this is just my kind of thing” the way I did with Mann’s, and so it was a pleasure to speak to him about it and how, paradoxically, he hopes that if he’s done his job right, the reader won’t walk away thinking about him at all.

Brian Gresko: My son was born a week after I graduated from my MFA program, so I moved into the roles of writer and stay-at-home parent simultaneously. You, on the other hand, had a publishing history before becoming a dad. I’m curious to know what led you to start writing about this aspect of yourself. And who are some of the authors who inspired these essays?

Lucas Mann: At first, parenthood and writing felt antithetical to me. As you said, I’d had this whole writing life pre-kid—I went to grad school young, published a book, got a job teaching writing, kept on hustling and publishing. Writing, dedication to it and the ambition to succeed at it (though I probably couldn’t articulate what I would’ve deemed “success”) was the organizing principle of my adult life.

But becoming parents was something my wife and I really wanted, and when we knew it was going to happen for us I think I set up parenthood in my mind as anti-writing in a way that might feel like a relief. I had the enormous privilege of a tenure track job that accrued enough unused sick days that I could cobble together parental leave for the semester, then extend through the summer. I’d finished a novel draft right before my wife gave birth, and I thought I’d just chip away at revisions whenever I wasn’t tired (obviously a fucking ridiculous plan).

At one point, when my daughter was maybe four months, the Los Angeles Review of Books solicited me for an essay. I said yes on instinct, and then ended up freaking out and bailing. That was a holy shit moment for me. I got pretty substantial novel edits back from my agent and couldn’t get into those either. Long story short, I was totally submerged in early parenthood for eight months or so, then was back to teaching, trying to ease into that, then when my daughter was a little over a year, Covid hit, daycare shut down, my wife still had to go into work, and so it was just me and my daughter again for most of the day.

At that point, I was like, I’m not going to try to write; there are people who wake up at five and juggle things and all that, and I’m not one of those people. Plus, my daughter was waking up at five anyway. After six or seven months, we held our breath and sent her back to daycare so I could teach. The LARB reached out yet again, for which I’m forever grateful, asking me if I’d take another shot at an essay. I wrote this essay that was ostensibly about rewatching The Office , but all of this parenthood stuff ended up threaded through. And the writing felt alive , the voice felt like mine, but evolved.

It ended up feeling like a perfect storm, where I hadn’t written for the longest stretch of my adult life, and there was this incredible vividness of life with a baby, then quarantine with a toddler, which could feel so constricting but also so expansive in terms of just how much intimacy and intensity radiated from it, the act of looking at this one person with more depth and responsibility than I’d ever experienced. Once I made a gesture toward putting that into words, my writer self and this new self converged. That felt so wonderful.

When I went back and looked at the old novel draft it was like, Oh wow, someone else wrote this novel, good for him. I knew that if I was going to commit to writing again, I had to explore the world through this new lens; that’s where my interest and curiosity was.

As for what I was reading, you know, if you’re someone invested in literary nonfiction as a genre, the way we both are, you’re steeped in amazing literature about parenthood, just rarely ever from cishet men. Long before I ever thought about being a parent, I remember reading Maggie Nelson’s description of folding her kid’s tiny clothes, and the way care for her kid was this one beautiful, complex thread in a narrative about all forms of love and care—sex, art, politics, etc. This might sound cheesy, but I really believe the essay form to be an act of care—locating, stalking, zooming in on what matters to you and why, trying to depict love through the way your mind follows an idea. To write as a parent reinvigorated my passion for the form.

When I was starting to chip away at essays, I just wanted to read work that felt alive with the intensity of a particular point of view. These were kind of all over the place in terms of genre and voice, but I loved Brandon Taylor’s Real Life , Tove Ditlevsen’s Copenhagen trilogy, Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch , Sasha Fletcher’s Be There to Love Me at the End of the World , got back into Knausgaard’s My Struggle.

Some of these had to do with parenthood, some not at all, but each felt like a writer absolutely committed to articulating the particularities and the vivid, unique pitch of one voice, one point of view, one act of being in the world in a particular moment. And I said, okay, that’s my only job here.

BG: It’s funny you mention Knausgaard. Volume one of My Struggle came out the year my son was born. I had friends who expected I’d be excited about it, but there was Knausgaard’s attitude in excerpts and interviews, his bone dry, weary wit, and then there was the physicality of the man himself—the brooding eyes, the perfectly unkempt hair, the omnipresent cigarette—like a Matthew McConaughey of white elephantine art. I envied that, was attracted to it, but also found those parts of myself icky, because he presented a kind of cool that had no space for me, it seemed so self-important and self-obsessed.

Your essay “Dads Being Dudes Making Jokes” made me wonder if Knausgaard’s public presentation of himself isn’t just an extended bit, the literary equivalent of a dad joke, and perhaps I didn’t get it? My sense of humor is idiosyncratic, and most dad jokes rely on and reinforce gender roles and dichotomies I find restrictive and false. This made me wonder: How has your performance of fatherhood been affected by penning these essays?

LM: I’ve got no beef with Knausgaard myself, beyond the beef I have with any, as you say, brooding, perfectly unkempt gorgeous men. Maybe if he was American I would, but I found something sort of anthropologically fascinating about reading My Struggle while parenting in the US in a pandemic—like damn, the social safety net has created the optimal space for this man to just brood and riff; what an impossible dream!

I think that writing about fatherhood after more than a decade of operating within personal writing generally was helpful for me because if you engage in this particular art form seriously, for long enough, the challenge and pleasure becomes entirely wrapped up in the idea of performing the self, the balance between desired “authenticity” and then how much of perceived authenticity is a performance on the page.

For me, it’s always this balance of wanting to seem… lovable, I guess, on the page, just like I want to be in life, but then working to reject that impulse or explore that impulse, and get at something more gross and complicated beneath it. That’s the work, to me; if a piece of writing doesn’t do that, I think it has failed. And I never, ever, ever want to be cool on the page. I hate that shit. I am by no means a cool person, but I like to think I’m at least slightly cooler in real life than I am in these essays, or any essay I write.

Fatherhood, as a subject, presents an almost cartoonish version of this central essayist’s dilemma—how much do you want to rest on easy charm, or the most placating joke, or this sense of superiority and expertise, versus the fraught, tangled, shameful, confusing lived experience that simmers right beneath the surface. I don’t see essay writing as an extension of life, per se, but I do see it as the genuine attempt to look closely at what you have lived and are living, to force yourself to see and to work to better understand. That’s never changed my behavior, or made me learn a lesson or anything, but it does make me more aware of my behavior.

As I say in the book, I often love being a dad in public, for obvious ego reasons—this is the closest I’ll ever come to how I imagine it feels to be very good looking and walk into a party. And I feel the temptation of leaning into all the gender shit you talk about; I get to be the big, sweet, sturdy jungle gym.

But I also love the actual experience of being with my daughter in the world, watching her move through it, looking back at me sometimes, but increasingly looking straight ahead at what she wants to try next. It can feel like we’re alone in the world together; everything else is at a muted volume. So these are moments that feel both performed and deeply authentic, selfish and full of care at the same time. Writing about them has been an act of trying to investigate and reconcile that dichotomy, trying to find something that feels true.

BG: These essays are so smart and exquisitely written but for me it’s the way you sit within that dichotomy that grabbed and moved me. That, and “performing the self,” brings me to Andy Warhol and his diaries, which you write about in the final essay in Attachments , “Summer Diary.” I love this piece in part because I loved The Andy Warhol Diaries documentary (the AI narrator really did work well), and found it so surprising to get a glimpse beneath Warhol’s more widely-known, dry, public self and find this sweet, insecure, tender queer man.

You write, “ The Diaries made me think about sappy not as something surfacy but something deep and ingrained,” and I thought yes, that’s exactly right, and that connects to camp for me, which is also two things at once, deep and surfacy, performed and authentic, in bad taste but absolutely fabulous. I believe there’s an element of camp to sappiness, and to parenthood, and particularly to writing about parenthood—asking readers to bear witness to moments equally embarrassing and important, profound and banal—that I think you bring to this book.

Writing about my relationship with my son also highlights for me how all writing is time-based, just a snapshot of what the author is obsessed with at that particular moment. It’s more clear with writing about our children because our relationship with them is one written in time.

I wonder: What do you hope a reader will walk away from your book thinking about you as you as a dad in this particular moment in time in your life? And what do you hope your daughter might think of this book when, years from now, she discovers it among the other works you’ve published?

LM: This is maybe an absurd answer to your question, but I hope readers don’t think much of anything about me. I guess what I mean is that I don’t know that I matter that much in these essays. Or if you finish this book and you’re thinking about the specifics of me , I don’t know if I did my job. This is a weird catch-22 I’ve found in personal writing generally, where the process of writing doesn’t feel like putting myself out there, though of course it is. Instead, it’s offering up all these details, these intimacies that I’d never speak out loud to anyone but I feel much more comfortable dealing with on the page, until I almost start to blur, at least in my mind.

I’m sure I’m kidding myself to some degree, but I think the goal of good personal writing should be to not leave people with the feeling of, Wow this one person’s life is interesting, painful, annoying, whatever; instead, maybe the goal is to come away reminded that there are so many people living, feeling these things that are intense but also recognizable, and how wild it is that something like parenting can be simultaneously the most monumental, exhausting, particular, intimate shit ever, but also… regular. Or that’s just how I delude myself into getting something on the page. Either way, I’m sticking to it.

As for my daughter reading it, you know I’ve thought a lot about how so much of this book depicts her at such a young age that she realistically won’t remember it. Maybe it’ll just feel like reading fiction, or an account of some other random kid—who knows. If I want her to get anything from it someday… it’s probably too easy to say that I want her to feel loved, but that’s it. Whatever fraction of the real love I managed to get on the page.

Brian Gresko

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More From Forbes

‘baby reindeer’: stephen king writes essay praising netflix stalker series.

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BANGOR, ME - SEPTEMBER 06: Stephen King attends a special screening of "IT" at Bangor Mall Cinemas ... [+] 10 on September 6, 2017 in Bangor, Maine. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)

Baby Reindeer fan Stephen King loves the Netflix stalker series so much that he’s gone from posting about it on X to writing an essay on it for a major publication.

The legendary horror author became a huge proponent of the series — based on comedian Richard Gadd’s one-man stage play about his encounter with a stalker he dubbed “Martha” — with a post on X on April 28. In it, the Carrie , IT and Misery author simply wrote, “BABY REINDEER. Holy s—t.”

A blazing success on Netflix, Baby Reindeer is based on Gadd’s harrowing real-life encounter with a stalker. For legal reasons and privacy purposes, Gadd plays a fictionalized version of himself named Donny Dunn for the limited series, while he dubs his stalker “Martha” (Jessica Gunning).

As to the validity of the story, Gadd has said during publicity rounds for the film, “Emotionally, it’s all 100% true.” Gadd also revealed that throughout his stalker ordeal, Martha sent him more than 41,000 emails and left him more than 350 hours of voicemails, among other alarming actions.

King writes in a recent essay for The Times of London that he didn’t start watching Baby Reindeer right away but once he tuned in, he couldn’t stop.

Samsung Issues Critical Update For Millions Of Galaxy Users

How to watch real martha baby reindeer interview with piers morgan, drake kendrick lamar feud timeline attempted intruder arrested at drake s toronto home police say.

“Here, less than two minutes into the first episode, we can see what sets Baby Reindeer apart from so many dramas, dramedies and psychodramas that populate the occasional richness (and more common mediocrity) of streaming TV, we’ve been given the essential nature of two pivotal characters in less than two minutes,” King writes in the Times .

The nature of Donny and Martha, King adds, is that “they are both psychologically needy.”

“But it’s Martha who is mentally unstable and manipulative,” King writes in the Times . “Yet Donny — in spite of googly, hopeful eyes that continually say don’t hurt me — has the unusual and rather heroic ability to see into himself. His comedy routine bombs because ‘don’t hurt me’ rarely gets laughs.”

Because Baby Reindeer has become such a global spectacle, viewers have tried to track “Martha” down, which alarmed Gunning . After that, a woman claiming to be the real Martha came forward in an interview with The Daily Mail , which did not identify her by name.

In the interview, “Martha” said she was considering legal action against Gadd over the harm Baby Reindeer has allegedly caused her.

Kathy Bates watches over James Caan in a scene from the film 'Misery', 1990. (Photo by Columbia ... [+] Pictures/Getty Images)

King Says ‘Baby Reindeer’ Reminded Him Of His ‘Misery’

Of course, many of Stephen King’s novels have been turned into television miniseries like The Stand — twice — while others like Carrie , The Dead Zone , IT and Pet Sematary — twice — have been adapted into feature films.

One of King’s novels-turned-film adaptations even went on to Oscar greatness, as 1990’s Misery earned Kathy Bates an Oscar for Best Actress. In the film, Bates stars as Annie Wilkes, a nurse who saves a famous romance novelist, Paul Sheldon (James Caan), after he crashes his car during a blizzard in a remote area of Colorado.

Bedridden with two broken legs and a damaged shoulder in the nurse’s home, Paul soon discovers Annie’s unhealthy obsession with him and his work, which leads the woman to resort to violent measures to keep the author to herself.

While Baby Reindeer takes place in a much different setting, the stalker element of Richard Gadd’s true-life tale has some parallels. After he started watching Baby Reindeer , King had some revelations, first about his and Gadd’s work, and then another about the unique title of the Netflix series.

“My first thought was to thank God my novel [ Misery ] came first, or people would assume I’d stolen it from Richard Gadd, who wrote and produced the seven-episode series and also stars in it,” King writes in The Times of London essay. “My second thought was that Donny Dunn (Gadd) actually looks like a baby reindeer, with his big eyes and timid manner. The scruffy beard adds to this impression rather than distracting from it.”

In addition to his praise for Gadd’s work on the series, King is high on the performance of his co-star who plays Martha in the limited series. In Baby Reindeer , Martha's obsession with Donny begins after the struggling comedian shows the woman kindness at an establishment where he’s a bartender.

“Then comes Martha Scott ( Jessica Gunning ), who appears one day in the pub where Donny works. It’s a showstopper of an entrance, hands down the equal of our introduction (‘I’m your No 1 fan’) to Misery ’s Annie Wilkes,” King writes in the Times . “We take Martha’s measure before she has said a single word: overweight, slump-shouldered, frowsy-haired; her pillocky pink sweater turned up on one side, her colorful bag hanging dispiritedly from her hand.”

After delving into the stories of Gadd’s Baby Reindeer and his Misery , King also notes in his Times essay that he not only feels empathy for Donny but for Martha as well.

All seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are streaming on Netflix.

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Once you identify what that argument is, the "one-idea rule" can help you develop, revise, and connect the various components of your writing. For instance, let's say you're writing an essay.
Handwriting vs typing: is the pen still mightier than the keyboard?
"Handwriting is a complex task which requires various skills - feeling the pen and paper, moving the writing implement, and directing movement by thought," says Edouard Gentaz, professor of ...
Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning
Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material. "There's actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand ...
How to Write an Essay
How to Find Essay Writing Inspiration. If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections. Essay ...
Advanced Essay #2: The Importance of Handwriting
There are multiple reasons handwriting is important. One of these reasons, as quoted above, is the fact that handwriting influences the writing process and improves quality of written ideas. Handwriting influences composition, explained in the following quote: "Handwriting, and in particular the automaticity of letter production, appears to ...
Best Handwriting Examples and Tips
Step 3. Select a good pen and paper for practice. We recommend you opt for a fountain pen if you have a cursive font. Step 4. Sit at a table with the right posture and practice your handwriting on lined paper. While you practice, go slow and double-check the slant, size, letter height and spacing. Step 5.
The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay
The essay writing process consists of three main stages: Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline. Writing: Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion. Revision: Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling ...
PDF ACADEMIC WRITING
build ideas and write papers. - The Writing Process: These features show all the steps taken to write a paper, allowing you to follow it from initial idea to published article. - Into the Essay: Excerpts from actual papers show the ideas from the chapters in action because you learn to write best by getting
The Four Main Types of Essay
An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays. Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and ...
Getting College Essay Help: Important Do's and Don'ts
Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. (Vanderbilt University) So, basically, a big old thumbs up on the whole "get someone to look at your essay" situation, as far as colleges are concerned.
Example of a Great Essay
An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates. In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills. Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence ...
Narrative Essays
Narrative Introductions. The introduction of a narrative essay sets the scene for the story that follows. Interesting introductions—for any kind of writing—engage and draw readers in because they want to know more. Since narratives tell a story and involve events, the introduction of a narrative quite often starts in the middle of the ...
A Different Kind of Dad Book: Lucas Mann on Fatherhood, Writing, and
Lucas Mann's collection Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances is the book I wish I had fifteen years ago when I was in my early thirties, at home with a newborn. ... Writing, and the Essay as an Act of Care The Author of "Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances" in Talks to Brian Gresko. By Brian Gresko ...
On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians
Honours. v. t. e. On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians [a] is an essay by Russian president Vladimir Putin published on 12 July 2021. [1] It was published on Kremlin.ru shortly after the end of the first of two buildups of Russian forces preceding the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
3 Best Essay Writing Services in 2024-25
Top 3 Best Essay Writing Services. The Academic Papers UK - Premium Quality Essay Service Overall - 10/10. Cheap Essay Writing UK - Best for Urgent Essay Help - 9.8/10. Affordable ...
'Baby Reindeer': Stephen King Writes Essay Praising ...
Baby Reindeer fan Stephen King loves the Netflix stalker series so much that he's gone from posting about it on X to writing an essay on it for a major publication. The legendary horror author ...

Importance of Handwriting

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Importance of Good Handwriting for Students

11 Important Benefits of Good Handwriting for Students

2. Good Handwriting? Higher Intelligence

3. Improved Thinking Skills

4. Retention Power

5. Brain Development

6. Good Handwriting – Great Marks

7. Motivates the Writer

8. Reflects Your Character

9. A Career out Of Handwriting

10. Therapy for Dyslexia

11. Creativity at Its Best

Consequences of Bad Handwriting

5 Wonderful Tips for Improving Handwriting

1. Use Good Writing Material

2. Identify Your Imperfections

3. Grip the Pen/Pencil Properly

4. Sit in The Right Position

5. Practice

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Handwriting vs typing: is the pen still mightier than the keyboard?