Keyboard casualties

The Washington Post is reporting that handwriting is becoming a forgotten skill, largely because people have abandoned pens and pencils and are using keyboards for most of their writing tasks. This is starting earlier and earlier in life. Even most elementary school children know their way around a keyboard. Those with poor handwriting or those who have struggled to read someone else's sloppy handwriting may celebrate handwriting's downfall, but maybe this is not such a good thing.

In my last post I talked about writing things manually as a means of oiling a creaky brain and permitting words and ideas to flow more freely. Writing by hand also is an aid in brainstorming ideas in connection with a writing project. These were my own opinions based on personal experience. But it turns out that researchers have established a link between handwriting and the ability to write more richly, according to the Washington Post article. It's always nice when science supports your opinions, isn't it?

Another keyboard casualty is cursive writing. Anyone older than 45 probably knows instantly what cursive is. You probably spent hours in grade school painstakingly copying curvy, looping letters based on the models posted on the board at the front of the class. Compared with block-style handwriting or printing, cursive lettering seems particularly outdated. But, like the printed handwriting we do when we succeed in unshackling ourselves from the keyboard, cursive also has its uses, though many of us who were taught it in school probably have forgotten how to form all the letters, especially "q," which bears little resemblance to its printed cousin.

Certainly, I'm not arguing that it's acceptable for business or organizational communications to be submitted in handwritten form, no matter how neat your style is. But, as I've said before, keep handwriting handy in your writer's toolbox as a crowbar for unlodging stubborn thoughts.