To think I have worse handwriting than a nine year old (picture attached)

[Bouncebacker]

And what can I do about it?

Your writing is lovely.

Mine is appalling.

I had to photocopy my friends lecture notes because I couldn't read my own.

I give doctors a run for their money in the 'utterly illegible' stakes.

It's way better than mine, I have to really concentrate if I want to write legibly.

I like your writing, OP, it’s small and neat. Wouldn’t most 9 year olds tend to have larger writing still?

Looks very neat to me.

Just so you know, we teach children nowadays not to join capital letters so T and h in, 'This,' should not be joined.

Also, when the leter i is used in its pronoun form it needs to be capitalised so your i should be I.

Practice writing on A3 sketchpads with whiteboard markers. You might like the round/bullet tip ones, but I think, like myself and DP (whose writing is lovely, even before you take into account that he's also lefthanded - which makes it not far off miraculous), you'd probably get the best 'feel' and appearance from wedge tipped markers - I heartily recommend Edding 360 ones (and getting your own set - it saves getting there and being faced with shitty, squeaky, half dead ones).

Having handwriting as nice as yours is a good start, but as others have said, it's a lot different writing on a shiny vertical surface - you're often working above head height, the pen is thicker and people need you to print so they can read it from a distance. Aiming for letters about an inch and a half high is normal for whiteboards (and feels quite natural).

I would love to read your handwritten words in work instead of trying to decipher my colleague's scrawl.

I like it

Tip - try to avoid talking while you're writing on the flip chart. My brain can't cope with both!

Much better than mine OP!

I agree with a pp that it's a good idea to buy your own pens. It's so much easier. I prefer a softer end (a sharpie is perfect but they bleed through sheets sometimes)

If you can get into the room before hand, or bring your own paper then you can add very faint pencil lines, this helps stop your words creeping down the page. If you have to draw a straight line, look at where you want the line to finish rather than where your pen is. I know that sounds strange but give it a go and you'll see what I mean.

Practising a few basic shapes, circle, arrow, square can make you more confident as you can break your writing up a bit.

Your writing is very nice OP. I find my handwriting improves considerably if I use a decent pen. One of my colleagues has the worst handwriting; it slopes one way then the other and looks like it doesn’t belong to such an educated and stylish woman iyswim.

The reason I wouldn't recommend Sharpies is that they're permanent - if you're going into a strange place, you aren't sure whether you've got a whiteboard or a flip chart - and they're too thin to be seen from the back of the room.

(Top Tip: If you accidentally find that you've used a permanent marker on a whiteboard, draw over it with a whiteboard one and then they should both wipe off easily).

(Top Tip 2: DOUBLECHECK that the whiteboard isn't actually an interactive whiteboard. You do not write on those. Ever.)

Wish mine was like that! I'm banned from writing in the ward diary as it's so bad. (It's not the worst, but I'm the only one they can tease about it)

Your writing is fine, 'I' should be a capital letter though.

There's nothing wrong with it?!

This will out me to anyone that knows me in RL!!!!

And I don't think your writing is awful @Bouncebacker! I quite like it.

Sample for you

The most intelligent people I know (I work in a research hospital with lots of consultants, doctors, professors etc) have the worst writing.

It’s fine. You could practise slanting slightly forward and lifting the pen so as not to join up all the letters if you’re writing quickly. Here’s my scribble.

I’d love to have handwriting like yours. Mine is terrible.

Your writing is fine. It's neat and legible, which is what actually matters!

I agree with lifting your pen between some letters btw. A handwriting specialist came to a school I was working in a while ago and one of the main points in his programme was that if the letter ends with a stroke to the left (b, h, j, p, s and y) then don't join it to the next letter. He also advised on not using the lead-in marks and instead focus on the joins from the letter if that makes sense.

It's fine. I can't read my 10 yr olds writing