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Making the Connection
We’ve learned about connective forms, but now it’s time to consider how words and sentences are joined.
Connections are made by writing impulses. Writing patterns mirror speech patterns; some are fast, some are moderate, and others, slow and deliberate. Connections show us how well the writer connects to the outside world in regard to thoughts and impressions, relationships, and social activities.
Moderately Connected
Moderately connected writing joins many letters but there is often a break between first and/or capital letters and syllables. The moderately connected writer has sharp reasoning skills, has thoughts that flow smoothly, is a good problem solver, is adaptable, and interacts well with other people.
Highly Connected
Highly connected writing links most letters with occasional pauses after capital letters. The writer who uses a highly connected style has a good mind for trivia, is detail-oriented, organized, tenacious, and consistent. He or she is logical, realistic, and a systematic thinker who can often achieve goals through willpower rather than energy.
Overconnected
Overconnected writing is seamless with no breaks at all. Sometimes such writing is crowded as well. The overconnected writer can be perceived as compulsive, highly focused, literal, and logical, and she or he often sublimates emotions into a sense of willpower in order to accomplish goals.
Disconnected
Disconnected writing almost has the feel of printed writing. Somewhat disconnected writing indicates an idea person with a good analytical mind. The writer can have friends and acquaintances but may not connect to them in a deep or meaningful way.
Very disconnected, almost choppy writing can be the sign of a highly creative or intuitive person but someone who may not always see his or her ideas come to fruition. This writer’s not always good at honing ideas to make them work. Furthermore, this personality can be moody and unpredictable, and not always adept at creating and sustaining relationships.
Queen Elizabeth I of England is a good example of disconnected writing
Printing
Believe it or not, printed handwriting can be analyzed—it still adheres to many of the forms and styles that apply to script (cursive writing) despite the fact that no individual printed letter will span all three zones.
Though mostly schoolchildren print, there are a variety of times when the average adult needs to print, i.e., when filling out forms and for legibility when writing notes or instructions to others. People who print are often logical and realistic.
With our current emphasis on the computer, cursive writing has begun to take a backseat to printing. Writers who print often do not like their cursive style and feel printing gives them a great sense of control.
A New Slant on Slants
The slant of handwriting is the angle formed by strokes going up from or down to the baseline. Slants reflect emotional responses to what is going on in one’s life at the time one writes. There are four types of slants: right, upright, left, and variable.
Right Slant
The right slant is an angle of 45 to 85 degrees to the right. It reveals an outward-directed person, focusing on others and on the outside world. It generally means there’s an emphasis on taking initiative and on meeting goals and objectives.
Upright Slant
The upright slant is at an angle of 85 to 105 degrees. This vertical writing generally indicates self-reliance and self-discipline. It also reflects poise, discipline, self-control or reserve, introspection, and independence. Writers with an upright or neutral slant are fairly grounded in the present.
Left Slant
The left slant is an angle of 45 to 85 degrees to the left. It reveals an inward-directed person with an emphasis on the self, mother, protection, well-being, safety, and an attachment to the past. It also suggests resistance to change.
This scale offers an easy way to “measure” slants in writing. You can trace and use it whenever you practice an analysis.
From Klara G. Roman, Handwriting: A Key to Personality
Swinging Both Ways: The Variable Slant
Talk about ambivalence! If you examine a handwriting where the slant changes from right to left to upright to right again (or any combination thereof) you’re looking at someone who has real trouble making up his or her mind.
PEN POINT What About Lefties?
Lefties account for 15 percent of all writers. However, unless writing in Hebrew (which moves from right to left), most left-handed people are confronted with challenges when learning to write. They have to place their paper in odd positions to adapt to the right-handed writing world and avoid having their hands immediately wipe across (and smear) the fresh ink they’ve written.
As a group, lefties are often considered sensitive, imaginative, and highly creative—Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Benjamin Franklin were all left-handed.
In general, left-handed writing is not obvious. Some lefties tend to have more upright and angular handwriting than right-handed writers.
DID YOU KNOW?
People whose handwriting slants to the left can often find relationships challenging or difficult. They can also rebel against authority.
Smooth Moves: Writing in Motion
Movement is part and parcel of writing. Once you start writing, your writing moves, and the ways
