Writing Tips, Tricks, and Facts for Lefties
My niece is one of my favorite people in the whole world. She’s hilarious, energetic, and creative – and she’s also left-handed. I first noticed her left-handedness when she was writing my name on a portrait she had sketched for me. Even though she wrote the “N” in “GINA” backwards (because she’s five years old, not because she’s a lefty) I still maintain that it is one of the most glorious works of art ever created (move over, Mona Lisa).
Writing Tips, Tricks and Facts for Lefties
Lefties like Hannah face a lot of challenges right-handed people never even think about. When writing with a pen, the side of their hand often gets coated in the ink while smudging their letters, and using scissors can be tricky and uncomfortable, so some have developed strategies to compensate. Some left-handed people become “over-writers,” turning their hand to the right so that their hand is above the line they’re writing. Others become “under-writers,” and write from below the line they’re working on. Many left-handed students also adjust by holding their pencils at least an inch higher than right-handed people in order to see over and around their hand.
While there are certainly challenges, there are also some perks to being left-handed. Some studies suggest that left-handed people are more creative (since being left-handed is associated with the right side of the brain), have better visual-spatial skills, and are less likely to develop arthritis. Historically, castles were built with staircases curving clockwise so that invaders running up the stairs would be hindered by having less space for their sword arm to move. Left-handed sword-wielders would therefore have the advantage against the castle’s defenders. Some famous lefties throughout history include Joan of Arc, Lewis Carroll, Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, Kurt Cobain, and Barack Obama.
If you’re right-handed but you think being left-handed sounds really cool, fear not! This article can teach you how to become left-handed. In addition to consistent practice, the article recommends wearing a watch or bracelet on your right hand as a signal to your subconscious that you are trying to change hands.
My niece is one of the coolest people I know, and I bet you know some pretty cool left-handed people too. Leave a comment and tells us about an awesome lefty in your life or share your writing tips!
I’m lefty and solved the issue of smudging, dirty hands, and in-the-way binder rings and spirals simply : rotate the paper 90 degrees clockwise.
I still get comments about this virtually every time someone sees me write for the first time, since I’m writing towards myself rather than left to right, but it’s a completely natural and position and has worked for me for almost 30 years now, so I happily recommend it to all the other lefties out there.
And no, I don’t have to cock my head sideways to read as I write 🙂
I write like that too! My paper is always completely turned so the bottom is facing the left. Everyone is freaked out about it, but it so uncomfortable trying to write with the paper straight.
K Benton – I finally met someone who writes that way! I turn my paper 90 degrees too! It’s the most comfortable. I wish we could write right to left and that would be the most “logical”. I am a graphite artist and start my drawings on the right and work to the left.
Sketchbooks that are bound are turned upside down and I start back to front. Then the binder is on the right-side.
The world is backwards for the lefty:)
I agree! Spiral
Note books i flip to the back and spiral is on the other side. Works for me..
I
This is exactly how I write
I turn the binder upside down so that the rings are on the right, I tried your idea and it works good as well.
Im left handed so i tilt my paper so the longer side is parellel to the edge of my desk. I also put my whole arm on the desk so Im kinda writing sideways. I rarely get graphite or ink on my hand. Hope this helps.
I actually wrote backwards. I would start with the right side of the paper and the last letter of the last word I was going to write and wrote from right to left. I still sign my name this way as it makes it virtually impossible to try a forge.
Unfortunately I had an ex nun in second grade, which is when we were taught cursive (which I have heard is now a dead skill and no longer being taught, shame on you american school system? WTF?) I was a double spawn of satan for being left handed AND writing backwards!
It was a public school however, and I have a red heads temper. about the fifth whack of that ruler across my hand that raised a welt I grabbed it out of her hand and smacked her face with it HARD/ She hauled me to the principals office who pulled me into her lap and showed me that….she was also left handed.
the teacher was suddenly replaced by a substitute and never did return. Good riddance. I wound up being ambidexterous, but I auto default to lefty if I’m not thinking about it. One or two things (like crochet) i can only do as a lefty. I also flip my ring binders so that the wire binder is on the right and I don’t have to struggle over that dingbat thing, and if I see paper that is bound at the top of the booklet BUY IT ALL!!!!! I also have an insane pen collection from hunting for the best pens to give smooth writing and not smearing all over hell and back. (papermate makes a good one, the kind you buy refills for, not disposible) there is another one that is fine point called a Z301 (i think that’s the numbers) awesome for not getting messy!
I’m a lefty and I always get smudges on my hand. It sometimes gets very annoying, but I got used to it. For some weird reason I always tilt my paper to the right so that the bottom is almost parallel to my desk. I also tilt my head to the right when I watch t.v, write, and more. I don’t know if I’m an “overwriter” or an “underwriter”, but my writing is pretty neat.
All I do is just write over the line and boom! I can see what I write plus my hands are clean. This provides a nice slant towards the right and many people say I have the best handwriting! (I am lefty)
Those are some awesome writing tips, thanks 🙂
Don’t think I’ll be able to use them though XD
I’m a leftie and always felt different ( in a good way) because I rarely knew any other lefties.
Now I’ve moved to a new school and there are so many other lefties there too!
One downside to that is that, they all seem to have such amazing hand-writing and such amazing minds and then I look and my writing and just go….what the hell did I just write…
I think I’m the only one who missed out on the amazing hand-writing, but still cursed with the smudging.
I think the reason why I still smudge is because my parents and some teachers always tried to teach me to write with my right and my paper straight, never the less, I still love being a leftie 😀
As with everyone else who has replied here, I’m left handed. I tend to write with the paper rotated 45° to the left and my hand above the line I’m writing on. This works well unless I’m using a pencil, in which case it smudges BAD. Oh well. 🙂
I am a lefty and I am in junior high, I’ve been an artist and a writer my whole life but I always get smudges on my hand and my work, and my handwriting is absolutely horrible, any tips or ideas so I don’t get another f for my handwriting?
My paper is a 45° turn towards the left as I’m a lefty. I’ve avoided sniffing this way.
Hi I’m khatija and I’m leftie and I’m proud of being leftie every time somebody sees me writing in left hand I get compliment and it’s natural to me writing in left hand and of course it’s cool writing in left hand
You I’m khatija and I’m leftie I’m proud of being leftie every time somebody sees me writing in left hand gives me a compliment and of course it is cool being leftie
Thank-you for your ideas I always use to get smudge on my hand and on paper but now its OK
reading this I have found so many things I didn’t realise just left handed people do, I am sitting hear asking the right handed person next to me how she does it and I am amazed how different it is. I automatically tilt my head to the right when im reading from the computer and I never realised. I cant use can openers and my mum cant watch me use a knife. scissors are a night mare! I do my ticks backwards, my o’s the opposite way to righties (apparently they go anti clockwise!) and my capital n’s start at the end. never new there were such little differences
I have a better Idea in writing for lefties-specially when writing on spiral notebooks- learn to use both hands for writing! This way you can write with comfort! When your hand gets tired or uncomfortable you can just switch it with your other hand! It’s not impossible. (When I was a child I can write with both hands. Sadly as I grew up, I rarely used my right hand until it forgot how to write) This takes time but when your other hand gets the hand of it it will be a big advantage. Hope this helps!!!
I’m a proud lefty and have just always choosen not to use spiral notebooks because they are an absolute pain in the butt! I never really got into the idea of writing in the notebooks backwards because I just love opening a book the right way and having a pretty cover and all 😂 A few months ago though I found a shop that sells products just for left handed people and have buying helpful things that I never new I needed in my life but now just can’t live without! 😂 they have things like left handed spiral notebooks were the front cover is on the other side so it doesn’t look weird, left handed pencil grips, left handed scissors, left handed fountain pens for calligraphy and just heaps of other awesome stuff! But I think it’s just an Australian shop so sorry to all the non Australian left handers out there 😂 i have found the pencil grip the best purchase so far because I have always had a REALLY strange pencil/ pen grip and was constantly getting hand cramps when writing a lot in essays and stuff so I have been practising my handwriting grip with it and seen a big improvement! Maybe someone can start a world wide online left handed store!
I’m also a leftie! but it’s only been recent that I realize there were a lot of things I missed out on to improve my handwriting and also minimizing writing fatigue… Contrary to most stories I hear, after I kept switching my pencil back into my left hand, my parents just dismissed it and let me write that way. Either I don’t remember my teachers criticizing how I write, or they just never cared about it too–
I actually just recently found that tilting my paper counter-clockwise is comfortable too!
extra but my handwriting is generally upright