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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48153
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48153
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

## Is your handwriting slow?

[This article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_minute#Handwriting) claims the average speed for adult handwriting is;

> 68 letters per minute (approximately 13 wpm), with the range from a minimum of 26 to a maximum of 113 letters per minute (approximately 5 to 20 wpm)

Based on your experiments a writing speed of 56 words per minute is well within the typical range, though slightly below average. However the data from the research above seems to be gathered from extended writing sessions over a long period of time.

Your tests measure the maximum speed you can achieve within a two minute burst, I highly doubt this is a speed you can maintain for any significant period. Once your account for rests and periods where you are writing below your maximum spend I would imagine that your actual average speed falls closer to the bottom end of the range. To test this, repeat your experiment but over an hour instead of two minutes. You should also write something less repetitive to better represent a true passage of writing.

## How to deal with a slow writing speed

So we have established that, yes it is likely that your handwriting speed is on the slower end. What can we do about it? [Sara Costa](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/48118/33442) has some good advice on the technical aspects of handwriting and since I'm not an expert I won't comment much on them, other than to say that practice can only help. What I can do is provide some advice on dealing with a slow writing speed.

I'm a leftie (fast writing smears across the page) and a computer nerd with a typing speed well above 100 words per minute. As such I severely dislike handwriting and never got very good at it. I have never tested my speed like you have but based on experience I am sure I fall well below the average.

Like you, things like exam which required long periods of sustained handwriting cause my hand to cramp just thinking about them. However I learned to compensate for it and use the words that I could write more effectively. Here are some the techniques I use:

- **Plan for breaks.** I knew I was going to need a break to rest my hand during exams as such I planned out my exam methodology to take these into account. Which part of the exam I would do in which order helped even out the amount of writing I had to do between breaks. I also planned to always have something to be thinking about while my hand was resting.
- **Plan for less time.** I was taking breaks and writing slower than others, I needed to take this into account. When planning my response to questions and my essays I try to do as much as I could with as few words as possible. Conciseness is your friend.
- **Practice your plan.** When taking practice exams or preparing for the exam I took the above two steps into account. Take your practice exams the same way with the same time constraints. It helps you get a feel for the pace you need to write to complete your exams.
- **Find ways to write less.** Are you someone who writes out a detailed plan ahead of time? Turn it into bullet points, drop the filler words, get your ideas down not your grammar. Save your writing for the final product.

All of the above tips are for how to get the most out of your writing within a given time limit. I used them to great effect throughout my education and graduated with excellent grades despite a slow handwriting speed.

If you aren't in a timed environment or preparing for one however, don't do this. Instead use that time to practice and improve your handwriting. If there is no time pressure why does your writing speed matter? Even five words per minute is likely to outpace your rate of creativity in many writing contexts. In time you will improve. Or do what I did and switch to typing full time, handwriting wasn't helping me anyway.

Original score: 4