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A bit off topic but, I handwrite so little that after more than a sentence and a half my hand starts hurting and I have to take a break. Is that something that

A bit off topic but, I handwrite so little that after more than a sentence and a half my hand starts hurting and I have to take a break. Is that something that can be improved by one of these pens? I've only ever used the cheapest ones I can find.

mangamadaiyan 5y ago
Try writing with a pencil? If you find that your hand hurts even when writing with a pencil, maybe you're gripping it too tight. Anecdotally, I did go through a a few months of not writing anything by hand, and it did feel weird when I wrote again. Using a regular HB pencil for a while helped.
rmellow 5y ago
You're likely pressing too hard. Look for pens that don't require force to dispense ink, such as a fineliner. Crummy ballpoint pens would be what you want to avoid if this indeed is the cause.
smarx007 5y ago
What @mellow said plus you (a) may need a bit of practice and (b) get a pen with a better grip. I usually write 2-3 A5 pages a day, so writing 5+ would make my hand a bit stiff. If you write less than a page a day, you may want to take it easy at the beginning. For example, try a 5 minute journaling practice. Grip is very important (saying as a leftie who uses fountain pens). You may want to look at a pen like Lamy Safari that has a grip that forces you to hold the pen correctly. Don’t use thin pens like Parker Jotter unless you have really petite hands. As @mellow suggested, using a pen that flows well is necessary but not sufficient to ease the pressure on the page. If you are a heavy writer, it will take some effort to break the habit.
mikequinlan 5y ago
I had similar problems and my doctor recommended using a very thick pen. That helped me a lot.
aidenn0 5y ago
Others have mentioned you are probably pushing too hard. My 2 suggestions as someone with the same problem: 1. Before getting a new pen, you need to train yourself to write lighter. I would suggest practicing with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil; the lead will break if you push hard. When I first did this, I broke the lead at least once per sentence. 2. Try a few gel and/or rollerball pens. They tend to lay down ink with less pressure than ballpoints. Fountain pens do so as well, but tend to be more expensive and require more maintenance. I bought maybe a dozen different recommended rollerball and gel pens that were under $5 each, tried them out myself and then loaned them all to friends. We each liked different ones the best but liked all of them better than a cheap ballpoint.
123pie123 5y ago
If it's similar to what I had problems with, it may be you're holding the pen with too much pressure. as others have said, holding the pen in the correct way, with the correct pressure should help larger pens/ pencils seemed to help

mangamadaiyan 5y ago

Try writing with a pencil? If you find that your hand hurts even when writing with a pencil, maybe you're gripping it too tight. Anecdotally, I did go through a a few months of not writing anything by hand, and it did feel weird when I wrote again. Using a regular HB pencil for a while helped.

rmellow 5y ago

You're likely pressing too hard. Look for pens that don't require force to dispense ink, such as a fineliner. Crummy ballpoint pens would be what you want to avoid if this indeed is the cause.

smarx007 5y ago

What @mellow said plus you (a) may need a bit of practice and (b) get a pen with a better grip. I usually write 2-3 A5 pages a day, so writing 5+ would make my hand a bit stiff. If you write less than a page a day, you may want to take it easy at the beginning. For example, try a 5 minute journaling practice. Grip is very important (saying as a leftie who uses fountain pens). You may want to look at a pen like Lamy Safari that has a grip that forces you to hold the pen correctly. Don’t use thin pens like Parker Jotter unless you have really petite hands. As @mellow suggested, using a pen that flows well is necessary but not sufficient to ease the pressure on the page. If you are a heavy writer, it will take some effort to break the habit.

mikequinlan 5y ago

I had similar problems and my doctor recommended using a very thick pen. That helped me a lot.

aidenn0 5y ago

Others have mentioned you are probably pushing too hard. My 2 suggestions as someone with the same problem: 1. Before getting a new pen, you need to train yourself to write lighter. I would suggest practicing with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil; the lead will break if you push hard. When I first did this, I broke the lead at least once per sentence. 2. Try a few gel and/or rollerball pens. They tend to lay down ink with less pressure than ballpoints. Fountain pens do so as well, but tend to be more expensive and require more maintenance. I bought maybe a dozen different recommended rollerball and gel pens that were under $5 each, tried them out myself and then loaned them all to friends. We each liked different ones the best but liked all of them better than a cheap ballpoint.

123pie123 5y ago

If it's similar to what I had problems with, it may be you're holding the pen with too much pressure. as others have said, holding the pen in the correct way, with the correct pressure should help larger pens/ pencils seemed to help