Your paper needs a good spot too. One hand writes, and the other hand holds the paper still.
For printing, the paper can sit straight in front of you or tilted a little. For cursive, tilt it more, the same way as your writing arm: the top of the paper leans left if you write with your right hand, and leans right if you write with your left hand.
Key idea
Keep the paper in front of you and hold it still with your other hand. For cursive, tilt the top toward your other hand.
Why it works
A sliding paper makes wobbly lines. Tilting it lets your arm move along the line easily and keeps your writing hand from covering the words you just wrote.
Worked example: Which way?
Leo writes with his left hand. He is starting cursive.
- Leo’s writing hand is his left hand.
- So the top of his paper leans to the right.
- His right hand holds the paper still.
Answer: Top of the paper to the right; right hand holds it.
Common mistake
Copying the tilt of a friend who writes with the other hand. Your tilt follows your own writing hand.
For the grown-up. A strip of tape on the table can mark the paper’s angle so it is the same each day. Palmer’s course gives the same advice for left-handed writers: mirror the directions and tilt the paper the other way.