I thought my fountain pen would improve my handwriting…

When I first picked up a fountain pen, I thought it would fix my handwriting instantly.

I’d seen my grandparents’ old letters with their neat, flowing script. I wanted that. I also remembered a scene from Swing Time where Fred Astaire writes a quick note. Even that looked polished and effortless. His cursive had this upright, balanced style that seemed natural.

When I bought my first fountain pen, a Noodler’s Ahab, I expected it to help. Maybe not instantly, but I figured the right tool would make a difference.

It didn’t – maybe just a little bit.

The fountain pen myth

There’s a common belief among stationery enthusiasts that writing with a fountain pen will automatically improve your penmanship. Often unspoken, sometimes encouraged. The theory goes: better tools = better results.

And it’s easy to believe this. You see someone with a nice pen writing perfectly, and you think the pen is doing the work. It looks impressive.

But tools don’t write for you. If your hand isn’t trained, even the best pen won’t help.

My handwriting wasn’t bad but it was…stuck

I’ve always liked writing by hand. My handwriting wasn’t terrible, just inconsistent. After years of typing at work, my cursive had mostly disappeared. What was left was half print, half cursive. It worked but had no flow.

I missed writing in cursive. I wanted to get back that classic style I saw in old letters and documents.

I eventually grew my fountain pen collection (at first, thinking that the Noodler’s Ahab was the wrong fountain pen for me). But it didn’t fix my handwriting. If anything, it showed me how little I’d practiced since school.

🎯 What actually helped: practice, not pen

The real change happened when I started writing morning pages every day. Three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing, first thing each morning.

Read: Stream of Consciousness: A New Approach to Journaling

I didn’t set out to improve my handwriting. I was doing morning pages for the mental clarity. But writing three pages by hand every single day meant I was unconsciously practicing cursive for hours each week.

The difference between my handwriting in 2019 and today is dramatic. Not because I did formal drills or studied letterforms, but because I wrote consistently. My hand naturally found more efficient ways to connect letters. My rhythm improved. The flow came back.

I used a Leuchtturm1917 notebook 🛒 because I was used to it from bullet journaling and it made daily writing feel routine rather than like work. The paper handled fountain pen ink well, so I didn’t have to worry about bleeding or smudging.

💡 What the fountain pen did do

Compared to ballpoint pens, I did notice a difference in penmanship – mostly because of how smoother fountain pens are. However, the fountain pen didn’t improve my handwriting, but it did make me want to write more. There’s something satisfying about ink flowing on paper. When writing feels good, you do it more often.

That consistency is what improved my handwriting.

The fountain pen also taught me about the tools that matter:

• Paper quality makes a huge difference. Cheap paper creates frustration. Good paper like Rhodia or Clairefontaine notebooks makes every writing session enjoyable.
• Ink choice affects your experience. Some inks flow better, dry faster, or create more satisfying line variation.
• Nib size should match your writing style. My extra fine nib worked well for my naturally smaller handwriting, but someone with larger script might prefer a medium or broad nib.

Read: How to select the right fountain pen nib: tips for beginners

🌟 The real lesson

A fountain pen won’t transform your handwriting overnight. But if it gets you to slow down and practice, you’re headed in the right direction.

My writing improved because I practiced consistently, not because of the pen.

The elegant handwriting I admired wasn’t elegant because of the fountain pen. It was elegant because those people wrote carefully and regularly.

That’s something anyone can learn with practice.