RHYTHM AND FORM QUALITY

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The following sample displays a fine balance of good rhythm and form level. It is neither ornamental nor neglected and manages to convey a feeling of personal style within a traditional structure.

Overly Embellished Writing. Showy and pretentious script is, like all extremes in handwriting, a facade or compensation for inner weakness. Ornamented strokes are slow to make, very self-conscious and reveal a contrived personality. The muchadmired intellectual Greek e is slower to write than the Palmer type e and does not have a natural place in many scripts. Ornamented capital letters usually go beyond a respect for tradition, revealing the vain showman.

Neglected Writing. Simplification can reach an unrhythmic extreme for quite different reasons than speed or maturity. Remember that a simple and speedy script is a sign of maturity and purposefulness. Untended, careless, and half-completed letters and a neglected over-all look, however, arises from a disorganized and unfocused personality with depressive moods. Pressure, downhill baselines, and x-ing shows suicidal tendencies in the careless writer.