> I type literally 10x faster than I can write, and when I write I cramp super quickly.
Because you don't do it enough to keep those muscles in training, and because you use the wrong tools when you do.
A $20 Pilot Metropolitan is more than enough to discover how pleasant longhand can be when done with a tool that's designed specifically for that purpose, in a way ballpoints and pencils are not. It'll teach you to stop ramming the point into the paper, too, which is the other reason why writing makes your hand hurt.
I have a fancy fountain pen and was taught Gregg shorthand by my grandmother and have used it for note taking for most of my life. I still type 50%-75% faster than I write and can type for significantly longer than I can write.
If I learned how to use a stenotype I can imagine the discrepancy would be even larger.
My quote's a little more widely scoped than is useful; speed does improve with practice, but not that much, and isn't really what makes the skill valuable in any case. Far too late to edit, alas.
I do love a Twist-Erase in 0.7 for a pencil, but these days I only use a pencil when I'm marking cuts or otherwise doing work too harsh for a more delicate instrument.
Use a different pen, maybe, or add an O-ring to the section or something. A capped pen should take weeks to dry out, not days.
Rollerballs are a decent second best - I keep them for lenders and for backup in case I'm caught without a spare cartridge. That said, they definitely don't come close to my Decimo or E95s.
Because you don't do it enough to keep those muscles in training, and because you use the wrong tools when you do.
A $20 Pilot Metropolitan is more than enough to discover how pleasant longhand can be when done with a tool that's designed specifically for that purpose, in a way ballpoints and pencils are not. It'll teach you to stop ramming the point into the paper, too, which is the other reason why writing makes your hand hurt.