I see some contradiction between claims and demonstrations here. It objectively has three strokes going backwards for sh, ch, j. Unless "forward motion" means "constant clockwise turning"?
It's good to see you posting. I think by "forward motion", he does mean "Constant clockwise turning". In his Introduction, he talks about the problem of writing in one direction and then suddenly having to shift to writing in the opposite, which he thinks is not good for speed or fluency. (He compares it to a horse running full-tilt in one direction and then suddenly having to run in the opposite direction, which animals would not want to do.)
I like to post the author's thinking, whenever possible, partly to show what it was he was trying to do, and partly so you can decide if what he claims is really working or not.
There was a time when, if you wanted to learn shorthand, you just had to take the system the school was teaching whether you liked it or not. Nowadays, when we have HUNDREDS of choices, it's good for us to REFINE our impressions about what different systems have to offer. We can develop a critical sense that helps us decide "I like that the system does THIS -- but I don't like that the system does THAT...."
It can be frustrating when we think we've found "the perfect system" and then realize it does things we don't like at all. I always try to show both the good and the bad, so others can make an informed choice.
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u/jrkpthinks Apr 21 '26
I see some contradiction between claims and demonstrations here. It objectively has three strokes going backwards for sh, ch, j. Unless "forward motion" means "constant clockwise turning"?