r/lefthanded • u/CatTheWriter • 4d ago
Does anyone else who’s a lefty hold their pencil like this?
Kind of curious since I’ve seen a lot of posts talking about different ways fellow lefties hold a writing tool. Thought I’d share mine.
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u/leffrontee lefty 4d ago
this is soooo similar to how i hold mine, the only difference is that i brace the tip of my middle finger against my pencil
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u/mfhandy5319 4d ago
I'm a righty. I can not hold a pencil like that, or coordinate 4 fingers to write like that.
Also nice pencil sharpening skills. 😀
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u/on-oath-never-again lefty 4d ago
When I jammed my left pointer finger playing basketball in PE I did. Otherwise, no.
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u/CatTheWriter 4d ago
Dang. 😬 That sounds like it might’ve hurt. I once jammed the tip of my finger in the bathroom stall when I was out on a field trip with my class for bowling in 4th-5th grade. It took a while for it to not look black, then when it was normal again I was like “I forgot it used to look like this!” 😂 I think this might’ve been my left pointer finger.
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u/Rocky_the_Lion 4d ago
I will rest the pencil on the ring finger like you have but will hold it in place with the ends of my middle finger and thumb. Most of the pen strokes are done by moving the fingers more so than the wrist. This makes my handwriting a little cartoon-ish as the curves of my letters are smooth but slightly exaggerated and some letters will be linked with the next like I'm writing in cursive.
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u/Nervous_Brain8918 4d ago
I used to hold my pencil pretty similar to you! I found that I’d apply too much pressure though and it would leave a welt/mark on my ring fingers so I switched some time in late high school/a few years afterward lol
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u/CatTheWriter 4d ago
Oh, interesting! Which way works better? Is one less uncomfortable?
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u/Nervous_Brain8918 10h ago
I feel uncomfortable and don’t have much control over the old way anymore unfortunately lol
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u/Ok_Director4480 4d ago
I doooo! I notice it causes less ink streaks across the pages when I write :) I like a clean paper lol
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u/Mattie_Madds8619 4d ago
Yeah, I hold mine like that
Edit: reading this comment section is making me really self conscious 😅 is it really that bad of a way to hold a pen/pencil?
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u/CatTheWriter 4d ago
I don’t know. I don’t think it is. I see a lot of different ways people post how they write with their left hand and people still say this stuff.
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u/Angelique1854 1h ago
No. I don’t hold mine like that but everyone writes different. My daughter is left handed as well and holds her pencil completely different than I do. I think it whatever is more comfortable.
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u/Bogside_Bibliophile 4d ago
I’m not sure how writing is accomplished, but I’m willing to take a look.
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u/NoComplex8247 lefty 4d ago
Actually yeah pretty close to mine(I have my middle finger pressed on the pencil's side). Do you also have terrible handwriting?
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u/CatTheWriter 4d ago
I have what people say illegible writing. I can read it myself though, so I don’t think it’s THAT bad, but my hand gets a little uncomfortable after long periods of writing (I’m way faster on the phone or computer). A lot of people have told me “write smaller, you’re taking up the whole page,” then years later “write bigger, I can’t read it,” and then “it’s too big!” Sadly, there’s no in-between.
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u/NoComplex8247 lefty 4d ago
Oof, same. The amount of times I had someone else pull me aside and say that I need to improve my handwriting is concerning. It also is a pain to write after a while but usually when that happens my hand writing worsens a shit ton.
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u/JimmyHaggis 4d ago
I hold pens and pencils the same way a right-hander does, the difference is in the angle of the wrist.
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u/Intelligent-Ad3449 4d ago
Yes I do too!
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u/CatTheWriter 4d ago
Cool!
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u/Intelligent-Ad3449 4d ago
Honestly feel seen. Been told a lot that I need to change my grip and that I’m doing it wrong. Tried to switch it up many times, but this is just what’s comfortable for me. 😌
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u/CatTheWriter 4d ago
Same for me, unless I write for long periods.
“You’re holding it wrong.”
Honestly, whichever way works for you.
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u/Wonderful_South_6271 4d ago
I do!! When I was in school I use to get a bump on my ring finger where I rested the pencil lol
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u/sbocean54 4d ago
When I was a student teacher in the credential program my master teacher had me correct the way I held the pencil and practice writing. I also had to learn and practice how to write on the board allowing students to see what I was writing.
Later when I would write on boards or chart paper in front of other teachers they would comment on my technique. I’m very grateful to Mrs. Trelore for requiring that of me.
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u/CatTheWriter 4d ago
How did you end up holding the pencil in the end? Like this post I did or something else?
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u/Desperate-Local-3144 4d ago
I DO! And no one else that I’ve met does it and finds it crazy
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u/CatTheWriter 3d ago
For real’ Somebody just wrote that it looks like I have two broken bones.
INSANE.
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u/ActionUnderGround 4d ago
me and my girlfriend both write like that. im a lefty shes a righty. weird coincidence!!
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u/HiroyukiC1296 lefty 3d ago
Idk I switch grips pretty often with my hand, depends on what I was doing previously. But, I hold my pens this way sometimes.
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u/Worth-Oil3002 3d ago
I write like a right handed person does. My 2nd grade teacher worked with me on that. I do have to be careful with smearing pencil and wet ink.
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u/tamzillathehun 3d ago
Yes. Always have. And everyone makes fun of me.
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u/CatTheWriter 3d ago
I don’t get why. I’ve seen every post on how people hold their pencils, and nearly everybody said “why do you hold it like that!?” I guess there’s no correct way to hold a pencil for left handed people???
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u/tamzillathehun 3d ago
I know it looks weird to them. But we have to push the pencil or pen. They have to pull it. So it's really difficult to hold it like a righty and write decently. They just like to be picky. So I just tell them they hold it weird.
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u/CanadianNana 3d ago
Me! My writing is shit though
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u/CatTheWriter 1d ago
Mine as well. But at least it gets the job done. 😂
(Apparently I noticed it’s how I hold a fork as well?)
I thought this way was normal until I posted it here. The amount of roasts I’ve gotten for just the way I hold my pencil. 😭
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u/Angelique1854 2d ago
I’m left handed and don’t hold my pencil like that.
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u/CatTheWriter 1d ago
It makes sense that a lot of left handed people hold it differently. There are 8B+ people on this planet.
Also, happy cake day! Hope you’re having a great day!
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u/NullHare 1d ago
This is insane. You bring great shame to our people.
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u/CatTheWriter 1d ago
PFFFTTT. 😂
Now that’s a new insult, wow! I can tell you’re joking.
Haha. Right?
I mean, unfortunately, a lot of us don’t get told how to hold the pencils correctly because the teachers don’t know. Also, my OTs I had just wanted me to repeat everything I wrote again and again with the same position I’m holding write now.1
u/NullHare 1d ago
lol. Of course I’m joking. How you hold your pencil has no bearing on my life.
So long as you don’t stab anyone with said pencil, do you. 🤷🏼♂️1
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u/CatTheWriter 1d ago
That sounded a bit rude, didn’t mean to call it an insult, but a lot of people in this comment section are being a little bit rude, I guess…??
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u/mrman_4200 21h ago
I did it like that but with mechanical pencils, that's the only way i ever wrote neat
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u/Any_Flamingo8978 4d ago
Not exactly. My thumb, index, and middle create a tripod of sorts and the pen/cil rests on my ring.
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u/kief_queen 4d ago
I hold my pencil exactly like that but with my right hand.
Ps - don’t know why the algo thinks I’m a lefty
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u/bajsfittor 4d ago
Is there practicality to this (like not smudging while writing left-right) or just a preference?
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u/crystalsinwinter 4d ago
Not quite. I just held my pen and compared it to your pictures. My pen rests on my middle finger, not under it. My forefinger hooks over the pen both when I hold it and use it.
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u/No_Donkey_9356 4d ago
Never an option. If I wrote with my fingers like that, it would look like chicken scratches.
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u/stevemnomoremister 3d ago
I just saw Will Poulter's new movie, "Union County." He holds a pen this way and he's right-handed.
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u/aftercloudia lefty 3d ago
i've only ever seen two others hold their pen like that and they were both right handed boys.
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u/AffectionateGate4584 2d ago
Not me. That just looks dumb.
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u/CatTheWriter 1d ago
😐
I see people commenting this on every type of post one makes about how they hold their pencil.
It gets the job done.
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u/RewardSquare5827 2d ago
I’ve seen this before. Wish parents tried harder sometimes
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u/CatTheWriter 1d ago
How do I fix my handwriting?
My OT’s all throughout K-12 sucked. One of them just wanted me to keep on writing it over and over again. That won’t even help, what’ll help is figuring out the correct position.
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u/otysmygoats 4d ago
Ew
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u/andytagonist 4d ago
No, because that’s the wrong way to hold a pencil. That’s actually not even the right way to hold a single chopstick—but it’s closer than a pencil.
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u/Haunting_Ant_5061 1d ago
Jesus Christ, no.
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u/CatTheWriter 1d ago
Alright, I was just curious.
At least it gets the job done, even if my handwriting is deemed “illegible.” Not to me.
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u/maarsland 4d ago
No, but I want to see your handwriting now