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The promise I made to several people has now been fulfilled, and a simple handwriting tutorial is now established on my website: http://tom-benson.co.uk/

I’ve dealt in an easy-to-follow format with topics including; holding the pen, tips to improve handwriting, formation of lower case letters, and capital letters.

I’ve kept to my own variant of the Copperplate style which most people should be able to develop into a personalised ‘hand’. If you have any doubts about the standard of your handwriting, why not click along and give it the once-over.

Still on the subject of tutorials, but in art rather than handwriting; I’ve started a list of useful links. On the site menu, it is listed as Art Tutorials – External Links, and I will add to it until I feel there is sufficient choice for anyone who visits my site.

I am not sufficiently talented to set up individual tutorials on the wide variety of disciplines associated with art, so instead, I am listing good, ‘How-to …’ sites on an ongoing basis. There is more information on my site.

Creative Writing, is of course the basis of this blog, so here is an update:

January and February have seen an upsurge in sales of ’10 Days in Panama’, and ‘Beyond The Law’, so I’m wondering if I am lucky enough to see one feeding from the other. I know if I like a book, I will automatically search out the author’s other work. Today, I saw my latest and best review on Beyond The Law. Both of the aforementioned titles are available on my Author’s Page on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

My intention was to choose a title to try in paperback. I’ve made my choice and I will now be looking to achieve the task in the early summer. I will of course be broadcasting the news here, on Twitter, and Facebook when the event takes place. If the paperback idea looks promising enough, I will publish my new novel, ‘Amsterdam Calling’ as an eBook and paperback simultaneously.

For now; happy reading, and writing.

Since stepping down from management in October 2012, I have come to enjoy my days at work much more, but then it’s only natural, since I’m doing a three-day-week now, and it’s stress-free.

If I’m on a break while at work, I will invariably still produce a passage for my current story, which I then type later in the day. I take pride in my handwriting, so apart from the ‘creative’ writing side of it; I actually enjoy handwriting.

Working in a stationery store means that customers regularly ask to try out pens, or wish to compare one with another. Some customers have been so ashamed of their own handwriting that they prefer somebody else to test the pen. Whenever I’m asked to do this, I always write a word or two, because it’s the only way to appreciate the line produced by the pen.

Following many short conversations with customers, I’ve decided to go ahead with the idea of producing a step-by-step, handwriting tutorial on my website. It will deal with the basics, like; types of pen, holding a pen properly, tips on handwriting, and how to produce a neat and legible style.

If your curiosity should get the better of you, please click along to my site and check out the idea. As with all my blog posts and work on my website, I appreciate feedback. Tomorrow I will be setting out how to write the first few lower case letters, and I’ll be using a simplified Copperplate style.

http://www.tom-benson.co.uk/