How do you hold a pen/pencil?

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Spin off the handwriting thread - do you hold your pen 'correctly'? I once heard someone call my grip the 'Chimpanzee Grip' - thumb covering the first joint of my finger. That's how I've always done it and no one ever tried to correct it. My handwriting (usually printing) is pretty neat though, average for a female. (Sometimes I end up pretty far up the pen too, closer to the middle at times instead of holding it at the bottom closer to the writing tip.) Here it is:

I use a 3 fingered grip, myself. All 3 fingerd hold it like an upside down tripod.

I hold mine the same way. My handwriting is a combo of cursive and print, still sorta messy, always has been. I don't know how to make some cursive letters, so I print them.

I hold a pen just like you do - well, I did for most of my life - I have a great big calous on my finger from doing it . . . my parents used to bribe me with various things if I'd hold it right . . . I don't really know if I do now since I type everything . . .

I never learned cursive very well - I print everything now when I do write with my hands . . .

As normally as any left-handed person can.

Not like that! It's very hard to describe, I think it's close to the "proper" way to hold your writing utensil. If I could be bothered photographing it I would... but I'm not. Well, I just have 3 fingers on the pen and my middle finger on the bottom of the pen, pointing finger on the right side of the pen and thumb on the left - then they all join about a fixed point just above the tip. I'm not sure how you're supposed to hold your pen but that's how I do it.
Apparently you shouldn't grip the pen too hard and someone should be able to flick the pen out of your hand with minimal touch. I know that I grip the pen too tight, which is bad in exams so I think I change my grip to a more flexible one or I move my hand up the pen. I know I do something weird I'm just not sure what.
On a side note, is it the same if you are writing with a quill? Has anybody ever written with a quill and ink pot? I'd love to... but never have.

I've never tried to use a quill or anything like that.

Neongrl, fareeq - SNAP!

Always had comments on it but thankfully we live in an enlightened age where no-one is forced to change the way or the hand with which they write... BTW though you look like you're right-handed, while I'm a leftie. (Only left-handed people are in their right minds! )

Did have to spend most of my free periods when I was in the sixth form practising handwriting by copying out interesting newspaper gossip articles about politicians into a scrapbook though, so I could get up to a speed which was suitable for the exams, which were three hours worth of essay-writing with nary a computer in sight.

All I use are my pointer finger and thumb, and sometimes the finger right next to my pointer. My thumb and pointer grip on opposite sides of the pen at almost the very bottom, with the other sometimes supporting my pointer.

I hold my pencil forward with my thumb, index finger and middle finger.. I'll try to get a pic up later.. It's an awkward way to hold a pencil, and I'm often questioned about how I can write like that. Of course my writing is pretty sloppy

Your grip is almost exactly the same as mine neongrl. I rest the pen on my ring finger though. And have a huge calous.

I hold it with the right side resting on my middle finger (I have a dent there) and then my index finger and thumb forming the rest of a triangle. I think that's the so-called 'correct' way, but so long as one's writing is legible, I don't see that it matters to be honest. Interesting thread though

As for handwriting, about 75% of mine is cursive, but the rest is because I form the letters in such a way that it's rather impossible to join them up.

The batteries on my camera just died. So I'll have to post my pics after I recharge them.

Of late, I can't seem to find a comfortable grip on my pen/pencil. I keep switching the grip in part because I grasp it so hard.

It's really becoming utterly annoying. I wish I could find a good, relaxed grip and stick with it.

I hold my pens in between my index and middle fingers, with the tips of those fingers and my thumb resting on it. It's really weird, I need to get a picture when I can. And my handwriting is absolutely atrocious. Holding pens the 'right' way only makes it worse.