To be clear, I’m not discussing vertical signage involving the Latin Alphabet such as this since I’m mainly discussing formatting entire book passages, sentences or even paragraphs of information in that manner in which Chinese, Japanese or Korean allow for that kind of writing orientation found in novels (chapter books) like this:

YBUZ62Arm0CsSE7.png

I’ve shared a excerpt from the first chapter of a book I’ve finished reading in Japanese, but the same writing format works for both Chinese and Korean. Is it because their characters look more “squarish” as they’re logographic meaning the orientation isn’t rigid allowing flexibility on being read either top to bottom vertically or left to right horizontally?

      • ...m...@ttrpg.network
        1·
        2 months ago

        …some do, but most either rotate the page ninety degrees to write vertical text right-to-left or they cramp their hands and smudge the paper…

        (not to mention that pushing your writing implement is generally much rougher on both the tool and the paper surface; pens clog + jam, pencil tips break, and paper tears much more frequently)

            • CameronDev@programming.dev
              1·
              2 months ago

              I have been a leftie my entire life as well, and none of that matches my experience. I certainly don’t wear out my pens and rip up pages.

              My hand position puts my hand below the line, so I am not smudging my fingers across the text anyway, and other than being mirrored, is exactly how gripping the pen was taught to all of us at school. The wrist is relatively neutral, and the pen is angled down from the line.

              This is my handwriting, forgive the camera angle, and the poor cursive, I don’t handwrite much beyond scribbling notes:

              https://streamable.com/v7l92z

                • CameronDev@programming.dev
                  2·
                  2 months ago

                  Torso is a little to the left of the camera, and the notepad is tilted, but not to the extent that I would call it writing columns.

                  I do see your point though.

                  (I am semi-super immortal, I write left handed, but do everything else right. Can switch most things easily enough)