Essays
An App That Mimics Fountain-Pen Ink Bleed for Hanzi
A realistic ink-bleed brush feels wonderful for writing Hanzi, and the analog feel helps you keep practicing. Here is what matters most underneath the texture.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Fixing Input Lag When Writing Chinese on a Mac Tablet
Getting input lag writing Mandarin characters on a Mac with a drawing board? The lag is real and fixable, but the device matters less than the method. Here is how.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Drawing Hanzi on a MacBook Magic Trackpad?
Can you practice writing characters on a MacBook trackpad? You can, but it is a poor surface for handwriting. Here is what works and what is far better.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Training Apple Pencil Pressure for Brush Calligraphy
A real brush stroke lives in its pressure changes. Here is how to train Apple Pencil pressure control for convincing Chinese calligraphy, step by step.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Writing Chinese With Arthritis: Low-Force Stylus Practice
Arthritis making brushes painful for Chinese writing? This is not medical advice, but a light stylus needs far less force than a brush. Here is a gentler approach.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
iPad Too Slippery for Stroke Practice? Use a Matte Protector
Is your iPad's glass too slippery for controlled stroke practice? A matte, paper-feel screen protector adds the friction handwriting needs. Here is why it works.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Pressure-Sensitive Shufa Training on a Tablet
A pressure-sensitive shufa visualizer shows your brush dynamics, which is great feedback. Here is what it teaches, its limits, and the recall that anchors it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Using a Wacom Intuos on PC for Chinese Practice
A Wacom Intuos gives great pen control for Chinese characters, but software matters. Here is what works on PC and why the writing method beats the hardware.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Quieter Stylus Practice for Libraries and Shared Spaces
Apple Pencil tapping too loud for the library while you practice characters? A few fixes make stylus writing quiet, and recall practice means fewer strokes.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
When a Course Has No Stylus Writing: Filling the Gap
Frustrated that a course's reading track doesn't support stylus writing on the web? It is a common gap. Here is why, and how a stylus-first tool fills it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min