I also like to practice calligraphy in my spare time, and I also have some experience. For your reference:
Firstly, it is not necessary to practice the calligraphy of the ancients. Deng Tuo said that primary school students should start from practicing the basic strokes of regular script. They cannot go up to Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan. Although we are not primary school students, when we were young, Most of them have never practiced calligraphy seriously, so this opinion is worth your reference.
If you are practicing calligraphy, you can start with a brush. If you are short on time and have little energy and just want to write beautifully, you can also use a hard pen. There are some hard-pen calligraphy books on the market, but most of them are not of high quality. Please choose carefully. Knowledgeable friends and advisors are fine, but the key is to look at what you like. Once you've made your choice, practice hard, like a primary school student, copying first and then copying, and combining copying and copying. At most a dozen words at a time, break them apart and analyze the structure and strokes. Don’t be greedy for too much and don’t be greedy for speed. What should be especially noted is that as long as the quality of the copybook is good, don't think about writing in your own style for the time being, and focus on writing "like". This is called "entering into the calligraphy". When you have mastered the calligraphy, you can then practice other calligraphy. Slowly, you can figure out your own style, which is "posting". You should be as careful with your posts as you are with your wife, and don't slip in your writing. Chairman Mao's handwriting was also written honestly and carefully.
The second is what post to choose.
If you have never practiced calligraphy when you were a child, it is best to start with regular script. For copybooks, regular script on the computer will do. Use a pen to trace and write, and when you feel that your hand feels smooth when writing (that is, it is handy, your hand can write whatever you want in your heart, and it will not lose its control), then add calligraphy-like posts. When I was a child, my teacher forced me to practice Kai Ti. At first I thought it was very rigid, but now I have benefited a lot from it.
I don’t have much experience in choosing hard-tipped copybooks, and you have to choose what you like. The brush can be talked about. You have to consider your own needs. If you work in an agency or something and write a lot of official documents, choose a well-organized and beautiful calligraphy book, such as Zhao Mengfu's regular script (recommended "Poetry for Feelings"); if writing is not your main job, But it needs to be written beautifully. For example, if you are a teacher, you can practice Wang Xizhi's regular script, such as "The Preface to the Holy Religion"; if you are engaged in art-related things, or want to write "handsome", practicality is not the first priority. If you think about it, then practice cursive writing. Sun Guoting's "Book Book" is a good choice; if you like to write articles and pursue a literati style, Mi Xiangyang is the best. His "Shu Su Tie" and "Tiao Xi Shi Tie" are all excellent works of literati's cursive calligraphy. When I practice them, I feel like I am almost becoming an immortal. Dong Qichang is also good, but his writing skills are not strong, and he may be stingy in learning for beginners. It is best to practice other people's skills before practicing his.
In addition, if you are interested, you can also practice seal script, official script, and regular script. If you just practice calligraphy, it is not necessary. Yan Liu’s regular script can be written, but I think the hard pen is not as effective as running script. If practicing calligraphy requires order, it is best to practice all of these to lay a solid foundation. That would take a lot of work.
You have to practice these slowly, and the most important thing is to be focused, don’t change posts, at least practice until you can memorize them. It may take more than ten years or even decades to practice to perfection. Years, but as long as you write seriously, you will benefit from it, don't be fooled by it.
The third is to talk about methods. I can only read my own handwriting and am not a calligrapher, so what I talk about is Yehu Zen. If there are good people who can follow it, it is very good.
First of all, you should always read the copybook, carry it with you, and try to figure it out when you have nothing to do. If you only look at it when you are writing, and the ink will dry if the pen or brush is left in the air for a long time, you will feel cramped and unable to observe carefully.
Then you need to be confident when writing. It is a big taboo to always look at each stroke and write one after another. It is a big taboo to write blindly at a glance and call it "copying". Neither of these will work. Huang Tingjian said that he can only start writing if he can see the word reappearing in front of his eyes when he closes his eyes. If you don't have that much time, you can first read one stroke and then write one word. The second time, read each word and write one word. Gradually practice until you can read each line and write each line, and the stroke structure of the words has been kept in mind. When I was practicing calligraphy, I found it really difficult to do this. I was always dishonest and impatient, and I wasted a lot of time on this. You must not imitate me, take your time, learn one character a day, which is three hundred and sixty-six dollars a year. Ten characters. Although there are many Chinese characters, there are many similarities in structure and radicals. Gradually, you can draw inferences about other cases.
Then, if you practice calligraphy with calligraphy, it is best not to choose a monument at the beginning. It is best to choose one with ink color and the original handwriting is best. Learn how the master uses ink and pen. Some rules of writing cannot be seen in the stele.
Finally, you can read the theory of calligraphy, which does not necessarily mean you will gain anything. It is also good to cultivate your sentiments. It would be best if it can arouse your interest in calligraphy practice, then you will definitely make rapid progress. You don’t have to read the ancients. Firstly, the ancients’ writings may not be easy to understand (for non-professionals, of course), and secondly, they are not very systematic.