Question 1: What is the difference between writing and calligraphy?
To put it simply, writing is a kind of simple writing, which requires clear and accurate fonts and does not require too much attention. It can be understood as: writing Chinese characters with a pen is called writing.
Calligraphy, in a broad sense, can be understood as: the method of writing. The requirements for calligraphy are mainly reflected in three aspects: penmanship, structure, and composition. In terms of brushwork, the starting, moving and ending of strokes and the overall shape of the strokes must be accurately expressed; in terms of structure, it must be accurate, beautiful, and spiritual; in terms of composition, it must have smooth flow, clear rhythm, appropriate density, and overall harmony, etc. . These calligraphy requirements are also requirements for writing "good calligraphy". "Writing" is just writing out the words, and adding "writing" to the requirement of "writing well" is calligraphy.
Question 2: Adults have already formed a fixed writing habit. Will it still be effective if they start practicing now?
The advantage of adults practicing calligraphy is their strong understanding and self-discipline. The disadvantage is that writing habits are not easy to change. If you want to practice calligraphy well, you need to change some of your previous bad writing habits. The focus of change is not "whether" we can change, but "whether we want to" change. As long as you master the correct writing habits and methods, you will definitely gain good handwriting.
Question 3: Does practicing calligraphy have to start with strokes?
You need to start practicing from the strokes. Strokes are the cornerstone of calligraphy practice. After you have a certain foundation of strokes, you can practice single characters. In addition to the strokes, the structure is equally important. If the structure is reasonable and beautiful, even if there are no modifications in the beginning and line of the strokes, the entire character will not be too bad. However, if the structure is lopsided, loose and dragging, no matter how exquisite the strokes are, it will be difficult to improve the beauty of the entire character.