Okie dokie. You’ve tripped across this group. You’re started (or already know) sign language. You’ve got the basics down (because you went to slwrite.org) and now you’d like to try some prompts.

What are the options for writing in ASLWrite, especially if you want to upload it.

1. The all basic handwriting. You can take a pencil, pen, crayon, marker, lined paper, cardboard, back of a paper bag, white board, to try your hand and then take a picture with your phone or laptop to upload it. (If you want to upload it. You’re not required).

2. Tablets/phones: If you’re working with a tablet or a phone you probably have a notes app that allows you to make annotations. Open up that app (on an iphone you can use “notes” or google keep. I don’t know what it is on an android), tap whatever button that opens up the drawing tool, and trace the sign with your finger or stylus.

3. Laptops, or any other device (including tables): A very very simple one I use is the snipping tool. I take a screenshot of a blank background and then use the annotation tools (colored lines and highlighters) to draw the sign I want.

There are a lot of other drawing programs out there, some free like sketch.io and 3D paint, and some not so free (like Adobe) that you might have. When I asked a long time ago I needed guidance because I was so confused, so when someone said “any drawing program!” I had no idea what to do or where to start. Basically, if you can get a word processor program, a notes program, an annotation program, to let you draw lines, you can write with it. Then either export it as a jpg or take a screenshot/use the snipping tool. (Fun fact, if you can get a jpg into a doc, you can export the whole doc as a pdf and now have ASL write in a pdf.

4. Type it. Yes, I said TYPE IT. So what is really cool is a person named Bee OIive started making a ligature font to type ASLWrite as a side project for themself. Once they got it to a certain level they posted it free for everyone to use. (You can share it, use it, spread it around, but please don’t package it as your own to sell it under your name and your brand and your credit.)

Bee kept updating it and now its up to Version 1.7 (which has some super nifty features.

What you need to do is first go here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ggp-2Tnzdy8jOpicos-PMFQqcV8pK2H2

Download both the font file AND the PDF. This is going to be super important because the PDF contains all of the instructions for installation, all of the keyboard layout, all of the key combinations to get letters, all of the explanations for how the system works together, and super critical, what programs you can use.

For example I used to use ZOHO writer, which was pretty stable for the most part, but it wouldn’t export the signs to PDF. My favorite because Microsoft 3D paint and I moved to LibreOffice which works pretty well and allows you to export your work to PDF. But, the how to version file you’ll find at the link above warns you to save often with libreoffice because it doesn’t crash a lot, but it can and it takes your work with it. (Its still my fav right now).

I wouldn’t know any of that without the documentation bible, so make sure you get a copy of that and keep it with your file, as it will make things a lot easier.

The font typing has a learning curve, but honestly, once you get pieces under your belt (like how to rotate signs, and where the bases tend to be, and the intuitive order of sign building) you’ll be surprised at what you can do. The challenge then will be figuring out how to write the signs in general (which requires either find a dictionary, or sounding it out and seeking feedback from other signers and writers).

A few tips:

• I found that installing it was a little tricky because I had to get the file name exactly right. However, once I got it successfully installed I didn’t have to do that again for subsequent versions.

• before you get started, after you install the font, test it without any expectations of typing. Make sure you know where to find it in the font drop down (its a bunch of squiggles all jammed up on each other, and is not labelled in English). Hit some keys and see if characters happen. They will land on top of each other because that feature allows you to move aspects in space, but if you’re just keyboard smasshing it will look more like a smoosh of characters on top of each other than a qwerty asdlkf. A note, if all you see are english letters, its not installed correctly. However, knowing the english letters can help you remember how to type characters (for example hd = the i hand shape) when you’re in a rush and don’t have as much time to play around on the keyboard. Head over to your PDF instruction manual, look at that digit chart and type in the letters on your keyboard. The sign should appear. If you do this and you get letters instead, you’re not in the ASLWrite type font.

• once you install the font and are satisfied, practice using the spacing keys (a, z, and spacebar) and the up down keys (O, P), these will make your experience so much easier.

• set your font size to larger. I like a 48 font size for ASLWrite

• take just a few signs, or a few motions, or a single view, or hand shape, or thumb, just a few facets, and practice those over and over and over again. Once you get a feel for where the keys are and how to build signs, moving on to more signs becomes a lot easier.

• don’t be afraid to go into a blank document and press keys (add a space between each) just to see what they do, and do this repeatedly. Start a session just tapping out the body anchors (head, shoulers, face, nose etc.) Or another session just tapping out motion marks (curved, wiggle, straight, circle, spiral etc). Or another just tapping out bases (with are on the letters r,t,y,u,i; f g h j; v b n m). Maybe you just want to test out directions so you typ a few familiar hand shapes or lines and rotate/raise/lower them for ten seconds. Even the basic space exercise can help (type any mark on the keyboard and then play around with a, z, and spacebar).

these seem rudimentary and repetitive, but I’ve found if you do something like this before you start each typing session it starts to ingrain these features into your sense, even if you don’t remember what exact key set creates what exact digit, or what exact spacing will get what you want.

• when tying to copy and paste, highlight to delete, or add things in the middle, it will feel a little counterintuitive to what you are normally used to. I promise if you work at it, you will get a feel for where you need to place your cursor. If you don’t get it right, it will brake the digit you are working on. Just hit control-Z and adjust your cursor a little bit until you highlight the right thing.

• If you’ve rotated something the wrong way, or misplaced a thumb, or flipped it a direction you don’t want; if you’ve added too many motion dots or a direction line? Backspace is your friend.

• extra bonus tips.

• You can change the colors of your signs (it takes practice but you can)

• If you can’t get things lined up exactly how you want, consider using super and subscript for some digibet portions to raise or lower them in space or changing font size for just what you need. This can be tricky and not all programs support this (LibreOffice does) so save often and don’t be afraid to work at a sign to get it to look the way it should look. It will help you practice key positions.

• Be wary of bold/italics, or layering them with colors and sub/superscripts. If you do too much fancy stuff to a digit it can crash libre office.

• you will break your signs trying to refine them and thats ok. Trust me, the act of putting them back together might seem frustrating, but it helps your brain come to understand how that works on a more fundamental level until you can type reasonably fast (joks? anyone?)

If you look at my header, thumbnail, and the headers and thumbnails of almost any social media I have, you’ll find that I typed out the words instead of hand wrote or drew them. Typing has been the best thing since sliced bread in understanding how to write in SLWrite better. (Its not for everyone, but its been a gamechanger for me.)

Good luck and happy writing!