I'm sure nobody taught me to hold my hand the way I do. I do it because it feels right. (When I'm not in a hurry, I have very nice handwriting.) Modern pens, which dry instantly, are a real blessing, of course.

Early on, baffling remarks were made to the effect that "It's backwards." So I watched carefully when we learned writing. When we started writing, the teacher and all the other kids picked up their pencils, moved to the edge of the paper across from their hands, and started writing. So I did the same.

Later my mother told me that she and my father asked an experienced teacher about my mirror writing, and she said, "Just leave her alone. She'll turn it around on her own." And I did.