It doesn’t have to be like this. Look up underwriting - by writing from below the text you can write with a relaxed grip without any fear of smudges.
I learned about this as an adult and felt like such an idiot for going through school without learning the trick. And maybe a little mad at my third grade teacher.
Paper at a 45 degree angle + hand below the line I'm writing be works like a charm.
My introduction to rollerball pens forced me to learn how to do this, otherwise, I was smearing everything I had written. I did some research and found out that curling my hand around the pen was the wrong way to hold it.
Paper at a 45 degree angle + hand below the line I'm writing be works like a charm.