I love really good cursive writing, I am 71 so I am among those who ATTEMPTED to learn cursive in school. Unfortunately I never seemed to be any good at it no matter how hard I tried, some of my classmates who were good at it didn’t seem to be really good at much else, it seemed to require a certain artistic ability and I am a technician. I have seen very few who could write in a classy looking, easy to read cursive. I always wanted to but finally just gave up and started block printing so that people could read what I wrote. I would pay a fairly large sum if someone could teach me to write in the style of John Hancock or some of the other founding fathers.
Get a calligraphy fountain pen kit with nibs of various widths. Start with the widest so your writing is huge but good, then work your way down to the narrow nib.
I improved my writing by putting a straight edge ruler on the line.
It's a real pity students can no longer write cursive. Are they even using block letters for their signature? Unbelievable.
I have also struggled with cursive all of my longish life. I can do it, and it’s legible, but it is pretty ugly. Yet I am a woman with a bit of artistic talent. So I am thinking your assessment does not hold.
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You might try a calligraphic pen (see Excellence's post above). John Hancock used the calligraphic pen to produce that style. The "rule" that determined John Hancock's writing is that the precision of the tool determines the product.
OTW, it's easier to learn the skills when young.
Me too, same age group, same teaching, but never mastered the neatness that makes for beautiful cursive.