An apparatus (100) for handwriting recognition has a touch-sensitive display screen (240) providing a hand writing input area (270) capable of detecting hand-made user input. The apparatus also has a processing device (300) coupled to the touch-sensitive display screen and providing a user interface to a user. The handwriting input area (270) includes a writing start area (280) capable of switching between a first two-dimensional scope (282) and a second two-dimensional scope (282′), larger than the first two-dimensional scope. The processing device (300) is configured to handle said handmade user input as either a logical mouse event, associated with a control operation for said user interface, or a logical pen event, associated with handwriting. User input within the writing start area when having its first two-dimensional scope is handled as a logical mouse event and causes the writing start area to switch to its second two-dimensional scope, Furthermore, user input that starts within the writing start area when having its second two-dimensional scope is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input (252) as a symbol (254) from a plurality of predefined symbols.