I plan the story line with coloured pencils (different character different colour) and a large artists pad, but write on the computer due to arthritis in my hands. Holding a pen for more than 5 minutes is incredibly painful and by the end my writing is an illegible scrawl.
Forgot to answer your other question. I think I get too often distracted by things on the internet, but this forum actually helps (although of course it can also be a way of procrastinating.) I get inspired, and wanting to write, by others talking about writing. I might think when reading a thread 'oh, maybe I should try this out' or 'okay, I better keep going'.
I love the sensation of writing with pen and paper. I find it very satisfying to write the word 'always' with pen. But I prefer to type when writing.
I find it interesting that no one uses an electronic pad or even a voice recorder to get their thoughts down easily. I must confess I pretty much have given up on writing but this forum still fascinates me. A good voice recognition program would seem to be the answer, but apparently not in reality, otherwise it would have been mentioned. Back to my recurring complaint, it would be nice to have software that would help with SPAG, structure, etc. and also read back your story with different voices for each character as determined by your tag usage and maybe some logic. Alas, I am looking for "Adobe Wordshop" and a "write by numbers" solution.
Ideas, bullet points, snippets of dialogue, character traits, all get jotted down in my notebook. Writing is done using JotNotes (info posted in resources). Files are saved to hard disk and the cloud.
At times when I am writing directly on my computer, which I don't do that frequently, I'll switch to pen and paper if I feel like the story isn't flowing well for some reason. It helps, at least for me. There has been some interesting reporting in neuroscience about how writing by hand lights up different areas of the brain and helps with creativity, retention (which is why taking notes in a class by hand is supposed to be better than one computer), and the like.
I've written on paper, but have never used any of it. I can write fast and clearly, but I can't be buggered copying it up afterwards. As for distractions, the internet is only a distraction when I've nothing to write, either because I'm stuck and need some distance to solve the problem or when I'm between and struggling for ideas (now).
A typewriter! If I had one, I would use it. I like to immerse myself in my worlds of crime and mystery in the 20th century, so a typewriter would be the last thing needed to complete my collection of writing paraphernalia. I have decided to solely use my computer in the meantime though.
I recently began writing in my journal after a long hiatus. It feels like the pen is connected to my mind, and I can hold onto and string out thoughts easier than when typing. Also, I don't get the compulsive itch to reread or edit previous sentences(a real flow killer). Perhaps I will write up first drafts using pen and paper; at least that way I can get some creative flow going. Does anyone here prefer handwriting over typing? If so, why? What feels different in your mind between the two?
Definitely handwriting. It implicates other areas of the brain than typing. I've seen studies showing that it ties in to things like creativity, memory etc. Always do my first drafts longhand, then do an initial edit as I'm typing.
Creativity seems to flow either way for me, but I can't simultaneously read and type very well, so I'll definitely write my next first draft on my laptop. I need to able to look out windows to keep creativity flowing. I enjoy writing my notes by hand and organizing them in a small binder that I can easily consult. I also write a lot in my head while I'm busy doing other things.
Hi, I've been typing so long that my hand doesn't really remember how to write any more! Cheers, Greg.
When ever I am stuck I always go back to handwriting. I find it much more enjoyable for starters and it makes me focus more on just getting things down on paper rather than re-reading, editing, worrying about fixing a finger fumble. It's also disheartening to see all those spelling mistakes underlined in red. It's too tempting to go back and fix them which really kills the flow. If I'm hand writing I know the mistakes are still there but I don't have Word screaming out to me that I've made mistakes.
Mind you, you can turn your spellchecker off. It's the first thing I do when I get a new computer or upgrade my wordprocessor. I can't stand it when it treats all my character names and foreign words as 'wrong.' Drives me nuts. It's there for when you're actually editing, if you feel it helps, and you can turn it back on at any time. But don't ever depend on it to catch all your mistakes. If your mistake is a real word used in the wrong place—their, they're, there—it won't get spotted. That being said, handwriting is great. I don't do it any more, though. I've had too many jobs where I had to hastily scribble notes all the time, and my handwriting is shot. I find that when I handwrite, I make more mistakes than when I type!
Handwriting: pros - Battery don't run out on notepads when you're on the go. - easier to carry a notepad than a laptop - You can't randomly lose pages because it doesn't save properly - Hard to get lost in the googlehole when you can't open a browser. Cons - after a page or so, my hand is cramping. I'm not really one of those 'suffer for your art' types of writers. - pages can get wet/ripped/lost - editing can get messy, is a bitch in general I was going to do a pros/cons of typing, but eh, just switch the top two labels and that list is done.
I write my initial notes on paper. I don't know why, but ideas come easier when I write than when I type. That's only a couple of pages though. Once I have the basics brainstormed out I move onto computer. I physically can't write for longer than about 10 minutes as it's too painful for my hand, but in any case I don't see any advantages to writing out a story rather than typing.
I don't know either, but have read that being physically active and thinking in tandem makes one more creative. The pacing up and down thing, the chewing of gum—guessing the sparks from one's motor neurons start little fires in other parts of brain (don't quote me). Also, having a bath (the eureka thing) helps. So, to come up with a good story: do the dying fly in the bath, while chowing down on some Wrigleys, pad in left hand, pen in right...and write*. * reverse polarity if you're a left-hooker like me.
Oh now that resonates - I often work out thorny issues with my book in the bath. Head submerged, only my nose above water, listening to the flow of the tap... solutions just come to me.
I prefer typing. I can't handwrite more than a paragraph without my fingers hurting, and on top of that I make a ton of mistakes trying to write as fast as I think. Since I can't write that fast, I end up losing ideas, writing the wrong words, or skipping words or entire sentences in an attempt to catch up to my brain. I can type a whole lot faster, with many fewer mistakes, and the mistakes I make don't interrupt me because it's second nature to fix them. My creative "flow" is more jumpy than it is streamlined, so when I'm handwriting and I think, "Oh, I want to change that real quick," it interrupts my flow because I can't make that change, especially if it's a few sentences (or a paragraph) back. So for me, definitely typing.
I type. I'll be honest, I don't think I have more than one or two pens or pencils in my entire apartment. Makes my hand hurt and makes changing things a lot trickier when I write by hand. Plus, I'm a computer guy, so there's that.
i type pretty fast, so hand writing is a great way to slow myself down. sometimes i jump around too quickly while typing, and then all the hamsters fly off the wheel and my thoughts get knotted up, and i have to stop because i get overwhelmed.
Same here - notes and outlines are handwritten, everything else typed on the computer. My handwriting is atrocious though, so it will sometimes lead to me looking at my outline weeks later and not being able to read some of it. I'll be staring at "Nate remembers arglemonter reminum." with no idea what the last two words are supposed to be.
Running, jogging, walking. That's what does it for me. As for writing thing's by hand: I did when I was younger, but one of the unusual side effects of constant gym-life is that my forearm cramps with ease while writing longhand. Don't know why, but I've been told I'm not alone.