It depends on what I'm writing. When I write longhand I go one step further, I use a fountain pen. It helped me because I tend to put a death grip on pens and pencils, but a fountain pen requires a light touch. If I'm making notes, writing my journal, or personal correspondence, I write by hand. I feel a more personal connection with the words. Everything else, from outlining on, I use a laptop.
I write my ideas on paper as soon as I think of something and then round them out on computer. All my character profiles and plot ideas are on paper, so that they are easier to refer to when typing.
In terms of the actual writing, I prefer to type. I spend my day on PC's at work (yep, I'm an office boy) and so I'm used to it, much faster etc, but I find that if I'm trying to plan something/work something out, plot something, I much prefer to handwrite. I seem to really think and connect with what I'm writing when handwriting.
I write notes and initial ideas on paper, but first drafts and onwards I find it so much more comfortable to type it up!
It's not that I prefer typing over pen. It's that my teachers made me switch writing hand so much that my pen writing is well the best one can say is I can read this I think. I write with pen when I'm away from a pc, but will end up having to decipher my horrible hand writing just to find out what I wrote.
It depends on how focused the person is on the subject he is writing. Sometimes while typing, thoughts may come better and the opposite is true also. As to me, I prefer handwriting.
I love handwriting over typing. It helps me to get everything on paper first and then rewrite it and make it better. I like writing letters that way. I got into the hobby of writing people letters. It's very calming. I write the letter out in pencil, first, and then write the final draft of the letter in a crisp pen. I make sure all my words are neat and legible. I don't mind typing, either. I just think handwriting is more freeing and I challenge myself by writing neat and legibly. Plus, who knows if that letter I sat down to write won't be a part of history later or won't be a lasting memory that the person I wrote to holds onto and shows their kids. Something about handwritten letters has a sentimental quality to it. It shows one cares about the receiver. It doesn't feel sterile, like a business letter or an email. I like handwriting certain parts of my story, too, because if I've already handwritten it on paper, the second time I reiterate it the story will look better and be less work to fix. But I also like reading paperbacks, hardcovers, and ebooks equally. I like old 35mm and new age digital film. I know there is opposition to nostalgia, but nostalgia brings a sense of comfort, joy, and entertainment, and I'm all about seeing people happy in our rather dismal universe.
It depends on the writer. This may seem a little contrary to the subject of the initial thread post, but I remember reading an article about the absurd rituals famous authors had when working on their books. One author had to write his books in the bathtub. I imagine that would be uncomfortable for me. It's the same with handwriting or plotting and pantsering, through. Some people have to handwrite their stories first and then type them out later and some people open up a Word document and get cracking. Some people plan and others just say, "let's see where this is headed." As long as your method of writing doesn't involve ritual sacrifice or other illegal or lurid acts than do what you have to do to get from point A to point B. Please, do not join a pagan cult just so you can finish your latest masterpiece. I beg of you.
For me, it depends on the situation. If I am going to sit down and spend a few hours writing, I will turn on my laptop. So typing. But if I have an idea for a poem, I will usually write it down in a notebook. No need to turn on my laptop for five minutes. Also, when I have a headache, and I can't look at a screen, I will write longer stories in notebooks as well. So it really depends on the situation.
I beg the pardon of the person who started this important thread. Just need to say that its no personal thing to get to write good, but its one's working hard in developing his writing skills, that most of it may come through experience and some logic also. But i don't think that anyone in this thread posted something about one's personal way of writing; or As said: It depends on the person. And I agree with lady that posted post no. 26, and I agree with all also.
I've gotten into the habit of what my teachers use to say, write a rough draft on paper, the second draft on paper, and however many drafts are needed to get it to where you want it. It will still need tweaking, but once you get to the final draft your work should shine like the top of the Chrysler building. I have been doing that with letters, lately, but I may start writing chapters or scenes a few times on paper before I transcribe my final draft to Word or yWriter5. No, I don't use Scrivener. I'd love to but I'm poor.
I like to write it out first. It feels more permanent and I can leaf back easily, whereas on a computer going page up or down only gives a 'snippet' of the story I've written. Plus, adding to that 'permanence' is that there is a reliable hard copy in case something happens to what's been 'saved.'
I type most of the stuff I write, but in the past I've done some stuff by hand, usually because I want to get away from the laptop screen for awhile. What I've started doing is I'll go online looking for guides and advice on writing with my tablet, and I'll have with me a stack of paper. I've found that I tend to retain information better when I write by hand, so when I find sites with good advice I'll write it down by hand. I also do this when I'm planning out a rough idea of my story. I just like alternating between handwriting and typing at times. Does anyone else do something similar?
When I was a kid, it was pen and paper for me. I remember my hands being stained with black ink all the time (I used one of those special fancy pencils with gel) and my mother complaining about it. Sometimes I miss writing by hand, but I don't even remember the last time I wrote something really longer on paper. I put some of my notes on paper, and draw maps for my works, but that's about it.
Pen and paper is something I keep handy (in my ruck) for when shit happens, but I don't write on it, generally, because A) it makes my hand hurt, and B) I write pretty slowly compared with my typing speed. ...I also can't read what I've written.
Oh, for information retention, writing by hand is the way to go. Forces you to dwell on the words longer, I think.
My writing projects are typed, which was ingrained in me from working on a newspaper. Note-taking is all pen and paper, journal is pen and a Moleskine (with occasional printed docs stapled in), poetry is pen and notebook (usually in my journal), and back when I wrote song lyrics, those were pen and notebook. I generate a lot of paper while working on a project. At some point I can be seen sitting in the middle of the floor, notes spread all around, figuring out the order of what comes next and what ideas don't make the cut.
I think ideas come to me more easily with pen and paper. I don't usually struggle for ideas so I usually type, but if I get stuck I brainstorm on paper.
I'm the opposite. I used to write by hand before. First we only had a family computer, so I could rarely spend time writing, and then later I still had a stationary computer. If I wanted to write somewhere else I still had to bring a note book. Now I have a laptop and I only bring note books for when I'm out, and even then I rarely do more than jot down an idea.
Same here. Pen and paper for notes only, but I can't afford the luxury of doing so in a Moleskine - just plain old cheapo notebooks for me
Like many above have stated, I only use pen and paper for notes. I also hand draw all of my maps and such.
