KP Williams has a good point; I find it easier to map out plots on paper, because you can use diagrams and charts and stuff much more easily that way than dealing with Word. Once I actually write it, though, Word is much more efficient. Plus, on Word I can easily spend 2-3 pages setting up tension and whatnot -- on paper I'm not going to do that.
I'm just starting out myself so i personally don't have an answer for you,but I just read an interview with Dennis Lehane and he says he writes longhand and that same day he types it out.
I write very messy on paper, what with all the afterthoughts after writing down a sentence. Also, it's easier to look up the correct usage of a word and synonyms in a computer. So, apart from scribbling bits of ideas on paper when I am away from my computer, I can't think of writing a complete story solely on papers.
I wrote my first, first draft of my first book entirely by hand all 50,000 words of it. However to be honest I much prefer my PC with OpenOffice.
I wrote my first story (Let there Be Light) on paper rather than computer. It was my first time ever writting a story though. I never got the feel of the effects of writing handwritten vs writing on computer. But when I write my school essays and homework assignments by hand, it seems to be effective as writing by hand first and then writing on Word helps me to re-word sentences that I've made on the handwritten paper. It does look different too. It's like proofreading your handwritten work as you copy the content from the handwritten pater to the computer.
I write a fair bit either way, mostly just because of my lifestyle - despite being a shut in, I find a million reasons to not be at home but wanting write, so I do it on paper. If I'm working on a big novel I'll fill several notebooks but that by no means says that the whole thing was written on paper, since once I start typing up I tend to carry on straight onto the screen, and if it's, say, summer holidays, I'll just keep writing and writing on the computer and only have a few pages of notebook, just because I don't have to move.
In the mid-90s, when I was a kid and had no computer, I wrote by hand. I've got notebooks and stacks of paper full of song lyrics, poems, scraps of short stories etc. Just the other week I found a notebook where I'd started my first proper attempt at the opening chapters of a whodunnit. I was 15. It was written in pencil, so it's a bit faded now, but it was fascinating to read it again. I'd say there were around 20,000 words there. Now I hardly ever write by hand. It's much more efficient to use a word document. But I will say that doing it this way loses its charm. Perhaps young writers now won't have much of anything that's hand-written, and it won't be the same in the future to look back at printed sheets of paper, as opposed to original scribbling & doodling.
when i was younger i wrote A LOT and always by hand (this was in the 80's and 90's and i had no computer of course), i had something like 14 binders FULL of my stories. (actually in the end it was only two veeeery long stories!) and i found it really hard at first to get used to writing with Word, because it somehow killed my inspiration. I got used to it after a while but i definitely agree with who said that it is something with writing by hand that is more inspiring. Im a quite fast writer and writing by hand i think in the same pace as im writing so its some kind of collaboration between pen and brain... recently i had to start writing a lot by hand again because my pc broke down (still isnt fixed) and since i didnt want to quit writing during that time, especially since i had lots of ideas, i had to rediscover handwriting, and it was really pleasant. ok, after x number of pages i had a severe hand cramp but i also got so much more writing done, if that was the handwriting per se or the fact that i had no internet distracting me have to remain unsaid... but i started thinking about starting to write more by hand again, since i still feel more in sintony with my inspiration when i do. somehow its easier for me to get my thoughts onto paper when i use a pen... and i definately will close down internet while writing when i get the pc back...
I do both. I outline, diagram, character sketch, flowchart, and note ideas by pen. When I'm feeling detached I handwrite, as it seems to force me to initially select more appropriate words, as I hate scratched-out pen and being allowed to backspace results in lazy thoughts. Typing allows me the option of editing what I just wrote and I hate doing that but I do, and sometimes get so involved in "this way or that way?" that I lose my thought and therefore, my momentum. The weird thing is the more I have hand-written, when I go to put it to type, the typed version seems alien, like it's not the same story. So, I'll just change my font to whatever reconnects me to the story and continue on. And I have various colors of pens, pads, notebooks, and post-its that I love to use when I write.
Weird, I'm the opposite. I write fast and don't spend time picking words - I only scribble out if I can tell I've cocked up hugely, like by introducing a plot hole or contradicting myself. I scribble out a load anyway just because my handwriting is bad and I clearly have some sort of dyslexia because I mess up writing words sometimes as bad as typos except the letters themselves are malformed too When I'm writing on the computer it's far less messy to keep correcting, so as I go I create a much more polished draft. When I'm writing by hand I can write something as bad as "He went into the room. "Hey," Carl said, and handed him a bag..." where I might turn that into 3 paragraphs on my computer filling in plot-relevant details in the setting, the character's emotional state, how Carl looks, what the bag's about... I'd do that first time (ish) typing, while on paper I am just not bothered. I know it's going to get typed up so I don't stress over it. Generally when I write on the computer lots of pretty, thought-out descriptions come out. When I write by hand, lots of funny conversations appear.
I handwrite as well as using a computer. I agree that handwriting is somewhat more personal, and I feel that I get more emotion out when I write by hand. It usually depends where I am whether I handwrite or not. And even if I am somewhere with a computer, I sometimes choose to handwrite in a notepad instead. I don't see anything wrong with handwriting a novel. Personally, I think it'd be good to handwrite a first draft of a novel because then you have a hard copy, can easily map out ideas, and when you're redrafting it's easier if you can't have two word documents open on the screen. Plus, I find it easier to edit when it's on paper.
I do two handwritten drafts of each novel. I like writing by hand much better, and I need to do full rewrites of the first two drafts to make the novel any good, so there's no point in doing my initial work on the computer.
When I started out in middle school, I wrote long-hand in a notebook for a long time. That notebook is long gone. I've always been a tech-geek, so typing naturally replaced handwriting for me. When I'm working on a story, I usually type away for about an hour or so every day. After I get a good amount of pages (20 or 30), which usually takes me a few days, I print it out. The scenes are never in order, none of the puzzle pieces fit right, and a lot of plot is missing. So then I tend to write on the paper. All over the paper - and sometimes i even flip the paper over an rewrite a scene longhand. Then I retype, and then do it all again until I have something good going.
Handwriting is lovely, and at times really effective but doing all draft in handwriting is just not optimal. You should use the right tool for the right thing.
If I ever get stuck on a little island somewhere, I'll use coconut juice to write with. I don't know what I'd use for paper though, maybe bark from the tree? Pencil and paper is still good for when you have no alternatives, except nowadays those times of no alternatives are few and far between.
Writing by hand is what made me a better writer. I originally started on paper, but quickly switched to composing on the computer after the pain of hand-jamming my first story off the paper and into the computer. My huge problem was being able to delete things. If I didn't like the way something was going, I'd just select the last six paragraphs or whatever and hit delete, starting over. I would wind up taking eight steps forward and 6-12 steps back. I began writing by hand again. Writing by hand forced me to stick with my original ideas, making me think through things before just jotting down whatever images projected inside my skull. I wrote that way for three to four years before trying to compose on the computer again. I can now write just fine on the computer, though I admit that I'm still more creative on paper. I still usually carry a notebook around when I'm out and about; you never know when that next great idea will hit.
I have to admit, the last story I wrote by hand was in school, more than 10 years ago. Since then, I have written exclusively on computers, and I was writing mostly on computers even before then. I suppose it's a matter of personal preference. I certainly see the value of handwriting, but quick editing etc. are so much easier on a PC, and I'd end up typing it into a computer anyway at some point, so I can't be bothered to start with pen and paper.
i often handwrite my work first... i like doing it and it allows me a good first edit, when i transcribe it to the computer...
For some reason I have always wanted to get an old Typewriter to do my creative writing. I have been researching online quite a bit, and it seems that many other writers prefer to write on manual typewriters. I really like the idea of not being able to backspace when I am writing something. I feel that it would force me to focus a lot more and would keep me from self editing as I go (which is a problem for me). I was wondering if any of you write on a manual typewriter and could share the experience. What are the pros and cons? What brand/model typewriter do you use? Are there any good typewriters for under $100? Thank you so much for the information, ZHM
The only problem with typewriters is having to replace ribbons and then, having to have reams of paper onto which to disgorge your ideas! Back in the 80s, when I was but a wee lad, I permanently borrowed my mother's manual typewriter (she had at that time upgraded to an electric model) and wrote reams and reams of stories, sadly none of which survive. That is also another drawback - losing your pages. But hammering away at a typewriter for hours on end was great. Until you run out of paper and/or ink. Whether it focuses your writing or not would be your own thing to discover. For me, though, it was a kind of "published look" that was way neater than my hand writing. To find a typewriter on the cheap, it might pay to investigate sites like ebay. Get it through an online auction. Just beware that someone could be selling their old junk
I had a dream last night that I was typing on an old fashioned typewriter and woke up really wanting one. It's funny to then come on here and see this post... There is definitely an advantage to creating something that's tangible and difficult to erase. This is especially the case for those of us who tend to over-edit as we go along (as I most certainly do). I suspect this is why the idea of writing with a manual typewriter appeals to me. However, I think instead of romanticising the notion, I'm going to try to be more disciplined and force myself not to censor my free writing. I need to make my writing in Word more permanent, through attitude & confidence. There wouldn't be any harm though in pursuing the purchase of a typewriter. I have no idea how much they cost but perhaps you should ask around friends and family. They might have an old one stuffed away on a loft or in storage? I'd imagine the maintenance and upkeep of ribbons would be quite demanding though.
If all you are concerned about is not having to backspace while you write, you can save an infinite number of drafts on your PC. Just dont save over them. That way if you find yourself editing way to much, you have the other drafts to go back to. You can turn your PC writing into a faux typewriting expierence without spending the cash on the unit, ink and paper. Just get creative with it.
