I personally like doing both depending on my mood. If I want to stay focused on my writing, I'll handwrite it. If I want it quickly done, i'll use my computer.
I use both, if I am travelling or commuting I use pen and paper and then I copy it on the PC later on. If I am at home i use the PC straight away.
Typing is vastly superior to longhand, unless someone finds a psychological advantage to longhand; in which case, that's a personal issue and not really debatable. (like trying to prove the opinion that strawberry is the BEST ice cream flavor; it's subjective. So except for some sentimental or psychological advantage to pen and paper, computers offer: speed nothing's in stone: you can correct your typing in the moment it's all in stone: if you choose to save it you can do so handy functions like keyword search, word count, saving files by name or date etc paperless (save a tree!) etc etc
Every so often I feel the need to justify writing by hand, and I wrote a post about it years ago that attempts to refute some of the posts you made here. So here it is again: https://www.writingforums.org/threads/do-you-use-pen-pencil-typewriter-or-keyboard-when-writing.59480/#post-991330
But most of the points you make in the essay reference psychological or subjective reasons, which is exactly what I said. I don't think we disagree. I did say that, if it's for personal reasons, longhand may far outweigh typing for some individuals.
However, there is, in the scientific literature, data that suggests that your brain works differently when writing longhand versus typing (which makes sense given the differing motor movements), and that this can enhance things like learning and creativity.
I'm not trying to argue with you guys. And, again, I agree with you 100% though evidently I've failed to make that clear lol. I am ON YOUR SIDE, trust me. But, again, it's subjective, and varies from user to user. That data exists, sure, but other data exists to make the opposite case. I think it boils down to habit, primarily, and (again, that word subjective) the thoughts, desires, expectations, beliefs, and background of the subject as to which works best for any given person. As for tactile response, my undergrad is drawing and painting / art history so I'm with ya there, all the way. I love the scratchy'ness/glide of pen or graphite over different types of paper, bristol, canvas, etc. And, for years when I started writing I could only think clearly when writing with pen on paper; typing short-circuited me somehow I wrote on legal pads, then dreaded typing later what I had written in ink. (To this day I only write with certain pens for their smooth feel) Looking back I think I was intimidated by my own lack of experience with the keyboard, and the sluggish pace. I resisted typing first drafts because I felt clunky with it. I would hear people talk about composing in the word processor and it made me wonder why they liked it so much. Then a few years later I found I could think better when typing. I guess what eventually happened is that my typing experience overtook my longhand pace, and I began to acknowledge the added benefits of <insert the list I made above, with about 1,000 other advantages as well> which word processors offer. At that point I understood how those writers compose at the keyboard, and I've never looked back. I still like writing longhand, and in my journals I do that every day, and also in my writing notebooks. Plus I draw a lot of diagrams and charts on plain paper when I'm plotting. It's very tactile, and I love doing it. But the advantages to typing initial drafts and subsequent revisions, are so great I don't really question it anymore like I did back in my legal pad stage. I think habit is the main driver here. Like, after I crossed over to the typing drafts side, I now think better when typing, better able to get lost in the story. Maybe part of that is because I'm reading my own words in a real font just like the ones on printed books, which lends a finished quality to the eye, allowing me to separate myself from the stuff I just wrote and 'become the reader' ...to sort of remove myself and read as another would. (or, at least, moreso than I could do that if I were reading my own handwriting, which I can't separate myself from since it's so personal). I think you guys took me wrong above, and maybe I wasn't very clear. My bad. I meant to say, both are great, but that IMO longhand is clearly a psychological choice.
@Tea@3: I really only reposted that little piece because you asserted that writing by hand makes the work cast in stone. I tried to emphasize that for me, it isn't. I love modifying my handwritten work, as I pointed out. Come to think of it, I gotta bounce over to waitingforzion's thread to encourage him/her to try writing by hand. I find it easier to find my rhythms when I write by hand; maybe the same thing can help WFZ.
@minstrel I agree the cadence and rhythm of longhand can't be duplicated. Totally agree. The stone comment was probably the wrong wording... you are right, that pen-paper can still be a very organic process. True. I guess what I meant was, you can backspace or delete whole passages with one click. I didn't explain it well. I shoulda taken more time with my first post, instead of busting it out and taking all the extra time to explain what I coulda said better the first time, with another minute of ponder. lol
I find it difficult to do either one of them for a long period of time. When I get on my computer, there's far too many distractions. I'll be in the middle of writing something and then I'll want to look something up. So Google takes me away and three hours later I finally get back to writing. But when I try to write with paper and pencil, I find myself getting lazy far too often and too soon. What is everyone's preference for writing? What keeps you motivated on the story when you're on the computer?
I use a fountain pen and paper for first drafts. When I'm on the computer, it is sometimes difficult not to browse the net. A fullscreen text editor helps with there. There are some (like Pyroom, which hasn't been updated in some time) that are useful because you can't get out of the fullscreen window without completely exiting the program, so it discourages distracted browsing while writing. FocusWriter is one people use a lot more, but with that one I think you can change windows without exiting.
Only the computer. I can't write with pencil and paper, because I edit too much, change too much. The thing becomes a dog's breakfast in no time. As a child I wanted to write, as a teenager I tried to write. Because I grew up before computers, I was always defeated by this inability to write without constantly making changes. I remember wondering how 'real' authors could do it. Typewriters were no better for me, because mistakes were even harder to correct, and changes weren't any easier to incorporate. Then came my first Apple Mackintosh ...and I was in heaven. Wordprocessing at last! Of course the first couple of years there was no internet access or distraction, so that was perfect in some ways. However, the internet has also made research a lot easier, so I can live with the tradeoff. I don't have too much trouble ignoring the internet when I'm writing. However, I do have a laptop that isn't connected to the internet, so I have been known to go sit on my bed with it and write on occasion. That might work for somebody who struggles to stay away from the internet. However, I really don't like laptop keyboards, so I don't do that very often. I don't know. I don't have a smartphone and don't feel the need to be digitally connected at all times. Maybe I'm lucky to have grown up in the day when this didn't exist. I've had a foot in both worlds.
My penmanship is so awful that I just get angry and frustrated while I'm writing and it winds up distracting me more than the internet does when I'm on my computer. That being said, I would really love to get better at it, because it's annoying to be out and about and not having the skill to just pull out a notebook and write some stuff down. I'm also left handed so I usually get smudges all over my palm...
I build my stories with pencil and paper. I write down every single thought I have in a notebook until my plot is done. If I do this on a computer, I have the urge to delete irrelevant information -- but I realize later that I needed it for some reason or another. So all ideas go on paper. But I write exclusively on the computer. I guess because I write my ideas down, when I pull out a notebook, my mind immediately goes into world-building mode instead of writing mode. So when I start to write, my mind starts to wander to future events in my story instead of what I'm currently trying to write. But on the computer, I'm able to stay focused and get stuff done. Writing on the computer used to be impossible for me, because, like you, I'd get distracted easily. But that doesn't happen anymore. I don't know if it's because I've created the habit or if I'm just more dedicated to the stories I'm working on or what. But it's definitely gotten a lot easier.
I always turn WiFi off – and sometimes turn it back on when the distraction compulsion gets strong enough, but the fact that there's an extra step is definitely a help – and I like to go to a specific place like Panera or a coffee shop that I had to commit specifically to going to for the sake of writing. Again, distraction happens, but the commitment of making myself go there is another big help.
For the past year or so I've been writing first drafts exclusively by hand (pencil and notebook). As for editing I use my Scrivener, on my computer, in fullscreen mode, with all distractions muted (Facebook, Steam, Discord, etc.). Fullscreen is generally enough to keep the distractions at bay since I can't see (or hear) anything outside of my WIP. At the same time I can also tab over to my browser if I need to research or look up a word.
People still write with pen and paper? Huh, that just seems like a lot of unnecessary work. I rather spend my time writing than typing up something that I originally hand wrote. I did lose a file that thankfully I printed before my computer crashed, but that was a while ago and I just haven't gotten around to retyping it. When I'm writing I don't get distracted easily. I like the sound my keyboard makes when I'm writing. It creates a sort of rhythm for me. And that seems to be enough to keep me focused.
Writing by hand uses different areas of the brain than typing and can result in greater creativity. Typing the material includes an editing function that takes place at the same time, so no time is wasted.
To me transferring a story from handwriting to computer is an important editing step. If I've written on the computer from get-go my editing will just consist of changing stuff. The way I work now lets me rewrite the whole thing, which gives me more insight while sitting.
I've always been turned off from writing with pen/pencil and paper for a few reasons. 1. The sound of wood pencil on paper is like nails on a chalkboard for me. It seems silly, but I can't help that. 2. Mechanical pencils aren't much better and break too easily. 3. Which leaves pens. While they make "erasable" pens, they don't quite do the job. 4. Then, I wind up with scribbles and my handwriting is just shy of illegible (no one's fault but my own). 5. (biggest reason) My hands sweat an abnormal amount under normal circumstances. Writing on paper with sweaty hands just isn't useful for anyone. Absolutely, there is validity to writing with pen/pencil and paper, but it's just not for me. I've tried, and I become disinterested within minutes for all of the reasons stated above. A computer, on the other hand, allows me to work without the physical problems involved. My sweating hands still bother me on a computer, but as long as I have a fan blowing on me, it's not a problem as my laptop doesn't warp from small amounts of moisture like paper.
Same here. Pen and paper seems to be for **creating** and computer more for building. My notebooks are for ideas up to and including sketches a few hundred words long, that I want to get down while I can. Every now and then I look through the scrawlings and pick something that gets typed up and becomes a proper WIP. I've tried writing with pen and paper, but I can't write (legibly) fast enough, and my hands get sweaty or cramped.
I write with pen and paper then I edit on the computer its takes a little longer but this system works for me.
Until recently I've been writing with pen on paper. I don't know why, but it might have something to do with the fact that I do traditional drawing, so pen and paper feels natural to me. I started writing on computer because I was going to edit a piece I wrote on paper. It might be slower process, but I think it's important to write by hand from time to time. Really, I had such an aversion for writing on the computer. It's okay now.
I write with and on everything near me or around me when I have something to say. My purse is filled with sticky notes, envelopes, bills - all filled with lines of something or other - song lyrics, words I wish would be poems. I guess I can write anywhere - which surprises me, to be honest.
However, I'll use anything to write with but I'd rather write with a sharp pencil or a good ballpoint.
