I type faster, so I use a computer. But I do carry a notebook around with me all the time, just in case I have a certain urge to write, which is like every second of my life. I like computer because then my hand doesn't cramp up. But writing on paper is just as fun.
I definatley prefer a computer to write on. Handwriting makes my hand cramp so badly. I write on paper when I have to though.
Short showy poems, I like to print out with strokes an florishes of a pen. For epics, sagas, short stories or production work I like the keyboard (and spellcheck).
This has been bugging me for a while but i don't know what i should do? Type out stories or write them out. Obviously there are advantages to both: With computers you have an easy spell check and dont have to decipher your own handwriting later; with paper you can be more mobile in your writing. I have done both but i dont have a specific preference. Any advice? p.s Sorry if this topic has been made before. I searched but im fairly impatient so i didnt sift through every page.
You'll eventually have to type it out if you wish to publish, enter into compitions etc. So if thats what you want to do, save you self some time and type it out. But if you just want to write, for the sake of writing, do what feels best.
I find I write better on paper because I can't write as fast as I can type. So I have to dwell a bit on my sentences and they usually end up more creative. With a computer I can rush a bit too much, but I find I'm usually grammatically better.
I prefer the computer over hand. It's faster, neater, easier to organize, and it doesn't leave a clutter.
This is exactly one of the reasons I, and some teachers I know, think doing first drafts by hand is better. Besides, I do revisions as I'm typing it up.
I always do computer. I tried handwriting before, and I get so impatient because my brain will move on to the next idea but my hand doesn't go that fast, so I lose interest in what I'm writing. So I prefer typing.
I'm used to working right at the computer, but I also am using to taking lots and lots of notes in class. Consequently, sometimes I do best to first sketch out/quickly outline a few ideas on paper. But the real "writing" for me always happens with a keyboard under my fingertips.
Writing is a much more fluid and creative activity than typing, and it's what I usually do for first drafts for ideas. But after that first draft, sometimes I make reviews, then I type it up into the compputer or my ipod touch. I prefer my touch because I bought a great writing application and that way it's portable. After the first draft I prefer it in electronic form because that's when I post here and in other places, I'm looking for spelling/grammar errors, and because it's easier to revise and organize. It's also easier to read
I love the feel of a pen in my hand, it feels so right but I also love typing too, so I can see your dilema. The way I see it is that you have to weigh up the pros and cons. On paper it's much slower so you have to take your time with it allowing you to come up with more creative phrasings. On a computer it's faster but your writing will also be slightly rushed. This being said you can move swiftly from thought to thought. Shouldn't matter too much though because I firmly believe in writing out a second draft no matter which medium you use. A computer offers easy corrections, such as cut and paste, deleting mass sections, spell check, grammer check and so on. Pen and paper offers a more personal feel though. A computer can keep all your notes and chapters together (especially if you have a software that allows you to access notes without opening new windows) however the ability to write is limited to wherever you can take a computer. Paper can get lost everywhere, but you can jot ideas down pretty much anywhere with ease. So I think it depends on what you feel is most important. For me I write on the computer for speed, neatness and easy editing. I reserve handwriting for letters because I do love the feel of it far too much to abandon it.
First draft is always by hand because that's how I started writing. I began writing when I was too young for anyone to put me in front of a typewritier or computer. I learned to type in a secretarial science class -- typing, shorthand and telephone etiquette -- so typing is a very uncreative process for me. Just can't get into the creative mindset at the keyboard.
If I had to write everything out by hand, I'd never finish even one chapter. So I always type it out. It saves time and energy better devoted to progressing the story more.
Thank you very much for all the posts. Great response. I'm still undecided but this will definetely help. I'll see what i reach for next time i decide to write: the keyboard or pen. I too am left handed so deciphering my writing is actually a difficulty.
I do both, depending on my mood. Some days I feel like a good old ink pen and paper, other days I want to hear the click of my keyboard. I find I'm more likely to revise as I write if I work on the computer - not always a good thing. Any grammar and spelling errors usually get corrected when I transfer the paper writings to the computer anyway.
See, i find paper and actually writing the words yourself is a lot more personal and 'feeling' comes out more that way for me. So i write important scenes or things down that way, and i always plot and note on paper. Computer is good for just general writing and getting along with the story, but when it comes to things which i think i need to be fully immersed with everything in, i'll write it on the paper.
I'm like some of the others, I like to relax in my chair with pen and paper while I draft out ideas. Then when the story gets started I type because I can't type very well and all that looking back and forth between the notebook and the computer screen and the keyboard takes too much time.
I don't know where I got this idea from, but I always thought that most writers had some degree of fear or disgust in relation to typing. Maybe that not a very 21st century idea.
no one can tell you what will work best for you... as long as you can eventually turn out an acceptable printed/printable ms for submitting to agents/publishers, it won't matter how you got to that point... if you work best starting in longhand, that's no better or worse than starting right on the computer, or on a typewriter... it's what you write that counts, not how you get it onto paper in the end...
I carry a very nice journal with me at all times, but I dont use it to write stories, usually. I will use it for sketches, poetry, and outlines or quotes or themes for a new idea for a story, but my mind races too quickly for my hand most of the time, so I prefer my laptop to notebook paper when I'm writing a story. I do find that writing poetry by hand is more useful, however, and I keep my notebook on me at all times because my laptop is old! It's not exactly portable. I'd buy one, if it's reasonably priced and well-made.
