Handwriting vs. Typing

I have notepads for when I am at work and do not have access to a computer. I have just recently started to use the note taking feature on my phone but I still like to jot things down on paper. I think the most important thing is to write something down before it gets away. Regardless of if it's on paper, computer or phone.

 

As a writer, which do you prefer writing on paper or typing on a computer? And why?!

 

In my opinion they both are great. The one problem is that writing takes a lot longer and might diminish your motivation to write at the time.

 

I used to write on paper, (and sometimes still do) for my poems, I write on paper and for my short stories, novels, I type them on my laptop. What about you?

 

I type on my laptop as well.

 

I only type. It's the only way I can keep up with the words and I'm running at least 100wpm. I wear out keyboards.

 

For poetry pen and paper is essential; I can't write poetry on a screen. I've been trying to write short stories lately and for those I tend to write on paper and then transcribe/flesh out/edit them on the computer.

 

That's incredible--I can only dream of a 100wpm average. How long does it take for you to go through a keyboard?

 

I love writing by hand and then fleshing them out on computer, feels good.

 

It really does; transcribing all the words that I've already written makes me feel so productive. I hate composing at the screen, burning my retinas out and typing nothing substantial for minutes at a time.

 

Despite clocking over 100WPM on my keyboard I still sometimes prefer writing on paper. It's more personal - hard to explain, but facilitates creativity a lot more for me. Perhaps the lack of distractions, or the dedication - I've no specific answer.

 

I have lost my ability to write well with a pen and paper. I never did creative writing that way, but I'm now struggling to write even messages on greeting cards, etc. My brain usually leaps ahead of the pen, and I end up leaving out letters. My handwriting was never beautiful, but it's really horrible to look at now. I'm practicing to regain my ability to actually handwrite stuff, although I'll always do my creative writing at a keyboard. That old saying about 'use it or lose it' is totally correct.

 

I have grown more used to writing in digital form, but I still prefer the organic pen on paper. Obviously the benefit of digital writing is the ease of editing, but I think that is probably its biggest disadvantage too as there is less care involved. Having taken up drawing again fairly recently the digital medium was fantastic for growing confidence, but the organic precision of actually pencil on paper is impossible to replicate - I find something of the same to happen with writing digitally as opposed to handwriting. Obviously with drawing the benefit for boosting confidence is more prominent, but there is something to be said for manifesting words in a more physically permanent manner that just isn’t a ‘felt feeling’ when typing away at an imaginary keyboard.

Freedom can sometimes be a prison. Prisons can sometimes set you free. Limitations and constraints are glorious things to play around with!

Anyway, I know the feeling. I miss out whole words, or even sentences sometimes. It is the burden of having a brain that is rattling off several different lines of thought at once whilst my muted consciousness has to scramble to keep up ... the biggest problem I have is not understanding what it is I wrote down literally an hour ago. Some ideas/feelings are so ephemeral that capturing them is almost impossible over any prolonged period (be this seconds/minutes/hours).

I prefer gist drafts that are more about exploration than precise articulation - especially in terms of fiction! For poetry its more about printing a feeling on the page so more focus is required in terms of pinning down a ‘felt-feeling’. For non-fiction its more or less alchemy for me! I reduce, purify. Mix and mash up ideas. Use monism and pluralism like the black and white horses of the Grecian Chariot analogy, and just hold on for dear life hoping to stay on track.

 

Handwriting is beautiful and more nature. I used to write by hand when I first started to write a long time ago. Nowadays, I have been writing by keyboard typing for a long time.

 

I go through maybe one a year, which really isn't much. Keys just stop responding and I get a new one. Of course, I've been a speed typist for 50 years so there's been tons of practice. My daughter is faster than I am.

 

I don't need that fast. Keyboards are cheap and work well for what I need.

 

I like the act of writing and really believe it’s rapidly becoming an ability new generations are losing. That said the only time I do it is when there’s no alternative and when sketching out poems.

 

Only typing. As a child of course I wrote by hand, but to be honest I've been typing up my stories since the age of 9. When I was in school as an 11 year old, I was already typing so fast that all my friends had been in awe. Even now as an adult, my colleagues tell me I type very fast. I can't touch type but I can type without looking and I know more than two fingers Anyway, can't hand-write anymore - like, yes I can, but I never get further than one or two sentences because I'm staring at it and editing it and crossing out words and phrases multiple times before I have even one sentence, by which point it's actually next to impossible to follow what the heck I've written. No. I absolutely need the delete button lol.

 

And freedom, oh freedom, well that's just some people talking
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

 

Because my memory is a sieve and often pushes some things out to make (temporary) room for others, I'll definitely jot down the story ideas in any of the three notepads I've got squirreled away. My experience keeping a pair of dream journals has helped me focus on specific details before they fade away. Particularly if it feels like a larger story, I'll even spend the time to work out the narrative skeleton on paper before setting down to begin the draft on my desktop. It's only recently that I accepted the idea of revisions - I used to believe quite fervently that if it isn't acceptable the very first time, it's complete garbage, and that a fault with one aspect of my story means a fault with my entire intent on being an author.

When I was working at a textile mill, I'd get barked at almost weekly for writing things down.

 

I think I have written better stories when I wrote them by hand first

But I absolutely hate typing them up. Maybe when I'm rich and famous (har har) I'll hire a secretary to do it for me.

More recently I've been brainstorming by hand and doing the bulk of the writing and editing at my computer.

I think I am more creative when I am away from a screen.

 

I'll sometimes write dialogues on paper as they come up in my head.

 

Is it better to write a novel (or at least an outline) by longhand or typed? I just can't decide which. A little bit of background: I am writing a new project of mine (a novel) about an experience, from childhood to adulthood (I know that isn't very original but what is nowadays?) anyway what do you think?

 

Probably whichever you prefer. Typing is more convenient, especially for longer things.