What do You Use to Write? Keyboard? Pen? Other?

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by That Secret Ninja, May 2, 2010.

  1. Melzaar the Almighty

    Melzaar the Almighty Contributor Contributor

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    Actually, I do have charcoal pencils and they are the BEST when they are sharp. But even using my right hand they smudge like crazy, so they're a novelty only unless I'm arting. :p Sometimes I just can't resist writing a few sentences in them just for the beautiful flow, though.
     
  2. Wicked

    Wicked Member

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    Microsoft word on PC. Writing by hand is too slow, the pacing is wrong - I can't really write as fast by hand since English is not my first language. Writing by pen also costs you in flexibility, the option of conveniently erasing words, or new sentences in the middle of old paragraphs for example.
     
  3. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    I write either with computer (Microsoft Word) or with a pen. The pen and a notebook comprise the best word processor ever invented.

    Of course, like everybody else, I type much faster than I can write by hand. In my case, that’s irrelevant. I’m not one of those geniuses who can write good prose at typing speed – about 98% of my writing time is spent staring off into space thinking about what the next sentence or phrase should be, not actually setting it down on the page. My writing speed is definitely not limited by the speed at which I get the words down; it’s limited by the speed at which I can think of the words, and that speed is not very high. So it really doesn’t matter, speedwise, whether I use a computer or a pen.

    One of the major benefits of writing by hand is that the user interface, so to speak, is very free-form. I cross out words I don’t like, but as another poster said, never enough that I can’t read them after. So all “mistakes” and corrections are always visible. Sometimes when I can’t decide which of three or four words to use, I’ll write them in small print in a column where the final choice should go in the manuscript so that I can choose from them later. I can add new paragraphs by writing at right angles to the normal text in the margins. If I have to insert a large amount of text, I put a red circled A (or other letter) where the insert goes, and write the insert on the reverse side of the page. If I favor one version of a sentence over another at the time of initial composition, I write both down with the favorite written larger. I use several colors of pen and each color has a different purpose. Some people who do this kind of thing wind up complaining that their manuscript looks like a mess, and that’s why they prefer using a computer, but I think my pages look kind of like works of art in themselves, and they’re certainly a better record of my thought processes than any computer-written page.

    Another benefit of using a pen is that I get immediate psychological feedback from doing it. I can tell by the look of my handwriting, and by how my hand feels as I write it, how I’m feeling at the moment, and I can use that information as I write. I can, to a certain extent, play myself into and out of moods with my guitar; I can do the same with handwriting. I get a little of the same kind of feedback when I write by computer, but nowhere near as intensely, and the effect is only there as I’m actually writing – I can’t look at the results the next day and see what kind of mood I was in because the computer text looks the same no matter what I was feeling like when I wrote it.

    Lastly, there’s the pure physical pleasure I get from writing by hand. When I’m playing a synthesizer, I’m keenly aware that my fingers are on plastic keys and the sound emerges from a speaker separated from my fingers by a long chain of transducers, electronic hardware, and digital signal processing software. There’s no connection between me and the music. When I’m playing guitar, my fingers are touching the strings that are vibrating and producing the sound, and I feel very physically connected to the music. The same thing happens with writing by hand – I feel connected to the words in a way I never do when typing on a keyboard. I’ve never tried to quantitatively measure whether that affects my prose at all – whether or not my sentences are longer or shorter one way or another, or whether I use more metaphorical imagery, or whatever – but after an hour of writing by hand, I feel like I’ve been doing an artist’s work, whereas after an hour of typing, I feel like I’ve just been, well, typing.

    Oh, one more thing (so the previous paragraph shouldn’t have started “Lastly”, I guess): Obviously, I can’t submit a handwritten manuscript to anybody, so when I’m writing by hand, I know that I’ll be typing the work into a computer at a later time. It may be that the knowledge that what I’m writing isn’t the “final” version, that I’ll have another pass to make corrections and rewrites, makes me freer during the composition to experiment, maybe, or just to be a bit more adventurous in my choices of words, images, and rhythms, than I would be if I thought I might be working on a “final” version.

    So there it is: about 800 words on why I like writing with a pen, all written on a computer.
     
  4. KittyGoesRawr

    KittyGoesRawr New Member

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    I have like...a bucket of notebooks, comp books, binders, etc. So I can work well on paper. Like in school, & then I just transfer to computer document when I get home. I wanted a laptop originally for just writing. My brother gave me his. I wrote on my laptop bc I could just do it & chill in bed. I really like my desktop, though. I only use my laptop for internet stuff bc my desktop is broken.

    Once, I was at a debate tournament, had no laptop or actual paper. I wrote a story on a NAPKIN. I will write on whatever is near! haha. I will find something to write on!
     
  5. Hartnell

    Hartnell New Member

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    Laptop, netbook or pen and paper ?

    What do you use and what do you find most helpful. I have an ancient computer upstairs which has one foot in the scrap heap and I am borrowing my sons laptop at the moment. I am saving up for my own but I'm not sure whether to opt for a laptop or a netbook ? What do you find the most useful ?
     
  6. Melzaar the Almighty

    Melzaar the Almighty Contributor Contributor

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    If you're *only* going to be writing on it and don't mind a small screen, a netbook wouldn't be a bad choice. If you're going to want to do much else, they're not that powerful. And don't tend to come with CD drives. :p Laptops are good as a general sort of computer.

    I personally will type on anything that had both a screen and keyboard, and a way of saving my words, without discrimination. :p
     
  7. Hartnell

    Hartnell New Member

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    yep I'm kind of torn between the two. I like the idea of a netbook being small and quite portable but mose of the time I like an internet connection so I can research and check things while I write and I'm also am into music while I write at the moment. So maybe a laptop ?
     
  8. Nilfiry

    Nilfiry Senior Member

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    Most or even all netbooks have wi-fi so connecting to the internet will not be a problem.

    I use a combination of everything since each has its advantage. I can get things done more quickly on a computer because I can get the words out fast and have them looking nice. Editing mistakes and adding ideas are much easier on a computer as well. On the hand, sticking to the old pen/pencil and paper helps me catch mistakes and get new ideas easier.
     
  9. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

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    Laptop + peace and quiet. I need wikipedia and Dictionary.com at my disposal at all times, lol.
     
  10. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    My iPad is my venue of choice these days. I feels so... Star Trek: Voyager when I am tapping away at the glass screen. My iPad writing app now syncs smoothly with my Mac writing app via the cloud and it all works scrumiliciously. ;)
     
  11. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I typically use my laptop and a full-screen text editor. Files sync nicely with Dropbox. I have a small note-taking utility that I use sometimes as well, which syncs with Ubuntu One.
     
  12. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    I mostly use a desktop but I wrote my first book on a combination of pen and paper and netbook it works well :)
     
  13. Masli

    Masli Active Member

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    I used to write with pen and paper as well, but sometimes I would write so fast to get an idea out that when I typed the darn thing over to a comp I couldn't read my own writing anymore. So now I'm using a laptop, which works really well for me. On the downside, I must admit that a comp, especially with a Internet connection, is really distractive as well.
     
  14. Taylee91

    Taylee91 Carpe Diem Contributor

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    ^Grrr...I am so JEALOUS! I want an iPad so bad. But the price....I'll just have to wait until they've gone down :(

    I have a Windows ME smartbook (close to a netbook) right now, and it's great. I store all of my files on a 4GB memory card. But althought I do get an internet connection, the signal I get is pretty weak. You might want to go with a laptop. I'll probably get one for myself soon off Ebay or something.

    @Hartnell: I switch back and forth between my smartbook and my binder. But eventually I'll transcribe all my work to my computer. That's where I'll start editing. A laptop is more useful. You can do a lot more :D
     
  15. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    i use both pen/paper and my laptop...

    the trouble with a laptop is the keyboard and built-in mouse that wreak havoc on hands/wrists/arms when writing for hours at a time, so i always use a peripheral keyboard and mouse with mine... and i get the 'media' keyboard that doesn't have calculator keys on the left, so there's not so long a reach from keyboard to mouse...

    doing this has saved me from carpal tunnel and all other typing-related probs, since i work at the computer all day most days...
     
  16. SashaMerideth

    SashaMerideth New Member

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    The ipad just has no real tactile response. I like the clickety clack of a buckling spring keyboard, and they are actually better at preventing RSI than the membrane keyboards in use today.
     
  17. Taylee91

    Taylee91 Carpe Diem Contributor

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    ^Yeah, I know. You won't actually feel the keys beneath your fingertips. But I'm kinda a technology fan. I would trade it any day for an old run-of-the-mill typewriter. Now that would be sweet :D
     
  18. VM80

    VM80 Contributor Contributor

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    Laptop :)
     
  19. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    i use 'jingle keyboard' for the sound of my old s-c... keeps me awake and lets me feel good about being finally able to type fast... ;-)
     
  20. spklvr

    spklvr Contributor Contributor

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    I usually use my laptop, but I think I have like 20 notebooks of various sizes full of scribbles and notes as well. I write a lot at school... it makes me look busy.
     
  21. Reggie

    Reggie I Like 'Em hot "N Spicy Contributor

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    I primarily use a laptop. Whenever I am away from home, I would use a desktop at school or a local library whenever I write. The only thing I do not like about laptops is that it often slow down. Maybe mines have little RAM on it. Overall, I like the laptop.
     
  22. CDRW

    CDRW Contributor Contributor

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    I like writing out by hand and then putting it into the computer. The handwriting makes me slow down enough that I have to really think about what I'm writing and keep the entire idea in my head at once instead of moving from idea fragment to fragment. Then inputing it into the computer gives me the chance to do some rough editing on the fly to improve pacing.
     
  23. Hartnell

    Hartnell New Member

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    Thanks for the replies and thanks to the person that put all the threads together, it has been helpful to read different comments. I currently write on a laptop but am borrowing from my son so I need my own but money doesn't grow on trees. ( Not for me yet anyway.)

    Maybe I would like to try to write with pen and paper for a change. That's what I used to use when I was younger but it is just so convenient to use a laptop,

    Thanks
     
  24. Privid

    Privid New Member

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    I stick with keyboard (laptop or desktop, usually laptop) for the main bulk of writing, but resort to my dear hands to do the drafting and sketching and outlining, because it's just so much faster than trying to draw something on a computer.
     
  25. DisFanJen

    DisFanJen New Member

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    Due to issues I don't really have time to go into, I can't use a PC\laptop when not at home. So I use an iPad with a bluetooth keyboard as there's no way I'd be able to write using the virtual one.

    It works really well for me as it's even more portable than a laptop, so using it on the move is amazingly easy. The only downside is that it doesn't multi-task or really work well with multiple documents, so re-writing when I'm out and about is a pain given that my preferred method is to have the original document on one side\screen and a blank document for the re-write on the other.

    I use an app called My Writing Nook to do the work, which uploads all of your work to 'the cloud' so that it's accessible anywhere from any machine if needed.

    1st drafts are easy for me though as I'm very much a discovery writer which means I don't have an outline that I need to keep referring to.

    The only other thing I use is my iPhone for voice note as and when I get ideas.


    I know, I know. I'm an Apple fangirl. :)
     

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