Writing longhand

[Stacy]

So with Farmer Brown, I've been going to the living room and reclining on the couch under the lamp with a notebook and a pen to write.

No Twitter, no stats page, no Google. No music, even!

Also no backspace or cut and paste. Which leads to a fair few sentences with lines through them and arrows pointing up and down the page, lol.

It's really quite nice. No distractions. Just me and the story and the cats and the green curtain on the big picture window behind the couch and the darkness where the curtain is open and the sounds of passing cars and their headlights moving across the wall.

Definitely going to try it with 10 after Farmer Brown, but I don't know - music is such a huge thing with 10. Of course, my headset is wireless. But I couldn't hit next!

And research is a huge thing too - Google gets a workout with 10. So yeah. Hmm.

Still gonna try it. See what happens.

Anyone else write longhand? Or have any thoughts or observations about it versus typing on the computer?

Oddly enough, my hands have not cramped up yet. *shrug*

[celebkiriedhel]

When I finally took a course in creative writing, from the Writer's Studio (www.writerstudio.com.au/), we were only allowed to write with pen and paper. The reason being (well, what the creative writing teacher said) that it was more visceral, that we had time to fully get into the scene, and enter the imaginative state. He didn't allow editting as we wrote though. It was about getting it all out un-edited and then editing later because it was a different part of the brain.

For me, writing can be almost as a much of a trance state as reading. I'm in the story, and telling what I see and feel, hear and smell. I also notice that I enter that trance state, if I'm typing up what I wrote on paper, and then continue.

I notice that I have less writer's block if I'm writing by hand rather than on the PC.

So that's my experience. Although from an output point of view, I prefer PC because I can type many times faster than I write. (I learnt how to touch type).

[dinuriel]

I've been known to write long-hand on airplanes or in class or in other situations where I don't have the computer with me. If there's any difference in the actual quality of the writing, I don't really notice it.

It is convenient in the sense that it's fairly distraction-free, but I don't think I could write long-hand if I actually had a computer available. I'm an editing freak; I know a lot of people these days are saying how great it is to just go forward and leave all the editing for later, but I tried that a couple times and my head nearly exploded. I need to be able to edit and reformat as I go. That and the fact that I have a ton of notes and outlines and charts in Excel and separate Word documents and whatnot... yeah, I'm not sure I could ever do long-hand if the other option was available.

Also, like Kiri mentioned, the speed thing. I'm a relatively fast typer, and a relatively slow handwriter. I often get way ahead of myself when writing long-hand and miss letters or words or even whole phrases. You should see my class notes :S

So... yeah, I prefer the laptop for writing. That's me personally, though

[thelunarfox]

Well, I write most of my things long hand first time through. That's just because I'm at work, and I don't want to risk using the work computer in case something bad happens to it.

When I was younger, I liked writing things on the computer because it was faster, but now I'm sort of finding that I like writing long hand. It helps me focus better. Plus, when I type it up, I'm basically doing a rewrite. It works out well usually because I know where the story is going and only use what I've written as a guide.

[pinkfiend1]

I write all my poetry by hand first, then when it's final it goes into a neat notebook, then onto the computer. Whereas all the stories tend to be just done on the computer. I think it's because I find writing by hand more personal,a nd the poems are me, whereas the stories are someone else, not that you could tell that by some of the poems.

[Stacy]

Oct 8, 2010 23:18:52 GMT -5 @celebkiriedhel said:

When I finally took a course in creative writing, from the Writer's Studio (www.writerstudio.com.au/), we were only allowed to write with pen and paper. The reason being (well, what the creative writing teacher said) that it was more visceral, that we had time to fully get into the scene, and enter the imaginative state. He didn't allow editting as we wrote though. It was about getting it all out un-edited and then editing later because it was a different part of the brain.

For me, writing can be almost as a much of a trance state as reading. I'm in the story, and telling what I see and feel, hear and smell. I also notice that I enter that trance state, if I'm typing up what I wrote on paper, and then continue.

I notice that I have less writer's block if I'm writing by hand rather than on the PC.

So that's my experience. Although from an output point of view, I prefer PC because I can type many times faster than I write. (I learnt how to touch type).

I keep hearing that, but it's just not how I work for some reason. I'm perfectly fine with editing as I write - doesn't break the flow or anything. What breaks the flow is leaving a horrible sentence alone, or a section out of order. It's like...editing is part of the creative process for me. It's chipping the story out of a block of white space.

Hmm. Maybe this has to do with my ultrafocus on language beyond all else? The story, to me, is in the words and the structure of the sentences and the order of the paragraphs, the rhythm and the beat. The words build on each other, and I have to have the right words arranged correctly before I can add the next layer.

It doesn't have to be absolutely totally perfect - I'll still edit some after I have the whole thing done. But still - I need a good idea of the flow and the beat so I know how to go on with it, what it needs next.

I cannot write without editing, but it's not some stern school marm voice that creates blockage and stops flow and stops the creation. It's the story, telling me how it should go, telling me what bits to chip away at to bring it out of the slab of white space. It's the director of the flow.

And yeah, flow is what I would generally call the trance state.

It's just...10 is so much about the computer, about the music and the research and looking at pics of Seth and everything. So I'll be back in this chair when I go back to 10.

But Farmer Brown seems to require the couch. I imagine that's due to its subject matter and characters, which are quite different from 10's and much more suited to slow silence.

Thank you for quite an interesting response and the link (which I'll check out soon).

Will reply more later - am off now to the couch with my notebook. Finally got some freaking calories to stay down and provide my brain with writing energy.

[celebkiriedhel]

Personally? I think everyone's brains work differently. Some can keep going with the editting happening, and some can't. Going with what works for you, is the key.

You're welcome - it's been a real joy to have somewhere to talk about writing. It's been inspiring to me, and helping me to come out of my non-writing funk.

[drew]

Another great question.

I keep a notebook and pen in my night table drawer in case any plot idea comes to me at weird, hinky hours (which is when they usually do) And I quickly scribble it down, but I have not written entire scenes out in long hand.
I am a pretty fast typist and prefer to do it at the computer. In fact, it has been hinted Santa might be bringing me a lap top for Christmas, that would be even better when the muse strikes at all hours.

[lhasa]

I switch between writing longhand and typing it out on the computer. Sometimes I can't type a chapter out on the computer, so I pull out my notebook, and sometimes I can't write it out on the computer. When it comes to really tough parts, I always write in longhand. It seems to break the blockage more than typing it out on the computer.

Right now, my mind is in computer mode. It'll switch back eventually. C:

[laura]

Oct 16, 2010 17:08:00 GMT -5 @illandrya said:

*grumble* ... really hate it when the muse hits at those weird, hinky hours, it totally screws up my sleep pattern.

Having said that, though, that's when I seem to get some of my best ideas!

Yes! Why is that?! My novel was born at 2:00 in the morning, lol! I still remember that night. Got me up out of bed and I wrote like 4 pages in an hour that my whole story would end up being based around.

So I usually get them either in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep or can't sleep... or in the shower, lol!

[celebkiriedhel]

LMAO!! You know Laura and Illyandra? I had exactly the same experience! Started writing at 10pm, and didn't stop until 9 am the next day. So much for sleep!

I wonder if it's something to do with our imaginations normally having free rein during our dreamtime?

[Galatea]

Oct 20, 2010 13:37:20 GMT -5 @laura said:

Oct 16, 2010 17:08:00 GMT -5 @illandrya said:

*grumble* ... really hate it when the muse hits at those weird, hinky hours, it totally screws up my sleep pattern.

Yes! Why is that?! My novel was born at 2:00 in the morning, lol! I still remember that night. Got me up out of bed and I wrote like 4 pages in an hour that my whole story would end up being based around.

Apparently, the very early hours of the morning are supposed to be one's most creative time of the day. It happens a lot with me, too. I haven't had a proper sleeping pattern for several weeks because of it, lately.