Do you type or write by hand?

[Azura Skye]

I'm sitting here typing up what I had written for the past week and hating it. I like the idea of being able to carry a notebook and pen around with me anywhere and writing when the mood strikes. The downside to all of that is I absolutely hate to type when I'm looking at something. I have no problem looking at the screen while I type but when I get on my computer to write I start doing other things, like surfing. I simply can't make up my mind which method I'm going to use.>: :rollin

Which method do you use?

[EGGammon]

When I get a sudden idea, I write it down by hand, but when I am writing chapters or writing a story outline, I usually type it, just because I will have to do it eventually anyway. But whenever I am writing on my computer, I unplug the phone line, so I don't have those surfing urges.

[Kallahan]

Try a scanner and OCR software, if you handwriting is legible it should be able to take what you've written and deposit it into a rich text file ( .rtf watch out they tend to be huge).

Other than that, tablet PC's are huge on the campus scene for taking notes. Also palm tops have hadwriting recognition, just takes about 30 mins to get really used to their graphitie.

Personally I don't mind writting by hand or typing too much, but I HATE typing up what I've just written by hand, so I type when I write almost exclusivly.

[Lori Basiewicz]

I'm with, Egg. When I sit down to write, I type it on the computer screen. But there are times when I'm traveling or have a sudden idea late at night or just need to look at the words a little differently that I write by hand. I also keep a tape recorder in my car, but I generally only use it on longer roadtrips when I'm traveling by myself.

[Vomaxx]

I much prefer to write with a pen, then type it later. The typing constitutes the first revision.

[macalicious731]

Hmmm, tape recorder. I've never thought of that. It wouldn't ever work for me to put the whole thing on tape, but usually before I drift off at night I work out perfectly good sentences in my head, and are always lost by the time I get a pencil in hand for such emergencies.

But, for the poll, I type everything.

[maestrowork]

I use a tablet PC. So I can do both (type or write by hand). The tablet has handwriting recognition. Pretty nifty.

[Vulpes Sapien]

It seems I always have to start a scene on paper, with a pen. So my house is full of notebooks with partial scenes in them, every few pages. Then I type what I've written into the computer, editing as I go.

I really enjoy writing. I mean *writing* with a decent quality pen and paper. I always have. My problem is only that it's not very editable.

[mistri]

I mostly write directly on to my pc or laptop. But I also have a pda with 'graffiti' (a bit like handwriting recognition software), which feels almost like normal handwriting when you write into it, that I use for on the move.

[mr mistook]

Handwriting is a horrible chore for me. I've always had such bad penmanship that my only hope is to print things, and even that is so sloppy it can barely be deciphered. Maybe it was thanks to emotional trauma at the hands of my 2nd grade cursive teacher, a very disagreeable nun.

Thank God my mother forced me to take a typing class, my sophmore year. Now that computers are here, I only write by hand if there's no other recourse (I'd gladly use a tape recorder before resorting to pen and paper).

I envy the cursive writers with fluid hands who twirl off effortless sentences on paper, but it's a skill I'll never have.

[maestrowork]

Good point. I type 100 times faster than I scribble.

[Kallahan]

I HATE cursive. Half the time its faster to print and it's almost always more legible. I sign my name in print, looks like cursive though, my hand writing is terrible. Alas the problem with being a geek and growing up around computers... At least I type fast. :)

[Writing Again]

I use a digital voice recorder, holds up to 11.5 hours of notes in five folders, almost as small as a credit card, and with a usb port drops right to my puter. Is usable with Dragon Naturally Speaking -- But I can't afford that program.

I don't see the need for notebooks and pens any more.

[Azura Skye]

>>I envy the cursive writers with fluid hands who twirl off effortless sentences on paper, but it's a skill I'll never have.

Yeah but when I'm on roll my beautiful, fluid handwriting becomes like chicken scratch.

:rollin

[katdad]

I'm either lucky or cursed with a sharp memory. If I have a story idea while driving or whatever, I can remember it and put it down later on computer.

My touch typing is quite good, and when I write, the words flow directly from my brain to the screen. I free-associate, then save rough text in temporary files.

Computers being what they are nowdays, I can save hundreds of files and check back on them later. I organize everything by folders, so ideas for one story or novel go into that folder. I also have general folders "horror", "mystery" etc.

In high school I took typing and maybe that one course was the most beneficial to me of the otherwise forgettable 4 years.

Working for a newspaper makes it necessary to type, and I remember vividly those huge old clunky Underwood manual typewriters on the desks, all clacking away. Noisy but not as much as the Linotype room, which was chaos!

Having a technical background as well as literary, I worked with computers for many years, and so they are 2nd nature to me.

When I sell my novel I'm gonna buy a nice Dell handheld that interprets handwriting via stylus, but for now, I rely on the ol' grey matter for my quick idea storage.

[allion]

I'm one of the pen to paper folk. I like the act of drawing a pen across blank paper and making something appear. And I can doodle if things are not going well, and add jokes to myself, and scribble up the margins if I want. And there are all the different colours of ink to use.

For me, writing longhand is more portable than a computer, which is one reason I am still looking at an Alphasmart.

I do use the computer for the next draft process. When I transcribe, it becomes the first revision of many. I also leave notes as I write in longhand ("change this, describe this, need name here" things) which I find hard to do on the computer.

And I wouldn't give up the search and replace function for all the world. I did my first trunk novel on a manual typewriter, and that was painful if something had to be fixed.

The one problem is that I leave the transcribing for too long, so too many pages can pile up, and I may lose track of what was going on. But that is what an outline is for, right?

[triceretops]

I've just finished hand-writing 60 pages, single space, and still have to wait for that new word processing program before I can transpose it to the screen.

All my books were written right on the screen years ago. I don't know why the heck I'm enjoying hand-writing so much now.

Tri

[ShinyPenguin]

And usually do editing while I enter it into the computer. My hubby wanted to buy me software that I could dictate to, but I was afraid I'd be constantly editing out the million things I have to yell at the kids.

[MarthaOConnor]

I like to type. My fingers move much more quickly over a keyboard than over a tablet of paper. That said, I find the Internet and email TREMENDOUSLY distracting when I'm trying to write. I've found the best solution is to take the laptop PHYSICALLY OUT OF THE HOUSE (we have a wireless network, so it's no good just to take it to another room) and work at the library or at a cafe.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

My hands have the terrible habit of cramping when I write anything by hand, so I type everything I can. Not really a touch typist though... I usually point my eyes in the direction of the keyboard and just start typing.

Usually, my memory is good enough to catch spelling mistakes as they're typed, so I don't have to stop and look at the monitor very often until the creative well runs temporarily dry and I'm ready for some editing.

[vstrauss]

I wrote my first novel in longhand in yellow spiral notebooks. My mom (bless her) typed it for me. Then I learned to type, and switched to composing on a manual typewriter--heaven! Finally I could compose almost as fast as I could think. Then I switched to an electric typewriter--double heaven--then to an IBM Selectric with a correcting ribbon--high tech!--then, finally, to a computer. Nirvana. I can type on a computer way faster than any kind of typewriter, and it's always a clean copy. No more scribbles in the margins, pasted-in bits of paper, etc. I love the fluidity of electronic text. Handwritten text seems so static now.

- Victoria

[Greenwolf103]

With novels, first drafts get written by hand. The words just seem to pour through me more easily this way. Then I type everything into the 'puter but not word for word. Sentences get rewritten, scenes get moved around. I'm more creative when I write with a pen, more analytical when I type. So it makes sense for me to work this way.

[Ivonia]

I typically type on a computer, but when I'm at school, I can't bring my desktop with me, so I bring my handy-dandy notebook and pen (pencil if I feel like drawing something instead, as I tend to make a lot of changes).

Strangely enough, although I can get ideas anywhere when I'm inspired, I often develop my best ideas when I'm sitting around a coffee shop or in the student union at my university. So I tend to daydream and think up ideas and jot them down asap so I can remember them for later and then use those ideas for my stories if they're good.

I guess we'll see if doing this was any good in the near future when I finish the book :)

[Lee Tasey]

Dear Azura Skye,

I longhand it--always. Five or six drafts for a short story and three or four drafts for a novel. Then it goes on a Macintosh. There is somethnig mysterious that happens when I work with a purple pen. I don't know what it is. I don't want to know, either.

Best,

Lee

[DarkHaven80]

I type. When I write in longhand it doesn't sound good and the words come to me slower. If I have a lot in my head and a few sentences come to me phrased well, if I'm writing with a pen or pencil, I forget the exact wording by the time I write the first sentence, which then makes me go back and try and think of the right word, which interrupts my train of thought, and -- argh!! Typings easier because I do it quickly and for some reason I'm more creative with a keyboard now, maybe because I'm more used to it.

[Man with twohanded sword]

Computer, initially because I get cramp when I write by hand, but now mainly because typeing cuts out the time-wasting mechanics.

MwTHS

"When life sends you a curve-ball, find the person who actually threw the ball and cut their arms off"

[annied]

Depends on what it is. Short stories, I write longhand, make edits, then finally type the final draft in the computer. My novels...sometimes I write longhand, but mostly I write them on my PDA, then hotsync them to my computer at home, then edit them on the computer.

[Stlight]

My first draft is in longhand, this puts more emotion in my stories than the computer. Then I type the first draft onto the computer and print it out. (touch typing direct print to eye to hand bypassing the mind.) At this point I print it out and begin the re-writing. The advantage is the re-writing starts with putting in the missing words and getting rid of the extra and wrong adjectives. This gives me emotion in, sap out. :lol When the typed first draft is red inked, with huge sections written on the backs of pages and more pages entered LABELED page 12 A -1, 12A -2, so I'll remember where I want them, it's back to typing.

Stlight

[MissKathyClarke]

I've used all three. I prefer typing, although I do have that problem with surfing on this computer :P I don't like writing on a notebook most of the time because I can type faster than I can write and that really frustrates me when I can't pour everything out on the paper as fast as I think or nearly as fast. Tape recording is a difficult thing for me because I'm a very disorganized person and I have the minitape recorder that has those teeny little tapes that I always manage to lose :rolleyes Anyway, since typing is my favorite type of writing, I bought myself a cheap 100 dollar laptop that cannot connect to the internet without freezing, so there's no temptation to surf :lol

[Gala]

I can whip out non-fiction on computer. Books, outlines, articles, essays, specs, online help, web content. Easy as pie.

Fiction is another matter. My most inspired, honest fiction is always composed by hand on a legal pad (or whatever's handy if I'm stranded) and transcribed to computer.

I studied and experimented on myself, because I wanted to be able to do it all on computer to save time. With fiction, and I'll say certain deeply emotional non-fiction (a book I wrote on grief) only the tactile method offers anything useful.

[pencilone]

Azura,

It's nothing wrong to use both methods. You do not have to choose between the two of them. Type on the computer when you have more time and when you feel like it. Write in your notebook when you write in short periods of time and in places where you do not have a computer. Use both methods and after a while you'll discover by yourself which method suits you best.

I write in a notebook too sometimes, but I have a horrible writing that it's difficult even for me to read and I'm very disorganised. I also type on my computer when I want to get things done quickly. I use sometimes my Palm computer (Jornada 720) and sometimes I also use my Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation software. For the past few weeks I have even tried a virtual laser keyboard (one that projects a keyboard on any horizontal surface - very cool device), but I decided to use a normal keyboard after all.

I am a very slow typist and my ideal work method would be dictation software, so maybe I should still persevere with my NaturallySpeaking software.

Whatever method gets the words written is a good method.

Best Wishes,

Pencilone

[Coco82]

I type it out, but I will jot down notes to myself I carry for school.

[Azura Skye]

Thanks pencilone.

I've decided to just type it and it seems to be working. I've been doing it for the past few weeks and I'm more than comfortable with it now. Brainstorming, note taking and what have you will be by hand.

[tjosban]

I type at home but when I am on campus, in a class that bores me, I write out by hand, unless it's a lab class. I spend more time writing in my specially designated notebook than I pay in attention in most classes.

Honestly, what teacher can call it teaching that which involves copying onto the board the PowerPoint slides he has the students print out and calling it notes? bah!

:x

[Robin Grantham]

When I was in high school, my mom was friends with the guy who owned the local grocery store (tiny town, tiny store). He, of course, had a “fancy” computer. I don’t remember who initiated it, but he let me work on my masterpieces :lol in a little cubicle in the back of the store. His office was too small, so he’d made some extra space outside his office using a curtain. I was just a few feet away from the customers when I wrote -- my feet showed from beneath the curtain. I really was the strange woman (girl) behind the curtain.8) I had completely forgotten about it until I read this thread. I wish I had those files -- dismal though they no doubt were.

I also typed on a ribbon typewriter back then. My sisters thought writing was stupid. They went into my room when I wasn’t there and typed “Kill Robin Tonight” on the spindle using the correction tape. Ah, good times.:hat

When I got to college and was able to use a Mac to type my thesis, choirs of angels flew round my head. I was giddy. I knew I would never be able to go back to the typewriter. I thought, if I could only have a laser printer, nothing could stop me. (Conveniently, I knew I wasn’t getting a laser printer any time soon.:b )

I also take notes, especially when traveling. I have a tiny hotel pad beside me right now that says Grant -- regarding long lines at Disney -- Break your spine, first in line -- Don’t have a cast, well then you’re last . . . . And also some notes from my sister about hypnobirths and nipple stimulation (you probably don’t want to know).

*kisses keyboard and printer* :smokin

[Azura Skye]

LOL...nipple stimulation? :lol :lol

[Robin Grantham]

:lol

It's supposed to help the labor along.

Hey, it's win-win, no?

Keep in mind that this was my sisters (one's a midwife and the other is a labor-delivery nurse) telling me about birthing methods they've seen over the years.

As the saying goes -- sometimes the stories just write themselves. :b

[Daughter of Faulkner]

Both. The first draft is written with the same lead pencil I have had for years. Then I type it on the PC and edit. I love the process of just writing and seeing the words come alive on paper.

[neddyf]

Type only, as I cannot bear writing anything longer than an address on an envelope.

Being able to edit/amend as I go is a big help to me.

Cheers

Ned

[IAmTheThinker]

I actually hand write my notes on graph paper and then I type it out when I've got my outline done. It's easier to lug around a notebook to the kids gymnastic/tae kwon do yada yada yada....

[Mya Bell]

I find it very frustrating to write by hand--it's four times slower than typing. Typing feels very natural to me--the words move from my head to my typing fingers quite comfortably. Handwriting has never felt natural to me--I have to concentrate hard to make it legible.

I also find it difficult to handwrite stories because thoughts move so much faster than my hand (which is 15 or 20 wpm at best). By the time I've written down the first half of the sentence, I've forgotten the second half. It's like trying to photograph a speeding golf ball with a slow-shutter camera.

Typewriters are good, compared to handwriting, but computers are even better. I seem to have a better brain conduit when I don't have to push a pen or a typewriter carriage, and I looooove being able to copy and paste.

--- Mya Bell

[Betty W01]

I do as much typing as I can. I type as fast as I write, and my writing is waaaaay too illegible. If I don't transcribe *immediately*, forget it. The words turn into Greek. Or Vulcan. Or some strange tongue besides English.

I take my PDA everywhere and write into it and transfer the files to my PC. I even have a folding keyboard for times when I know I'll have a chunk of time and a flat surface to set the keyboard/PDA up on.

I do take handwritten notes at times when writing in the PDA isn't possible: church, class, board meetings, or anywhere else I don't want folks to think I'm playing a handheld video game. :lol But at least half the time, they are not readable later. <sigh>

Poems, for some reason, I usually write longhand, very carefully (almost drawing them). Then the final draft on the computer.

Some things I don't miss? Carbon paper. Mimeograph ink. Wite-Out!
http://fool.exler.ru/sm/val.gif

Some things I'd like to miss? Hard drive crashes. Viruses. Screen freezes...

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/3/3_8_1.gif

[maestrowork]

Same here, Betty. I can't read my handwriting a lot of times. Unlike you, though, I type 10 times faster than I write. I also spell better when I type. When I write by hand I can't even spell "write" correctly.

[Thekherham]

Before I got my computer many years ago I used to write, but back in those days my handwriting was much better than it is now.
So now I type everything.