Does anyone write long hand anymore?

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Carimel

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I was just wondering, if anyone writes long hand anymore these days. I try to sit in front of a computer & write but I just stare at a blank screen. I do transfer everything thou to my computer for safe keeping. Am I crazy or what? I would love to hear from everyone!!~
 

YAwriter72

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I sometimes do. If I get stuck on something, I will take pen and paper and take the boys to the playground and most times, the thoughts will flow again.Or if I'm at work and get a scene or idea, I'll write it down. I don't write the entire thing longhand though, my wrists would die.
 

SarahMacManus

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I used to love to (and exclusively) draft in longhand. However, time has not been kind to either my joints or my handwriting. I miss it though.
 

C.M.C.

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No way in hell. It's long, painful, and for left-handers like myself, usually a mess.
 

Red-Green

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News flash: old dog learns new trick.

I'm 38. I've been writing stories since I was old enough to hold a pencil. When I started writing novels, my system was pretty simple--I wrote the first draft longhand in a journal, then typed it/entered it into the computer. Save, backup, etc.

Four weeks ago, I got nailed by a story idea that grabbed me by the throat. Wrote 130K in under three weeks...and I did it all on the computer. I don't have even half a page of notes written longhand for this book. I typed it straight from my brain. This is a very weird feeling for me, but I think it worked. I mean, I think the first draft is pretty decent, considering I didn't get to do basic revisions as I typed from my hand-written draft.

I dunno what this means, except that there's a first for everything, and I'm now more open to doing the next book that way...
 

Calla Lily

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I do all the time. I'm often away from my computer, and I drag a 3-ring binder everywhere with the last few scenes and my outline so I can continue writing.


ETA: And it means Red is a MACHINE. :D
 

stevewed

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I write longhand and here's the proof http://twitpic.com/cap4i

I find that early drafts and brutal revisions work better if I can put ink on paper and just go with it. Then when I put the words into the computer, I get a chance to edit as I go.
 

Adam

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Occasionally, but I hate having to transfer it to my PC afterwards. ;)
 

Emily Arsenault

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I do. When I'm starting on a brand new scene or chapter, I write it out longhand. When it's roughly finished, I type it into the computer, making improvements along the way. Then I go back to pen and paper to start the next chapter.
 
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Sometimes, just to get the ol' brain gears moving again. After a page or two I start itching to get back to the computer, but hey...whatever works.
 

quickWit

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I had something for this...
I keep notes, outlines, bits of dialog, etc., in a journal I carry with me. That's probably where I do 50% of my writing.
 

Millie

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No way, I'd never be able to read it back!!!
 

Kitty Pryde

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I write longhand all the time. Sometimes it's tricky to find the time to type it up afterwards, but that's okay. In lots of places it's easier/better to deal with a notebook than a computer. I spent the weekend at the world's dustiest campsite. If I'd tried to take my laptop it would be a really dusty paperweight by now :D I also do a lot of my writing on the bus and train, where it's a pain to deal with the computer.
 

KellyAssauer

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I always have a notebook with me, I've had people ask "where's your notebook?" heh and not a notebook puter - yuck! Take my own notes when it hits, and transcribe later, makes me still feel like a writer, and not just a typist.
 
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I write longhand all the time. Sometimes it's tricky to find the time to type it up afterwards, but that's okay. In lots of places it's easier/better to deal with a notebook than a computer. I spent the weekend at the world's dustiest campsite. If I'd tried to take my laptop it would be a really dusty paperweight by now :D I also do a lot of my writing on the bus and train, where it's a pain to deal with the computer.
Acer Aspire FTW! :D
 

Manuel Royal

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I take a small notebook with me and make notes longhand when things occur to me. At the start of a project I sit down with a spiral notebook and start jotting down the different elements I have in mind, with some dialogue and descriptions.

I haven't written a whole story longhand in decades, though -- not since I learned to type in 1976. (The only thing I learned in high school.)

On the other hand, I'd consider the ability to write longhand as a basic necessary skill. It nauseates me to hear that there are now public elementary schools that don't teach cursive at all. How the hell are these kids going to sign their names?
 

Delhomeboy

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Longhand and Typewriter FTW :D
 

Kitty Pryde

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Acer Aspire FTW! :D

I have an Acer Aspire. It would still die at The World's Dustiest Campsite, and it's hard to balance on one's knee on the bus. That is if a crazy hobo doesn't steal it whilst one is bus-writing.
 
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I have an Acer Aspire. It would still die at The World's Dustiest Campsite, and it's hard to balance on one's knee on the bus. That is if a crazy hobo doesn't steal it whilst one is bus-writing.
You need to learn the scarletpeaches patented Ball-Withering Glare.

Srsly. I can make grown men cry with a look.

(My ex boyfriend used to say "Meep," and hide in the corner when I looked at him all glarewise, like).
 

Pat~

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Always. Actually my first draft is done with pencils. I sharpen a couple of dozen and start writing. I seem to need a direct connection to the page before I can create.

I always have a notebook with me, I've had people ask "where's your notebook?" heh and not a notebook puter - yuck! Take my own notes when it hits, and transcribe later, makes me still feel like a writer, and not just a typist.

I write longhand almost every day in my AM journaling (sometimes just a sentence, sometimes a few pages). I use a steady supply of inexpensive Bic mechanical pencils, .9mm lead, with a good eraser. ("The hand that erases writes the true thing."--Meister Eckhart, lol!) Usually have a spiral with me everywhere I go to catch the thoughts before they fly away. (Callalily2 just scolded me recently for writing on my lap while driving up the tollway. :D) Then, if I want to go somewhere further with those thoughts (e.g. a poem or article), they get transcribed into the laptop, and edited at the same time.
 

Priene

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You need to learn the scarletpeaches patented Ball-Withering Glare.

Srsly. I can make grown men cry with a look.

(My ex boyfriend used to say "Meep," and hide in the corner when I looked at him all glarewise, like).

You old romantic, you.
 

Capes&Corsets

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I used to write long hand ALL the time, from the age of seven when I started writing 'books'. A few months back I came across the novel I wrote as a 13-14 year-old. A file containing about 350 A4 pages, both sides of each page filled. I used to take the file everywhere with me to write on the go. Let's just say I was shocked at my patience back then!

I always carry a notebook and pens wherever I go, just in case. If I don't have my netbook with me and want to write somewhere, I'll write in long-hand. I'm always jotting down notes though - notebooks are full of randomness.

In Jan I bought an Acer Aspire One so that I can write on the go. It's perfect and fits in my bag and I usually take it everywhere - work, train...best thing I've bought in a while :)
 

cwfgal

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I handwrite notes and my edits on hardcopy, but 99% of my writing is done on a computer. I did a lot of handwriting stuff when I was younger but found the process frustrating at times because my mind always worked so much faster than my hand and I'd often lose phrases/ideas/bits that came to me before I could get them down on paper.

Beth (aka Annelise Ryan)
 
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