This observation -- specifically keyboarding it -- reminds me of the scut work of transcribing taped interviews. The task was slow, but it forced me to study how different people spoke. Each person's "burnt tongue." Having to type the exact, incorrect-but-intentional words of a person gave me a better ear for how speech varies. Such is a key to narrative voice.
This reminded me of something Neil Gaiman once said, him talking about the difference he saw in manuscripts once typing caught on and more or less became the default. He said something to the effect that there was more in terms of quantity -- in terms of words/pages -- but that there wasn’t necessarily more in terms of quality.
Before I disagree, I write notes longhand as much as possible because forming the characters commits them to memory much better than typing them does.
But the good ideas stick anyway. Dont need to write them down.
However, I don't believe that this applies as much to those of us who grew up with computers in school. Seeing it typed doesnt give me any sense of completion, and I type fairly fast. Writing fiction longhand slows me down, and so far, my first drafts arent any better one way or the other. Not as far as I can tell anyway. But everyone is different. Do what works for you.
I should write some more longhand tomorrow. Its been a few months of computer revisions and I could use a break.
Yes, just this year I went back to writing longhand. Sometimes, with the boys running up the walls, it's the only way to get anything down! Then at night, I type it all up. But a lot of times I'll make changes from notebook to typed page, so it's almost like a bonus draft. But yeah, I can see how typing it makes it seem finished. Maybe I'll wait a little longer to type up. One thing for sure, I'm gonna hunt down this article and read the rest. P.S. Chuck--did you happen to receive the message I sent regarding the tour reading? P.S.S. If you haven't received yet, please know, I am definitely IN. And thank you again for that opportunity. Ok back to daydreaming story scenes while doing dishes. :)
I try to keep something with me at all times to write when the mood strikes. I type 100 words a minute by touch and can carry on a whole conversation while I do. My husband thinks this is creepy. I often listen to music and sing while I’m writing my books and no one understands how this works including me. I guess it’s my way of turning off my conscious mind to focus.
Any writing I've done, it's been longhand. I'm not even sure if I miss typing things out like I used to. The one downside is when I write longhand, I am so painfully slow. I fuss over making everything look neat. I worry about going over margins and trying to fit as many words as I can on a page. I'd have a massive block of text just to try to save space. Any gaps freak me out because I think..."you jackass, you could have written something there!"
You heard it here straight out of Chuck's mouth. If you don't write longhand, you just ain't a real writer. Sorry but thems the facts, kid.
Maybe one day when we're old, we'll all gather round and marvel at our carpel tunnel from writing longhand so many years.
When Mel Brooks and Chuck say it, we might wanna listen here.
But to tell you the truth, to sit in a desk of any kind, with papers and pen ready to go, makes writing feel too official. Too serious. Like I'm doing this 'big thing' only to end up with a bigger mess. Typing makes it more write whatever and move on. It's quicker. Much easier to delete. It helps, for now atleast.
Also, after a few months, I won't be able to recognise what I wrote. My handwriting looks like esoteric invocations taken out of a grimoire. Seriously, that's how much of a bad student I was in school. Could never write the lesson. Mostly took pics of notes.
Discovering the Notability app was liberating. I’m a messy note taker, and I find typing notes restrictive. Writing in notebooks, meant I risked losing them. With this app I can write with a stylus on my iPad. It’s saved immediately. And if I lose the iPad, my notes will still be in the cloud.
Reading the comments, I'm not sure if we are talking about taking NOTES or writing a story. I edit my stories so many times, that my drafts would become incomprehensible if I did it by hand.
When I forget my writing book, I feel like I have left a limb behind. I am a big fan of those decorative blank books at Barnes and Noble. I am also glad I am not alone waking up at night to scribble something down in my book so I don't forget. Have accidentally written over lighter color ink doing this. Whoops.
Been knee deep in designing Pathfinder 2e consumables this summer. Potions, elixers, alchemical bombs, and similar magic items for the game.
You know lately... I have been fighting some creative blocks. Also been celibate. Very very frustrating. Been running around my home town and running into my organic attractions from childhood and saying fucking leave me alone I am damaged goods. The other day I had a conversation with my first crush about intimacy and fear and impotency in fliriting and walls and playing dumb so no one gets hurts and what it really means to be Peter Pan and Wendy. He agreed. Is an artist like me but jumps out of planes and fights fire instead. We both been so alone all of these years. We played with the Jungian Key and left the conversation at the associations of our similar deaths. Then more frustrated then ever I went to bed and made in a poem in my head. Woke up and made more poetry not caring that nobody reads poetry. . Read your first draft. Thought about poetry and collage. Sat in my studio, stared out at the hills like a heirophant and made a first draft.
This observation -- specifically keyboarding it -- reminds me of the scut work of transcribing taped interviews. The task was slow, but it forced me to study how different people spoke. Each person's "burnt tongue." Having to type the exact, incorrect-but-intentional words of a person gave me a better ear for how speech varies. Such is a key to narrative voice.
My writing is so bad I can’t read my own long hand writing
This reminded me of something Neil Gaiman once said, him talking about the difference he saw in manuscripts once typing caught on and more or less became the default. He said something to the effect that there was more in terms of quantity -- in terms of words/pages -- but that there wasn’t necessarily more in terms of quality.
I take a lot of hand-written notes in workshop and on my drafts.
Before I disagree, I write notes longhand as much as possible because forming the characters commits them to memory much better than typing them does.
But the good ideas stick anyway. Dont need to write them down.
However, I don't believe that this applies as much to those of us who grew up with computers in school. Seeing it typed doesnt give me any sense of completion, and I type fairly fast. Writing fiction longhand slows me down, and so far, my first drafts arent any better one way or the other. Not as far as I can tell anyway. But everyone is different. Do what works for you.
I should write some more longhand tomorrow. Its been a few months of computer revisions and I could use a break.
Yes, just this year I went back to writing longhand. Sometimes, with the boys running up the walls, it's the only way to get anything down! Then at night, I type it all up. But a lot of times I'll make changes from notebook to typed page, so it's almost like a bonus draft. But yeah, I can see how typing it makes it seem finished. Maybe I'll wait a little longer to type up. One thing for sure, I'm gonna hunt down this article and read the rest. P.S. Chuck--did you happen to receive the message I sent regarding the tour reading? P.S.S. If you haven't received yet, please know, I am definitely IN. And thank you again for that opportunity. Ok back to daydreaming story scenes while doing dishes. :)
I try to keep something with me at all times to write when the mood strikes. I type 100 words a minute by touch and can carry on a whole conversation while I do. My husband thinks this is creepy. I often listen to music and sing while I’m writing my books and no one understands how this works including me. I guess it’s my way of turning off my conscious mind to focus.
I’ve always struggled with handwriting, and other fine motor tasks.
None of my shoes have laces (except the hiking boots).
Typing is always easier for me, but I do find that I miss so many of my mistakes.
I’ve learned so much from the discord group over the past year, outside perspective is so crucial.
I might try using a weird font on my next draft to see if it looks less finished.
Any writing I've done, it's been longhand. I'm not even sure if I miss typing things out like I used to. The one downside is when I write longhand, I am so painfully slow. I fuss over making everything look neat. I worry about going over margins and trying to fit as many words as I can on a page. I'd have a massive block of text just to try to save space. Any gaps freak me out because I think..."you jackass, you could have written something there!"
You heard it here straight out of Chuck's mouth. If you don't write longhand, you just ain't a real writer. Sorry but thems the facts, kid.
Maybe one day when we're old, we'll all gather round and marvel at our carpel tunnel from writing longhand so many years.
When Mel Brooks and Chuck say it, we might wanna listen here.
But to tell you the truth, to sit in a desk of any kind, with papers and pen ready to go, makes writing feel too official. Too serious. Like I'm doing this 'big thing' only to end up with a bigger mess. Typing makes it more write whatever and move on. It's quicker. Much easier to delete. It helps, for now atleast.
Also, after a few months, I won't be able to recognise what I wrote. My handwriting looks like esoteric invocations taken out of a grimoire. Seriously, that's how much of a bad student I was in school. Could never write the lesson. Mostly took pics of notes.
Discovering the Notability app was liberating. I’m a messy note taker, and I find typing notes restrictive. Writing in notebooks, meant I risked losing them. With this app I can write with a stylus on my iPad. It’s saved immediately. And if I lose the iPad, my notes will still be in the cloud.
You confused me, Chuck. Who is in the picture? Mel Brooks or Max Brooks? You said it was Max but it looks more like Mel lol
Reading the comments, I'm not sure if we are talking about taking NOTES or writing a story. I edit my stories so many times, that my drafts would become incomprehensible if I did it by hand.
When I forget my writing book, I feel like I have left a limb behind. I am a big fan of those decorative blank books at Barnes and Noble. I am also glad I am not alone waking up at night to scribble something down in my book so I don't forget. Have accidentally written over lighter color ink doing this. Whoops.
Been knee deep in designing Pathfinder 2e consumables this summer. Potions, elixers, alchemical bombs, and similar magic items for the game.
Shakespeare got along pretty well without a typewriter.
You know lately... I have been fighting some creative blocks. Also been celibate. Very very frustrating. Been running around my home town and running into my organic attractions from childhood and saying fucking leave me alone I am damaged goods. The other day I had a conversation with my first crush about intimacy and fear and impotency in fliriting and walls and playing dumb so no one gets hurts and what it really means to be Peter Pan and Wendy. He agreed. Is an artist like me but jumps out of planes and fights fire instead. We both been so alone all of these years. We played with the Jungian Key and left the conversation at the associations of our similar deaths. Then more frustrated then ever I went to bed and made in a poem in my head. Woke up and made more poetry not caring that nobody reads poetry. . Read your first draft. Thought about poetry and collage. Sat in my studio, stared out at the hills like a heirophant and made a first draft.
Here are some photos I took a long the way.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AUWsgEyEa5xcUmRC7