What’s your writing medium?
Currently, I have two short fiction projects I’m working on at the same time. For one project, I’m pounding the story out on my trusty Mac. The other project is being written "old school" with pen and notebook paper. This got me thinking: What is the preferred medium for writing?
Both writing longhand and typing have their pros and cons. I used to write everything longhand, and then spent hours typing it into a word processing program before I started editing. The process was slow and a little cumbersome, but there was a little magic to it.
Old fashion pen and paper
Writing your novel/short story with pen and paper is a very "intimate" way to write. You feel each word as you put it on paper, and, if you have decent handwriting, it can be somewhat of an art form. Also, writing longhand slows you down a little, so you have more time to ponder your words and sentences. When I write longhand, my writing tends to be a little more thoughtful and more carefully crafted.
The downside? It can take a long time to write even short story. Not to mention having to type it out eventually (a problem that can probably be solved with a digital scanner – something I have yet to attempt). Also, if you have messy handwriting, trying to decipher your words later on could be quite a challenge.
Typing your work on computer
Typing can feel more mechanical and less intimate. Since most of us can type faster than we can write, less time and thought is given to what we are writing as we write it. Of course, there’s always editing later on, but I still notice that my words that are typed aren’t quite as thoughtful as those that are handwritten.
On the flip side, typing is a lot faster. If ideas come and go at the speed of light into your mind, then typing will help you catch those ideas before they fly away. You can also erase bad sentences and awkward words without too much trouble, and those mistakes will never be seen by anyone (as opposed to crossing stuff out on notebook paper).
Probably the biggest benefit to typing on your computer is the most practical benefit: The ability to save your work, and edit it without having to re-write everything. Big time saver!
How do you write?
Do you compose longhand, or prefer the more modern ways of typing out your work? Let us know in the comment below and tell us why you use the method you use!
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