Writing or typing?

[Melsiebug]

Saw sis Sunday, wasn't looking at me funny (thought she might be) discovered she hadn't read any further so still waiting...

[Techno-Ninja]

This almost makes me wonder how my brother would react to my writing. ...he'd probably say I need to die for supporting homosexuality.

[DemonsAngel]

I rather enjoy both. When I am first starting a story I prefer to start out with plain old pen and paper. Unfortunetly I tend to press fairly hard and write so long I get blisters and my hand massivly cramps up. But after I get the first part down I type it out, start editing and then usualy progress from there via computer. Though I still tend to take notes on what I am writing via my spiral note book and pen which I always keep handy when working. When it comes to editing I also like to print out what I have, make notes and then change things on the computer. ^^

[Techno-Ninja]

I rather enjoy both. When I am first starting a story I prefer to start out with plain old pen and paper. Unfortunetly I tend to press fairly hard and write so long I get blisters and my hand massivly cramps up. But after I get the first part down I type it out, start editing and then usualy progress from there via computer. Though I still tend to take notes on what I am writing via my spiral note book and pen which I always keep handy when working. When it comes to editing I also like to print out what I have, make notes and then change things on the computer. ^^

I think my method has become pretty close to what yours is. :3 Though, I don't write so long I get blisters. Ouch! Hand cramps, definitely. x_x Notebooks and writing utensils are my best friends though. :3

[mikimaro]

A long time ago I used to type everything I wrote on my computer. Then one day, half the files in my "unfinished" folder got corrupted and I lost a bunch of stories I'd been working on. I was heartbroken. I tried to re-write them, but they just weren't the same. From that point on, I started writing everything out by hand, so I'll always have a hard copy.

And I've found I like hand writing so much better. While I type fast, my accuracy is horrible, so with writing I don't end up stopping every other word to fix typos. I can just go with the flow of my pencil. The other advantage is that nobody but me can read my handwriting, so if I'm writing during my downtime at work and get that eerie feeling that people are lurking behind my desk, I'm assured that there's little chance they can read what's in my notebook.

[Techno-Ninja]

A long time ago I used to type everything I wrote on my computer. Then one day, half the files in my "unfinished" folder got corrupted and I lost a bunch of stories I'd been working on. I was heartbroken. I tried to re-write them, but they just weren't the same. From that point on, I started writing everything out by hand, so I'll always have a hard copy.

And I've found I like hand writing so much better. While I type fast, my accuracy is horrible, so with writing I don't end up stopping every other word to fix typos. I can just go with the flow of my pencil. The other advantage is that nobody but me can read my handwriting, so if I'm writing during my downtime at work and get that eerie feeling that people are lurking behind my desk, I'm assured that there's little chance they can read what's in my notebook.

I feel your pain. That's one of the reasons I like handing writing a lot better as well.

Perhaps that is why no one has said anything about what I write. My handwriting is bad, but at least I can read it...usually.

[mihoshi05]

I prefer to write everything out first in a composition notebook. I love those things and Bic pens. I tend to write little notes on the sides of the pages regarding something I might squeeze in when I type it. Sometimes the chapter or story ends up completely different than what I write. Most of the time I actually write out the whole chapter while others I just write long notes and piece them together on the screen.

[Satai Delenn]

Wow, lol, typewriters. I was in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade and learned how to use typewriters. However, we were also taught how to use computers because my school fully recognized that typewriters were quickly being phased out in preference for computers. At the time, I pretty much failed at both. I mean, I was very slow at typing on either one, and I CERTAINLY couldn't type anything without looking at my hands to make sure I was hitting the correct keys. I never did use a typewriter outside the classroom though. I've been using computers since I was about 10 years old, and it helped that my mother worked at a computer company, so we had a computer and (practically unheard of at the time) a modem as well. We rarely used the "Internet" (I don't even really think it was an "Internet" at that point, but I don't know what else to call it), but we'd occasionally use it to get answers to problems we were having with the old King's Quest games (and I'm talking about the versions played before there was Windows. Anyone recall the days of DOS? lol).

Anyway, these days I do almost everything via the computer. However, I do take writing classes at a local Community College, and so I definitely keep "5 Subject" Notebooks on hand for class, and occasionally I'll use them for random stories. They're great (well, any paper will do, really) to have on hand since I don't lug my laptop around unless it's NanoWrimo season, and I've had a few stories I've written by hand because I just HAVE to jot them down so I don't forget them. Then I'll transfer them to computer, and of course, I back up all my files to an external disk, and I have a website that I use sometimes to store some of my writings in case I ever do find corrupted files (which thusfar I've been VERY lucky to not have any). But yeah, I'll sometimes use paper to jot things down. Mostly though, I use the computer, and thankfully I can type fairly fast now (thank you Mavis Beacon!) and I don't have to look at the keys, but can keep my eyes on the screen and sort of "look down" at my fingers at the same time to make sure I'm typing correctly. I've also found that I prefer "natural" keyboards" to the rectangular "regular" keyboards. I can't even use "regular" keyboards with any sort of accuracy or even comfort anymore.

[DrunkenScotsman]

I always hand-write each chapter before typing it up. It lets me see where and how I revised a story, though a lot of times I revise on the fly between manuscript and typed copy. It's a quite visceral experience, putting pen to paper, an invigorating experience, one that typing cannot hope to match.

[spiralbreeze]

For the majority of my stories, I wrote them on looseleaf paper during class back in high school. I lost all of the manuscripts, as I so lovingly called them. The past couple of stories I've done however, I decided to type directly on my iMac. Then one day, I pulled out my Moleskine and a pencil and I began to write part of a chapter while my students took their nap. Later on, when I typed it up, I realized that my paragraphs were longer with more depth to them. I carry my Moleskine journal everywhere with me, and when the mood strikes, I'm able to write down whatever tickles my fancy.

My penmanship has gotten horrible over the years, but I try and make it a point to hand write something every day. I feel it's important. I also used to write actual letters (with stamps!) to my son's father. He never opened them (his father was an engineer and there was literally a computer or laptop in every room). Everyday in high school I used to write a kind of a start the day letter to my then boyfriend. He read them religiously (he did not own a computer).

I wish I had someone to write letters to now. I was thinking of getting a campaign started, write a letter save the US post office or something. Perhaps the hippies would get mad for wasting paper. It's funny because I have actually forgone getting an iPad, because an actual book is just so much more tangible. The smell of the paper, the feel of it, the act of physically turning a page, pulling a worn title off the shelf and opening it. There is just something so magical about it. I know that's probably how Hermione Granger would describe books. What's really scary is the fact that I own several bottles of ink and quill pens, as well as calligraphy pens, and my daily pen that I keep in my bag is a Pentel fountain pen from France. It's petit et tres joli!

Anyway, I think from now on, I'm going to continue to write my stories in my journal. It is perhaps more meditative, and it probably saves my eyes.