While I wrote the third act of my newst novel, I decided to switch up and write longform by hand. I bought a simple notebook and pens and set out. After several weeks of it, I have decided...handwriting is not for me.It did have some benefits. I felt that I got into a writing groove easier and my work flow seemed smoother and faster. In one way, I felt I was writing more becasue it seemed I was writing with less pauses between sentences. I wasn't have so many of those times when I'd stop, look around, fiddle with the iMac mouse, then get back to writing.
I don't think I actually wrote more number of words, though. I found myself having to write slower than if I was typing. I think my actual words per minute were less than when I type.
The biggest con for me about handwriting is that I couldn't go back to add things in previous paragraphs I had written. I simply had to keep going and either write quick notes about edits or hope I would remember them. I think handwriting is good when you have a fimer grasp on your story and you know what needs to be written. I often have better ways to write sentences after I have written them or I find bits of information I need to insert in the paragraph above to make it flow better. Typing is good for that, for changing as you go.
I'm attempting to digitize my life more, using more apps and tech to make my work easier to do. Which is a bit ironic, given my love of stationary. I love pens and notebooks. I may continue to write longform for short stories, this experiment isn't quite over, but for my novels I'm sticking with typing.
