Handwritten or Computer Generated

My daughter says that I have an addiction, well more like a hoarding problem.

    My name is Barbara and I hoard paper

Ok, in my defense, I am a writer.  I don't want to run out of things to write on.

When I began writing, we did not have computers.  We had to write our stories, poems, and essays on paper. It was not until I got into college that I was able to work on a computer, because at that time the home computer was not in every home, only businesses had computers.  I did not have a lot of time to spend in the computer lab while in college, so I still wrote everything longhand.  The only time i did anything on the computer was when the final piece had to be turned in.

It was several years before we owned a home computer, but I continued to write on paper, it was just natural to me.  I did try journaling on the computer, but it just did not feel right and I continued to write in my notebooks.

When i decided to start writing again, I began to do so on my laptop.  It was handy, always around, much more convenient to use than a desktop computer.  I could take my laptop anywhere.  The ideas began to flow and I just could not type fast enough.  Doing my writing on the computer made it a lot easier to change things and do edits.  You can move things around, delete stuff and storing on jump drive saved space.

Looking back, I wish I had done a lot more of my writing, or at least put my writing on the computer.  I have lost a lot of my short stories.  So you see, the computer is a wonderful tool.

You know there is a but coming, and you are right.  Even though my work does make it to the computer, I still love to write on paper.  Old habits die hard I guess.

When I was working on the first book, the only thing that was handwritten were my outlines and notes.  The actual writing of the book was done on the computer.  There are some hand written sections of the book, but not many.

I remember as I was typing away writing my book, I began to get ideas for a second book.  I didn't want to set up folders and such in the computer just yet.  I had ideas and had to get them on paper. The second book was beginning to take shape and the notebook was being built.  My ideas were turning into notes, the notes were turning into bits and pieces of the second book.

Chapters were coming together and i realized i was spending more time on the second book.  I thought at first I was just having more ideas.  I kept the notebook handy, just in case an idea popped into my head.  I went back to my computer and  tired to work in the first book.  I sat there, with my fingers on the keys and nothing.  I knew where I wanted the story to go, but nothing.

I put the laptop down and picked up the notebook again, but this time I began writing notes and little snippets for the chapter I was working on for the first book.  The creativity began to flow.  That is when i realized I wrote better when I used the old trusty pen and paper.  The creativity flowed better for me.   Yes, you will see scribbles over words, sentences, and even paragraphs.  You may even find some white-out on those pages, with notes in the margins and a rainbow of ink colors.

Does my  creativity stop when I begin to enter everything on the computer?  No, it just continues.  I come up with new ideas, change ideas  and add or delete as I go.

Writing is a creative process, we have to find what works for us.  It may be typing it on the computer, it could be while you are sitting in your back yard or going somewhere to be alone.  Writing the initial piece on paper, then typing to the computer for the final edits and changes is what works for me.