The click is mightier than the pen - they say...
I once put pen to
paper (literally) and wrote.
Now I click, tap and
navigate. What a huge change to the way we all communicate. I can’t even
remember when I last received a hand written letter. I am not a bright, young thing (although I’d
like to think I’m still reasonably bright!) but I know many others of a similar
age group who are also very au fait with computers and indeed to some degree,
social networking.
For me the keypad is
quicker than the pen when it comes to getting tumbling thoughts and ideas down
on paper. Free writing engages the creative right side of the brain and not the
analytical, logical left brain. I believe getting something, anything, down on
a blank sheet is the best way to avoid writers block and so I often use free
writing to help me think and get going on a project.
Using the keypad
rather than the pen gives me a quicker easier way to use this stream of
consciousness writing and make some sense of it. In longer pieces (and especially
at the beginning of a novel when my thoughts may be a little muddled anyway) it’s
far easier for me to rush on knowing I can come back and sort it later. Editing
with pen and paper just leaves me with a confused mess of crossings out and no
sense of what I am really trying to say.
Having said that, I have friends who continue to write in longhand – at
least initially. They still cherish the feel of pen on paper and love to fill
the blank white pages of a notebook.
Just occasionally I write
something longhand – maybe a rough draft of an article or something short.
However I do find the writing tends to end up almost note-like with no proper
sentences. I guess that’s because my hand cannot keep up with my brain! No,
wait… That can’t be right! My brain is definitely a slowcoach… (Thinks….) Or maybe not…
Long live writers of
all kinds!
So do you still write longhand occasionally
or are you a total keyboard convert?
