Comments on: In praise of writing by hand (legibility not guaranteed)

By: Friday’s Round Up – November 30, 2012 |

Friday’s Round Up – November 30, 2012 | — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:36:46 +0000

[…] about much more than how magic works and drawing a map with some crazy names on it.” Writing by hand by Dystel and Goderich Literary Management (from YA Highway). Neil Gaiman, who recently came to […]

By: D.C. DaCosta

D.C. DaCosta — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:59:58 +0000

I think it all depends on:
1. the decision to accept the fact that it’s a First Draft (and continue to get the ideas on paper while ignoring the mistakes); and
2. one’s skill as a typist. The “study” about kids doing better when writing longhand probably doesn’t take into account that few kids under age 13 are competent typists.

By: ryan field

ryan field — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 05:19:09 +0000

I would give up chocolate faster than write anything in long hand at this point I’m also left handed, so that’s never been fun with ink or pencil.

By: khaula mazhar

khaula mazhar — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:53:14 +0000

My handwriting is worse than a doctor’s, so I am very happy to do all my writing work on my laptop. I usually do all the correction after, so it doesn’t really slow me down.

By: Leila Rheaume

Leila Rheaume — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 06:50:37 +0000

It looks like most people are saying longhand slows them down but I find just the opposite. Typing while I’m writing a first draft slows me down. Like Rachel said, if I’m typing, I feel the need to fix every typo as I go along. When sentences are coming to me one after the other and disappearing (or, at least, losing that all-important perfect word) if I don’t get the idea down fast enough, it’s not in my best interest to stop and fix typos.

When I’m writing longhand, I feel like I can mess up until the words stop coming and then go back and scribble out mistakes, circle paragraphs and draw arrows to where I really want them in the passage, etc. It just feels so much more organic for me to be able to shape the writing on paper during the first draft. Then I get to go back and iron out the wrinkles when I type it.

By: Kevin A. Lewis

Kevin A. Lewis — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:36:49 +0000

Another thing you may notice is that when using a high-speed e-board like I’m using now, one tends to make more typos (see previous post) than by either printing or 20th century typing; makes a difference, in my opinion…

By: Kevin A. Lewis

Kevin A. Lewis — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:33:37 +0000

Hmmm…Meetcha halfway on this one; I’m old enough to remember penmanship classes in elementary school, which I was always terrible at; legibility was about the peak of my calligraphic skills. (Al though I hear Emma Thompson always sends her kid’s manauscripts in written longhand, so she must be amazing at it) I have fairly neat printing, which I do for my notebooks, etc., and some while ago I discovered that using an outmoded Brother electronic typewriter kept me closing to my work than using the latest e-board. (Also prevents pesky friends from sending me pix of Lindsay Lohan sideboobing on a skateboard, which can derail a storyline pretty fast) If you poke through your slushpile, you’ll notice the old-fashioned elegance of my signature at the bottom of my typed query, though-one should always at least have enough flash for that!

By: Emily Carter

Emily Carter — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:28:58 +0000

Hmmm?

As a kid of 18, I thought my life would be better if I could compose on a typewriter. So following freshman year at college, I purchased a Royal Standard Office typewriter and spent the summer mastering the art. And it has done good for me. But, I do believe writing on a keyboard requires a conscious learning effort. Once done, hey, its faster and I create more junk than I ever use!!

By: Kristin Laughtin

Kristin Laughtin — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:20:51 +0000

Since handwriting something takes longer, I think people put more thought into getting a sentence right (or at least closer to right) the first time than they do while typing. I usually type because ideas tend to flee my brain faster than I could write them down, but it does make it much easier to create a poorer passage with the intent to fix it, add in supporting details, and so on at a later point.

By: Rebecca Enzor

Rebecca Enzor — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:59:02 +0000

I find the same is true for me. Handwriting forces my brain to slow down so I can more clearly explain myself. I type so fast that I blow through sentences and ideas without fully explaining them. Plus, who doesn’t love the feeling of a pen in hand?