That time is here, and I have an intriguing discussion for today.
Writers – Do you write with pen or keyboard?
Why do you prefer your chosen format?
Readers – Do you prefer paper or electronically?
Why do you prefer your choice?
I love the direct contact to paper it helps me with my creative process. The direct physical contact to the word has a certain charm to it. It gives me a better sense of what I have accomplished and my handwritten paper is more “me.”
Also, after my first hand – written draft I type it onto my laptop, thus my first edit.
But even if you write on the computer, you might have different habits that allow you to better connect with your creative side.
The same goes for reading. I love the feeling of physically turning the page, grabbing a book and sitting in front of the fire; and seeing the progress with my personalized bookmark that my partner’s Auntie made me.
Leave your comments below. Please share this post to something that would have an opinion on this.
#DWTSmith #paperback
Douglas W.T. Smith 
Definitely on the screen. My mind is constantly shifting in ideas and word structure, and I’m guilty of being one of those that edits as I write. I tried writing with pen and paper, but the result was a jumbled mess of crossouts and rewrites.
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My mind stares at the blank screen if I don’t have a draft before hand.
I need some stimulating drafts but I’m glad to hear other writers act differently. It’s good to e-hear you know what works for you 😃
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If there was a magic formula, everyone would be writing 😁
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I always write on my laptop, the only exception being poetry, which I prefer to jot down on paper as it feels more personal that way. However, this year I’ve been experimenting with my writing and one of the things I’ve tried is to rewrite a story on paper after having finished a first draft. I don’t need to write everything again; usually it’s only a few scenes which need a bit of rewording or some fresh ideas to tie the loose ends. So far, this has worked quite well for me.
As for reading, I much prefer paper but I have to keep up with the zeitgeist. There are many online publications and they have increasingly become the main outlet for genre writers, so it is only fair to pay them some attention.
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I use writing on paper for my first draft, as I type it onto screen – that is my first edit.
As for reading, I definitely agree. I am not bad mouthing the e-books – it’s the wave of the future. I just limit my online and increase my physical reading 😃
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I agree with keeping up with the online genre publications. Helps to get published there, too!
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It does indeed!
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It definitely does!
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For fiction, worldbuilding, and related: Handwriting with pen and paper works best for me. I can do notes on screen, but almost always end up transferring them to handwritten at some point. Things just seem to flow better that way.
For non-fiction: Screen and typing. I’ll often outline and gather my research in pen/paper, but the actual writing/drafting is done on screen. For some reason that flows better, but only for non-fiction.
Strange brain.
For reading: Always print format preferred. I can read on screen, and have to sometimes (for work), but for long works I find myself doing less deep reading and more skimming in an electronic format.
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I am on the same page for both writing and reading.
However for non-fiction, I still find myself writing on paper.
Sometimes I also feel it is easier to skim read large works if is on the screen.
Thank you for sharing ✌️😃
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I prefer the keyboard for writing. My penmanship is atrocious so typing is the only way I can make sure I can read what I write.
For reading, I like paper, although because of the cost of even a paperback, I often read the E-books.
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I also cannot read my own handwriting! I also find that I cannot handwrite fast enough to keep up with my ideas. I can type faster than I can write by hand. As far as reading, I do understand the appeal of having paper in your hand. But digital devices are just too convenient. Especially for researching, being able to highlight, add notes, and search the book and your notes is just too beneficial not to use an ebook.
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That is how I feel with typing, my fingers can’t keep up with the flowing ideas.
They are too convenient, but sometimes it is nice to appreciate the raw materials 😃
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Keyboard. I broke my hand a while back and using a pen or pencil for more than a minute cramps it up.
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That’s perfectly fine and it works for you and I am glad you can still express your inner voice 😃
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I can type pretty fast too.
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Keyboard for writing but paper for reading!
When writing my books, because I can’t go over and over a line, I feel trapped. Although, I prefer outlining on paper so I can’t fully delete anything.
When it comes to reading a book is nicer than an e-book because I feel happy when I can easily see how far I’ve read or got to read in a book.
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I do most of my writing in my iPad, it’s just so convenient. I do have notebooks that I use occasionally but that tends to be when I haven’t got my iPad handy.
I use an app called Werdsmith. It’s free and you can use it for either brief notes or longer pieces of work. I then email myself, which acts as a back up, then transfer the work to a longer WIP on my laptop.
To edit I print the manuscript and the edit that by reading it aloud. Helps me pick up the rythym of the words and spot anything that disrupts the flow, as well as obvious errors.
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