The right tools

Many times I sit and ponder if I would be more creative with a journal, curled up in a comfortable chair, pencil clutched in my fingers writing away or if I can get more done (with less internal editing) simply by sitting with my fingers on a keyboard.

When I first started out I worked at a newspaper and the hardest thing for me to do was sit down in front of the keyboard sweating blood, trying to get my article filed before deadline. I had been so accustomed to taking my leisurely time with my jottings -- meandering along from beginning to end.

It took me a few months to be comfortable "writing on the fly" and I found that I was able to do it IF I had the lead sentence in my mind before I sat down. Once that perfect (or almost perfect) first sentence was prepared, the rest of the article flowed and because I type so quickly, I get much more done when behind a keyboard and I also find that my internal editor takes some time off. The reason the internal editor may slink away is because in my twisted reasoning, putting something on a compute document doesn't really seem "permanent" (even though I have the auto save set for every 10 seconds!). Putting pen to paper, for me lately, seems indelible -- the words are out there for all the world to see (even if it is only for my eyes) and it is like something I can't take back once I've written it down. It's more labor intensive to erase than it is to hit the backspace key.

So, what is your favorite tool? Does your writing output improve with one or the other?

Comments

[Robbi]

I've heard that Dragon software is supposed to be a good friend to a writer... I haven't gone there yet but probably should as I talk much faster than I type!

[Robbi]

I still struggle with pen or paper, but I couldn't bring myself to scratch anything out -- I think I am a bit too anal (lol) for that... I need the neatness, now you could never tell that by looking at my desk today...

[Dr. Coach Love]

I used to say "I think in ink". And it was OK because I do not type. Yes, really, even though that is unusual for my age cohort--- Class of “69. OK now, I'm not talking 1869. All girls were required to take typing --- only in case we would end up as secretaries to support ourselves as a backup to getting married. I lasted three weeks in that boring class before talking my way out of it. That was a mistake. School failed to tell me that I would regret it some 20 years later--- when I was working on my doctorate. Go figure.

Now, I do not to “think in ink" because a few years ago I taught myself voice-activated software, Dragon Naturally Speaking, which is what I am using right now. My Dragon is really fast.

Currently, my process of writing relies on my “thoughts to voice" process; that is, I seldom ink out an entire written piece. I go straight to my Dragon. Sometimes, though, my Dragon takes over and writes crazy stuff for me, in spite of me. (She doesn't understand me. That happens in relationships sometimes.) I just train her better and fix it. However, at times when random thoughts and ideas occur, I jot down notes and brief phrases, which I talk about later to my Dragon.

I do not worry about editing as I speak. Open mouth and insert Dragon.

[christa Allan]

How reassuring to know I'm not alone in this pen vs. 'puter struggle. For me, the journal is a place I can get messy--both in thought and ink--provided I have the right pen. Probably a peek into my bizarro world, but the feel of the pen on the pen is instrumental (groan) to the flow of the words on the paper. I don't erase. I like scratching out as opposed to erasing because when I look back, I can see where and why my thoughts changed. I don't like writing in pencil anyway, and I'm not fond of erasable pens.

The computer is, sometimes, too stark and official. But I learned, in finishing my book, that if I focus less on the look of the words on the screen and more on the thoughts pumping out of my brain, I'm less likely to hesitate or let the internal editor gobble up the words.