Longhand

[dr_mabeuse]

I was just curious if there's anyone who still does any of their writing in longhand.

I'm taking a trip for a few days and I'm afraid I'm going to go nuts without some way of writing.

---dr.M.

 

[MathGirl]

Dear Dr M,
When I saw the subject of this thread, I was hoping it would be a few verses for "The Batchelor's Hand Revisited." What a disappointment.

There are laptop computers, of course. A pen and notepad, though, is handier and about $1200 cheaper.

Are you going to a Morris dance festival, perhaps?
MG

 

[DarlingNikki]

I keep a travel journal in longhand, but I prefer a computer for anything meant for other people to read. I change every sentance around at least twice before I move on to the next, even in draft.

But I'm sure if I had to, I'd get used to writing longhand again.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Longhand... no, Svenska, no dirty jokes, not no! Doc is asking a serious question here!

Yes, I always write my stories by hand. I bring a pad and a pencil wherever I go, and I write while I'm waiting for the bus, on the bus, while I'm eating in a restaurant (hey, if it takes them 20 minutes or more to get me my food, it's not my fault I get bored!), while I'm sunbathing on the beach, and occasionally even at a disco!

 

[Whispersecret]

Yes, I write in longhand occasionally. When my kids were on the swim team and we had a daily afternoon practice, I brought my pen and paper and wrote poolside. I also dragged it to baseball practice.

More lately, I've taken my notebook with me to work and written during lunch. I actually find I get more done when I write longhand because I can't go and waste time moving chunks around and revising. When I write in the notebook I write single-spaced.

I've found that using one spiral bound notebook per project is a nice way to stay organized too. (This also justified my buying five notebooks at once when they were on sale for Back-to-School folks.)

Plus, if you're outside at all, it's hard to read a laptop screen.

 

[DarlingNikki]

... I actually find I get more done when I write longhand because I can't go and waste time moving chunks around and revising. When I write in the notebook I write single-spaced.
...

Hmm... that makes a lot of sense. I'm going to try it. I used to carry a notebook everywhere when I was a kid and write in it. Maybe that's why I got so much more written back then.

 

[Chicklet]

only when it's the last possible option. However I know authors on this site who write everything out longhand, first, second and final drafts, and then only enter it into the computer when it's totally complete.

 

[Wicked-N-Erotic]

I don't often write a whole story longhand, most of the time it's just bits and pieces here and there but the complete story goes directly to PC. When I 'm camping I write but I generally don't finish a whole story.

Wicked

 

[Mazora]

I was just curious if there's anyone who still does any of their writing in longhand.

I'm taking a trip for a few days and I'm afraid I'm going to go nuts without some way of writing.

---dr.M.

And the room was seen to divide, as in that ocean of Moses' time! Teehee!

Hello dr.M~

I have a large trunk of bound notebooks because I could never quite release writing by hand. When I change wording, I draw a single line through the old and go on with the new. I actually like going back and reading where I went with the shaping of a thing. But then I never gave up snail mail either.

I've heard people say that taking the hand written pages and typing them into "the machine" seems redundant. But I find that when I do it that way, it actually gives me a new look at the work. And the longer I've gone on writing on those pages with my pen, the more interesting the look.

But be careful...I'm a fanatic! No pencils or ball points for me. A fountain pen is the only way to go! Teehee! My grandmother taught all of us to sit down with paper and ink. And when we complained about making mistakes and having to do it again, she'd always say the same thing...

That is why we collect our thoughts before we compose!

Have a good trip dr.M and remember ~ the blank page is your friend!

Who was the artist who talked about the fear found in an empty canvas?

Mazora

 

[TheEarl]

I occasionally still write in longhand. I write a lot slower than I type and sometimes I find it easier to work at a slower pace. Gives my thoughts time to settle before they end up on paper.

The Earl

 

[Alex De Kok]

I can't write steadily for more than ten minutes or so before my hand cramps up. Probably something to do with using computers for the last thirty-odd years. Jotting notes is okay. I used a separate spiral-bound notebook for each subject when I did my degree.

On the other hand, I've had bad RSI with excessive use of a mouse. I use a stylus and tablet now. Guess I'm damed if I do and damned if I don't...

Alex

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Plus, if you're outside at all, it's hard to read a laptop screen.

I used to wish that I had a laptop computer, until my friend let me try out hers. I hated it. It was incredibly uncomfortable to write on, and instead of a sensible mouse, you had to move your finger over a silly little wheel, and it was impossible to click on the right thing!




Is it just me, or did the above sound very kinky to the rest of you, too?

 

[pop_54]

Yep

I used to wish that I had a laptop computer, until my friend let me try out hers. I hated it. It was incredibly uncomfortable to write on, and instead of a sensible mouse, you had to move your finger over a silly little wheel, and it was impossible to click on the right thing!




Is it just me, or did the above sound very kinky to the rest of you, too?

My fingers are far too big and knackered by years of work to use laptops very well, that crappy mouse wheel is a pain and the keys are just too tiny for me.
You should see the hash I make of figures on a small calculator, 2 + 2 almost always comes up different every time, 9 last time??
I do a heck of a lot of writing in my work and that's enough for me, puter does all the story telling.

pops..........

 

[deliciously_naughty]

when on vaca I always carry a notebook to write it. Of course...I have 3 stories I wrote in New Orleans that I've still yet to post online. New Orleans was really good for me...5 stories written!

 

[Guest]

I write long hand!

I write scenes, snatches of dialogue, naughty sexual acts - nothing is ever in order, and I usually wind up with a pile of crumpled legal pad paper filled with ferocious scribblings.

It's when I type the first draft that I put the pieces together into an approximation of a story.

Eventually I'll move onto my PC for everything - but not yet!!!

 

[Sabledrake]

I began my next book longhand while on vacation. It was a strange feeling. Good, because I felt proud of myself for doing it. Bad, because I knew I'd have to retype it all anyway. And painful, because my poor hand got all cramped and achy.

I do a lot of note-jotting longhand, and work for my games. But in general, I really do prefer the keyboard. I type much faster than I handwrite, allowing me to better keep up with my thoughts.

Sabledrake

 

[English Lady]

The only time i write longhand is if i am writing a letter,and i have been known to send some erotic notes back home to my husband when I am away from him...but all my stories are done on the computer because of the ease of editing I guess.

 

[openthighs_sarah]

Like Abraham Lincoln, I write my first drafts on the back of a shovel.* For the second and third drafts I might use a lawn-mower or portable humidifier (and, once, a de-humidifier). When it comes to the all-important fourth draft, I'll write it in long-hand directly on the computer monitor. Then, for the final draft, it's just a simple matter of tracing.



* I don't care if it really happened.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I think I was 11 the last time I wrote a story in longhand. After that I taught myself to type (the wrong way) and have always typed my stories, so I don't even know if I can write longhand.

My handwriting is terrible, I write slowly, and my hand starts to hurt after about a page. But I don't have a laptop, and people would laugh if I dragged out the old portable Olivetti (for those of you who know what that is).

So I guess I'll draw pictures instead.

One thing I'm not doing though is working on more verses for "Batchelor's Hand Part 7" or whatever.


---dr.M.

 

[MathGirl]

One thing I'm not doing though is working on more verses for "Batchelor's Hand Part 7" or whatever.

Awwwww, you promised.
MG

 

[Whispersecret]

I'm a teacher and they'll probably boot me out of the union for this, but...

No one gives a shit about your penmanship. Especially in a first draft. I can write in the most beautiful, elegant calligraphy you ever saw (majored in art before I got my credential), but when I write stories in longhand, it's all a big scribble that basically only I can read.

As long as you can read it, it doesn't matter how messy it is.

Also, as far as the redundancy factor, that's when I edit/revise. If someone's typing word-for-word what they wrote on the paper, then either they're the world's greatest writer for getting it perfect the first time, or they're among the worst for not polishing their prose.

 

[wildsweetone]

I was just curious if there's anyone who still does any of their writing in longhand.

I'm taking a trip for a few days and I'm afraid I'm going to go nuts without some way of writing.

---dr.M.

i write longhand when i'm up during the night, only because the computer is too close to sleeping bodies. like Alex i have the rsi problem from too much typing and mouse use, so my longhand work doesn't last long.

i have a suggestion for you though. try making character profiles while you're away. they can be relatively short... maybe try putting the character into one scene at each writing session. make writing smaller chunks of your time rather than one solid hour of writing.

has anybody invented a laptop that can be hired on a weekly basis yet? they haven't here, but may have in your neck of the woods. there'd be a huge market for them.

ps have a nice few days away

 

[GoodLilPet]

I was just curious if there's anyone who still does any of their writing in longhand.

I'm taking a trip for a few days and I'm afraid I'm going to go nuts without some way of writing.

---dr.M.

Yes! I have all the time. I was beginning to think that I was the only one!

Often times I cannot sit at the computer staring at the dull glow croming from the screen. So what do I do? I turn to a college ruled notebook and a pen! Besides, not having a lap top it works wonders when at the library, a bookstore, or even the park or my bedroom.

It mostly started back in Jr. High when we didn't have a PC yet. I wrote "sci-fi/fantasy" (though more "fantasy" than "sci-fi") and some poetry. Shame on me that a lot of it was written while in class, though. lol It carried on into high school and now within my adult life. I don't know what I would do without at least one notebook at my reach!

(Thank Goddess for "back to school" sales! lol)