Trying longhand writing versus typing was something I decided to try after reading some articles stating the great value of this creative method. After thinking about it and writing down the pros – there were few cons, I enthusiastically decided to give it a try.
I’ve recently started a new job, plus some volunteering at my local animal shelter, and have therefore been very busy, and tired. So, in short – it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to really give it a go.
I got up at 6a.m. (atrocious) and sat down with my outline and notebook and pen. Here goes, I thought. I was apprehensive about writing this draft. It would be the second draft, and I knew that it desperately needed some help. I was afraid that any rewrites would be so dramatic that it would completely change the story. And besides, that, I wasn’t really sure how to start it again, despite many pages of a Roman numeral type outline.
With the pen poised in my hand, and my notes nearby, I started to reflect on the hook. What was something I could say that would capture the conflict of where this scene was going? Once I established that, slowly writing it out, more thoughts began to flow, and I found my brain willing to imagine and visualize things that normally don’t come at a much quicker pace.
I wrote about a five page scene (on notebook paper) in about an hour. Of course, this can vary per person and how well the scene is coming for them. The major difference I noticed, apart from have more visual and rich text, was the pushing of several thoughts at once. Where before I had to go back and beef up my manuscript, now I found myself wanting to include this, and this, oh, and this, all while finishing up my sentence, planning on what to right next. It was great. If it got too overwhelming, I could just pause, jot the gist down of the thoughts, and reflect as to where I wanted to write them. This, in itself, gave me an arsenal of more to work with.
So, in short, this is my talk about my walk so far with longhand writing.
What are your thoughts? Have you tried it? If so, what do you think? Tips?
As always, happy writing, and happy September!
#novelwriting #writinghelp #writingupdate #amwriting
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