Handwritten versus Word Processors

[SeleneHime]

Obviously all of us use word processors, but I'm curious if anyone else still occasionally drafts by hand. It takes longer and means you have to dedicate time purely to type it up when you could be working on continuing the storyline, but it isn't without it's benefits.

My first major fanfiction (70k+ when I dropped it) was entirely handwritten and went through the above process, and I feel that it helped my younger self be more careful about editing than if I'd done the entire thing on a computer from the get go. Given that I was pretty young at the time, it was useful because it forced me to evaluate syntax and word choice as I went, and a decent bit of editing happened between paper and keyboard. I don't handwrite much anymore because of time constraints, but I do still have one pittling story (Blackmarket Dragon) that I poke at every so often in hardcopy format.

What about everyone else? Do you feel that the benefits outweigh the time demands, or no? 

[Beywriter]

Always word processed. How can I keep this stuff secret from Family if I write by hand? It could be found eventually by accident, no thank you.

[Sakura Alexia]

Word of course, though when I was at school I used to write stuff on a small notebook with the excuse of taking notes, I got bored easily lol.

But yeah now its all Word.

[SeleneHime]

20 minutes ago, Beywriter said:

Always word processed. How can I keep this stuff secret from Family if I write by hand? It could be found eventually by accident, no thank you.

I can't really say I blame you, if you're trying to keep it private. Computers can have passwords, but hard copies only have the benefit of being untraceable if you're trying to keep something from circulating quickly if found. I'm sorry that you have to hide your work, though.

[Beywriter]

1 minute ago, SeleneHime said:

I can't really say I blame you, if you're trying to keep it private. Computers can have passwords, but hard copies only have the benefit of being untraceable if you're trying to keep something from circulating quickly if found. I'm sorry that you have to hide your work, though.

Don't be. Its out of choice. If they found out they'd only be really nosey...

[pyrosocks]

I feel like I can see my errors better when I have something written on a sheet in front of me. For my own short pieces of work, I hand-write and edit. It's a lot easier to visualize? I think it's also because I'm a visual learner, so I'd scribble across the margins and underline and circle egregiously. I have a wad of sticky notes always handy. 

But the issue is, like you said, with time.  So I'd only do it with short works. 

[AquilaTempestas]

When I was younger I used to write out all my chapters, but I found it was hard to type them up on the PC because I couldn't understand my own handwriting.

I don't find I paid any attention to my handwritten material - it was more of a case of getting something down. My writing improved when I purely typed it all up.

So I figured it was faster and much easier to edit on a PC (and much easier to read too). I only hand write ideas and brainstorm, but never write any stories down.

[Beywriter]

20 minutes ago, AquilaTempestas said:

When I was younger I used to write out all my chapters, but I found it was hard to type them up on the PC because I couldn't understand my own handwriting.

I don't find I paid any attention to my handwritten material - it was more of a case of getting something down. My writing improved when I purely typed it all up.

So I figured it was faster and much easier to edit on a PC (and much easier to read too). I only hand write ideas and brainstorm, but never write any stories down.

Typing has made my handwriting awful. I'm amazed its still as legible as it is.

[MasKaiHilFantic]

Well Word processors, but believe me if I had the choice, I would prefer handwriting. And I still prefer to hand write stories rather than type them out, is much much fun that way.

[Hikari]

Me, the word processors. Unfortunately, I also have to hide my work, as my brother is pretty nosy as well. Really, it's a lot easier too, as it is a lot easier to read for me personally.

And writing in pen would be too messy, and pencil will also be. Pen would because if I make mistakes, I have to cross stuff out. If I use pencil, the eraser marks will surely bother me.

[AquilaTempestas]

I hide my work as well. In general, I don't like people glancing over my shoulder and reading stuff I've done.

Sometimes, I get caught and people ask me, 'what are you writing?' 

Me, "...Looking over old assignments because it's fun'.

End of story. Other advantage of writing Word for me is it's super easy to fix up mistakes by using the search and replace function. 

I did hand write stuff at school though during class because I was such a rebel student. I still have chapters of my early work stored in the 'Shame Files'. 

[Laggy]

Word Processors. I don't see the point in writing stories by hand anymore unless it's meant to be personal. 

[Lady Mechanika]

I make extensive notes by hand and keep a few journals for that purpose. I do love handwriting stuff and have a large collection of pens and inks.  Don't care if people try to read over my shoulder. My handwriting is impossible to read anyway. 

But word processing is much more easy and convenient.   For editing and moving paragraphs around.  I do prefer writing on note taking apps on my Kindle to Microsoft word though. Word is what I use for formal, academic writing so it feels too "you must sit and write this essay" for writing enjoyable fiction to me. 

[onewiththewheels]

I always use word processors, and prefer them. However, this is mainly because I physically cannot write stories by hand (fine motor problems make my writing very slow and sloppy), so I have to rely on dictating to a computer...

[Aurelia Aurita]

I love word processors. They help to rectify any grammatical or spelling error. So I prefer it. 

[Nirianne]

I miss the days of writing things down. When I started writing my stories, I purposely wrote everything in cursive knowing people will have a hard time decoding it if ever found. But I'd have to go with word processing as it's faster and more efficient to keep track of story redundancy plus grammatical mistakes and the like.

[AquilaTempestas]

I still jot down a few notes in notebooks, but otherwise I type up my stories.