Pen vs keyboard. - Writers Forum

D4rk_3|f · 10-18-2004, 02:31 AM

I was wondering, What do you think is a better medium to write with. The computer or paper and pen.

I like the computer for the spell checks and double spacing and I can print it out quicker but the pen also is more creative i think.
I find i scratch out more as i write when I write with a pen

Your views!!

Aevin · 10-18-2004, 02:49 AM

Well, both the computer and notebooks have their advantages and disadvantages. I usually write first drafts on paper. I can type faster than I can write on paper, so using a pen lets me focus more on envisioning things than on how to end a sentence; it gives me more time to think. Also, there seems to be something about using pen and paper that makes it easier to imagine things. I usually type up what I've written after I do it on paper, and edit in the process. Then, once it's on the computer, I can focus on the in-depth editing jobs.

Of course, sometimes writing on paper seems a huge waste of time when I don't want to go so slowly. And I have a friend who NEVER writes on paper. So I guess it just depends on the person.

D4rk_3|f · 10-18-2004, 02:54 AM

i agree. I get more of a writers block while typing.

A_MacLaren · 10-18-2004, 04:34 AM

Writing with pen and paper is too slow. I'd rather type; my fingers can keep up with my mind.

Rob · 10-18-2004, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D4rk_3|f

I was wondering, What do you think is a better medium to write with. The computer or paper and pen.

The best medium is, of course, the one you feel most comfortable with, and this will vary between individuals, I'm sure. Myself, I never use pen and paper when writing, I do everything on the computer. I make notes in one document, if required, perhaps just some brief ideas, sometimes detailed notes, then write the story in another document. I often end up with several versions, and multiple back-ups. It works fine for me. I also take comfort from knowing that I have electronic back-ups of my drafts in other locations, reducing the risk of loss.

Omni

teflon · 10-18-2004, 07:54 AM

Writing poetry is more interesting with a computer, since the words can be easily drag-and-dropped shuffling them around to the most poetic place. Using paper, the bright idea would have been lost by the time one would go through the erasing or scratching.

Writing prose is more for the pen it seems. It can always be typed intot a word processor, where Thesaurus and stuff can be run right there.

tcaptain · 10-18-2004, 09:56 AM

I chime in with the typing crowd.

I type faster than I write with a pen. With a pen and notebook, I write slowly, so it gives me time to "over think" a sentence or snippet, then I either never get anything down, or I get a great idea and run with it in my head, but then I'm too slow to get to the end of it and I forget where I was going if I get distracted. The baby version of the novel I'm working on (well mostly in my head these days) was written by notebook.

On the computer, I type almost as fast as I can think, so I can really stream my conscious thoughts and then I can go back and edit once I get everything down. The only thing that bugged me was that my computer is in my home office...so if I got a great idea somewhere else, I was back to the notebook and pen.

2-3 years ago I picked up my first laptop (an old but functional clunker, I've been lucky enough since then to be able to upgrade to a newer model...however, for writing, old and cheap works VERY well too) and I found the perfect solution. With my laptop, I can write anywhere I get an idea (since I always have it with me) AND I can type....so all is well.

Hakeem · 10-18-2004, 10:12 AM

Well, as for me I say typing is more effective and keeps up with my flow of ideas; still the "old fashioned" way with a pen and a paper can make the writer more creative in his or her ideas. In addition owing a laptop does a greater advantage here whereas if an idea pops into your mind then you can immediately type...

In overall, I think this whole matter depends on the writer himself, and good luck to you out there that are working on a novel.

Spaztikfingers · 10-18-2004, 12:33 PM

I have a hard time deciding what's best over all. Obviously, the computer makes things so much faster and as someone mentioned, you can type almost as fast as you stream. I love that.
But I do enjoy the other mediums as well. I used to type on an old manual typewriter that gave my fingers quite the workout. It was old and heavy but I think it was the loud rhythm of its keys that kept me glued to the piece I was writing. So it was good at keeping the mood.
And then you have your trusty ol' pen and paper. Well, you can't really go without these. I can't take my desktop with me and I'm not going to carry that bloody Underwood around, so notepad and ink will do. I love this form of writing. I can be anywhere: on my hikes, lying in bed, draped over the kitchen table, stuck in traffic, in the back of a restaurant and I can write what is true at the moment. This, I think is very important so I've always got that ragged pad of paper sitting in my pocket.
So what's best? Like Omni said... what ever makes you most comfortable.

mammamaia · 10-18-2004, 01:07 PM

whatever gets those ideas/images/feelings out of your head and into/onto some savable form, is what's 'better'...

sometimes it may be a pencil, at others a keyboard... it doesn't matter what's better or best for anyone else, because it's not their ideas you want to write down, is it?

someone once said something along the lines of, "It's not the medium, but the message that counts"... imo, that's the best answer to your question...

love and hugs, maia

teflon · 10-18-2004, 01:15 PM

I have a good laptop PC, but even if I carry it around while it's in the standby mode, which is faster than the sleep mode, I'd need a blank page in MSWord being continuously open to receive flashes of ideas. That's not always practical. In traffic, on public transportation, standing in line for whatever--the PC is not so easy to open up and cradle for writing. That's where the notepad and pen come in.

srhalfwaythere · 10-23-2004, 04:56 PM

I'm a typing guy also. I can write things on paper, but I usually loose it, or it getts all messed up after carrying around in my backpack or something. On the computer it is just a lot easier because my fingers can keep up with my mind, like previous people have said.

Capulet · 10-23-2004, 05:42 PM

I write all my poetry in pen first, and then on the computer. Sometimes I only get through half a poem before I move, but I can't think of a time when I've actually initiated the process on the computer.

I tend to initiate and complete essays, stories, articles, or anything else on the computer. la la la

Darkhaven80 · 12-18-2004, 04:07 PM

This is an interesting question. I don't see it often but have sat here and thought about it. Hey, I have to do something when the powers shut off don't I?

I was talking to my friend the other day, who works with computers. He said he can't tell the difference between word programs and doesn't care; he just uses whatever is the most efficient at the time. If he wants to jot down a number or quick note, he opens notepad. But for a long document or official letter, word. He said use whatever gets the job done efficiently and the fastest.

Theoretically, aiming to publish, it's a business plan. So we should concentrate on faster, most efficient, and logical to get that goal achieved the best and quickest way possible, right? Not really. Writing is more of an art than a business. Editors and agents deal with the business side of things, we sit and deal with the forming words into stories. Of course one needs to concentrate on improving the words, fitting into the genre to make it more sellable, meeting publishing guidelines, etc....but how we do it is a personal method.

I say use whatever makes you write better. Not what gets it done faster or has the most benefits. I read in an interview (don't know if it's relevant anymore) that Clive Barker writes in longhand and goes through tons of revisions. His novels are HUGE. I couldn't imagine writing all that out in longhand, then revising and redoing in longhand, then typing the whole thing up at the end. But it works for him.

I can't write well with pen and paper anymore. I'm too used to the computer. I type faster than I scribble, and somehow got used to just writing that way. If I write in longhand, sometimes my mind thinks of a few sentences of great words at once, but by the time my hand is caught up, I can't remember the exact original phrasing. This botches me up, which distracts me, causing me to pause and try and think of the best wording. Just use whatever makes you produce the best work.

stereomuse · 12-18-2004, 09:20 PM

I can get into a better creative flow while writing with a pencil. I'll usually write the first draft on paper. Then copy it on to the computer. I do a lot of editing while copying it, I find something that I want to change and type it that way on the compooper...