A friend recently asked if I wrote on a pen or only with a computer. I get asked that a lot by people. They also want to know what paper I use, what kind of pen do I use, what computer program I use and what my computer is like. I think it's a desire to see if my process would work for them. Here are my answers:
1. I like to use composition notebooks for jotting down ideas and lines of poetry. I usually do first drafts of poems with pen and paper, then transfer them to the computer for editing. I write everything else on the computer. I usually print out manuscripts and do editing that way.
2. I use black micro Deluxe Uniball pens. They lay down a nice smooth line of ink.
3. Microsoft Word works fine for me. I've used Wordperfect, also, and think it's strong, but Word came with this computer. I've gotten used to it.
4. It's a Dell Pentium 4. It's my favorite computer so far. It's showing its age, but I hope it continues to work for a while longer. I hate buying a new computer.
I don't know if computers have made me a better writer, but they have made me a more prolific one. And the ability to edit easily has certainly improved my work. So I come down strongly on the side of computers. I think people who cling to pens and typewriters are hampering themselves. But if that's what it takes to feed your creative spirit, bon appétit.
6 comments:
Agreed. Our tools must progress. Most of the time I write on my computer. When I'm away from the desk doing interviews, I normally use my Palm with a folding keyboard -- it opens to a full-size keyboard. It's like having my computer in my purse. Everything downloads seamlessly to the Word program on the PC and it makes my note-taking much more accurate.
I only use pen and paper when I don't have a flat surface to put the keyboard on. And if I have to use a pen, I like one with a rubber grip that make it easier to hold.
The Palm has been a big boon to me because I have a tremor which renders my handwriting completely illegible. Typing, I can write my notes at about the same speed that people talk. I don't worry about typos because of spell check.
It's good to know what tools others use.
I use a computer for everything. I don't think I would even attempt a romance novel without one. The ease of corrections, the spell check, and the nice printing make my Gateway computer my choice. I can't imagine trying to write a book on a typewriter, but I'm impressed by those who can.
I'm looking for the tool that'll do the writing for me.
People who cling to pen and typewriters are hampering themselves? Well, I don't trust computers or palms or anything else that can make my work disappear. I use them, but with caution, and never trust my first original ideas to them. I like to write my original ideas on paper, work them out, organize them and then use the computer to edit further or print them off - quickly. Sometimes I write in bed, sometimes on the floor, the dining room table, the couch....I never know where I'll be when an idea hits me or a plot problem suddenly works itself out, so I always keep a pen and small pad with me. I find this to be freeing, and would feel constrained if I had to do all of my writing at the computer. I've found the computer to be useful to finish the product, rather then begin it or even work through the process.
I write in my head. Then, I copy what I've written either onto a pad with a pen, or onto the screen of my computer. I'm just sort of kidding. Sort of. The habit comes from rushing back to the newsroom on deadline, knowing the story has to be written and turned in about 10 minutes after your fanny hits the seat behind your desk.
Other times, I write and think literally through the two fingers and thumb I used to type -- and for that, a keyboard is essential; doing that with a pad and pen results only in bits and pieces of thought, sometimes pretty big bits and pieces, but hardly anything put all together.
I am devoted to my composition books and pens -- the arrows, balloons, circles, scratch-throughs, and scribblings are my stream-of-consciousness -- without the ability to let the creativity flow from a pen, I find myself editing with a computer . . . losing (often) brilliant work that can't be recovered when that < delete > key is pushed!
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