I'm Writing A Novel by Hand. Should You? (The Pros and Cons.)

If it weren't for keyboards and laptops, I guarantee almost 90% of the books on the market today wouldn't be there.

No one writes by hand after graduating from school. 

Why would they when technology is at their fingertips and mistakes almost fix themselves?

Novel writing used to be done by hand, writing out each line, and then there's the whole other complicated process of turning those writings into a book. Authors of today would turn around and find new professions if they still had to do it like it used to be done.

So with technology in front of me, why would I choose to forfeit it and revert to writing a book by hand?

Well, why do we do anything?

To prove that we can and there may be a benefit or two to the practice.

Pros

Increased Creativity- Some writers find it easier to get into a flow state when writing by hand instead of looking at a screen.

Greater Focus- A notebook isn't going to flash all the pretty colors of the social media rainbow in your face every time you get a notification so it will be easier to focus on the task at hand instead of jumping from tab to tab.

Cons

With the good comes the bad and writing a novel by hand isn't an exception.

Time- I do not write faster than I type. Several years of being a full-time writer have made my typing speed almost as fast as I can talk, but my handwriting - well the last time I wrote out a page by hand I hadn't been old enough to legally drink so maybe that will put that into perspective.

Physical Limitations- I already need to wear a support on my right wrist when I type and the daily strain of writing by hand may do me more harm than good, but it will be something I am cautious of, and will do my best not to over-exert myself.

So if the benefits are few and the cons are many - why try?

When I sit down to write I normally have to go through a checklist of tasks before I am ready to start working on my novel. The chair has to be adjusted right, the tea has to be warm, the right playlist has to be playing, and a few other things that just make the process a whole experience.

This is all wonderful, I love having the process that I do and the ability to do so - but what if I didn't have it?

What if I just carried a notebook with me everywhere and in the moments of downtime instead of looking at my phone or playing a round or two of Candy Crush I wrote out a chapter or even just a few paragraphs of a novel?

Would I write more often? Would I finish my novel faster? Would the words that I write be better without the ability to backspace and overthink them?

I know already that it's going to be full of mistakes. both grammar and spelling, but so was this article when I first wrote it. I already have a box of whiteout correctors ready to go.

The plan is to keep my notebook on my bedside so when the alarm first goes off in the morning it's in reach to start the day with writing, somedays I'll write a bit some I just read over what I wrote before, but this will replace the random social media scrolling with a more productive task. Then I'll carry the notebook with me everywhere I go just as I would a phone and repeat the process of writing before I go to bed.

Is this plan going to amount to anything other than illegible scribbles and a second wrist brace? Only time will tell, but I'm hoping that this practice will become a sustainable habit and make me more productive in writing.

Is this something you would try? 

Wish me luck!

With love,

B.K. xo xo

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This story was originally posted on Medium.

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