On pen and paper.

Maybe this is the wrong medium for this, but I’ll say it anyway. I prefer writing on paper to electronics. Something about making a physical mark just gets my ideas flowing. When I write on a computer, it feels like I should have a starting point before typing anything. That flashing cursor and the blank page completely paralyses my creative process. Don’t get me wrong, there are things I appreciate about typing instead of handwriting. For one, the speed is nice; I can type much quicker than I can write. And there’s a guarantee that I’ll be able to actually read what I’ve written later, which I don’t have with my terrible handwriting. Being able to edit easily is nice too.

Handwriting is different though. I actually enjoy the fact that you can’t edit. Once you’ve written something, it exists and there’s nothing you can do about it. You might cross it out, but the mark is still there. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t have an idea before you started, write something and the idea will find you. As I said earlier, something about the actual pen on paper just gets my ideas flowing. Nothing has to be in full sentences, or spelled correctly, or formatted in a way that makes sense. As long as those notes make sense to you. Almost all of my plotting and planning and ideas work is done on paper, across several notebooks. The ideas are always there for me to refer back to, without the need for saving or backups. As long as you can remember which notebook you made the notes in, you’re golden.

Handwriting also means a different level of concentration. As I’ve been writing this, I’ve been flicking between multiple tabs; checking my Twitter, watching a video on YouTube, doing a little bit of online shopping. You get the gist. I haven’t put my full level of concentration the whole time that I’ve been writing. On paper, you don’t have the same distractions. It’s just you and your notes. It’s therapeutic in a way that typing will never be for me. That’s probably the root of keeping journal for some people, the therapy of committing your thoughts to paper without the pressure of having something to show for it. If postage wasn’t as expensive in the UK I’d probably send a lot more handwritten letters. To me, it’s a far more personal way of communicating than a message or text sent with only a moment’s thought. Because you can’t edit, you take more care in choosing the right words, and making sure it’s legible. You put a little piece of your heart into each page. That’s what you’re sending. Plus there’s the fun option of sending little stickers and doodles without the faff of formatting something, which I love.

Undoubtedly there’s a place for both, but a little part of me gets sad every time I hear or read about the decline in handwriting. We need to keep it alive alongside technology, instead of letting one eclipse the other.