Paper and Digital Writing

I sometimes feel like the last generation of handwriters. I mean, obviously kids are still using it in school, but they don't seem to prefer it. If they could do everything digital, they would. And in all fairness, I would really describe myself as a half-breed. I grew up with a computer at home and in the classroom (but before Google). I am incredibly well-versed in computer use and do usually prefer it, but not always.

I don't prefer handwriting. It takes a long time to get thoughts out, makes my arm and wrist sore after a while, and takes up a lot more space to keep it all (not to mention paper seems a lot more brittle). On a computer, I can store everything I've ever created, put down my thoughts about as fast as I can come up with them (sometimes faster), and can go a lot longer before I feel physically weary. Also, editing is a heck of a lot easier.

However, paper does have its own unique benefits. The physical act of writing letters makes me remember things better. It helps me come up with ideas in a seemingly different way. I can sometimes find information faster flipping through pages than doing a search function (because I know where on a page I wrote something).

The point of this post, though, is not Paper vs. Digital. The point is that the value is in paper and digital. I like to take a notebook and get some writing down, but it doesn't stay on paper exclusively. Eventually, I have to type it up. And this actually leads to an experience unique to the combination of these forms.

Paper is where I write my rough draft, but when I type it into my computer, I edit as I do so. It's not major editing, usually. Mostly, if a line doesn't read smoothly, I revise it. And if some scene feels lacking or needs explanation (or if during the rough draft, I have a note to add a new scene), I can add it in during this time. By the end, I have a draft that has already had its first revision and is cleaner than the original.

If I hadn't written the paper version first, then my rough draft would be the first things that came to mind. Admittedly, I would be revising that draft several times anyway, but the beauty is that in order to have the draft ready to show to others, I have to revise it at least once. And I really like that about this system, especially since I find that I revise differently when reading from paper than from a screen.

This kind of ties in with an earlier post in that, "If you know how your mind works, you can take advantage of it." The mind just processes handwriting and typing differently. It processes paper and screens differently. Too many people argue about paper and digital as though they are in competition. They aren't. They do different things. And if you can learn and understand what they do for you, then you can take advantage of both of them.