Handwritten vs. Digital Writing
So you want to start writing or keeping a journal and wonder what the best way to start is. Do you pickup a pen and paper and begin writing or should you open your laptop and start a new note. There are many opinions out there and just by doing a quick Google or YouTube search you are bombarded with responses to why each is better. There are many strong opinions out there but I would argue that what is more important is that you just start writing. It doesn’t matter what the means you use is as long as you are doing it.
Something to consider when trying to decided where you want to write is how do you find inspiration. Where can you be most productive and least distracted. If you are on your laptop is Facebook or YouTube going to draw you away from what you are trying to do? If you’re writing with a pen and paper is your hand cramping going to keep you from continuing to write?
I see advantages and disadvantages to both forms of writing.
Handwritten
With hand writing you have to write slower. You take your time and really think about each word you put on the page. For me when writing in a physical journal I can get hand fatigue quicker than when typing. So I need my thoughts to be concise and to the point. You probably are more focused on what you are trying to say and a bit clearer. I saw this article about a few writers experience trying both ways of writing. It was surprising how the result were very similar and afterwards most of them just returned to what they were used to.
Typing
For me typing is much easier than trying to find a pen and paper. When I have a thought on my mind it tends to disappear quickly if I don’t write it down. If I’m trying to find a notebook and pen and then write out my thought it tends to disappear from my mind before it is fully formed on the page. I have quick notes setup on my phone so I can quickly type ideas I have down and then be able to go back and organize them later. I have to be careful I don’t have anything else on the screen and make sure my notifications are turned off so i don’t get distracted and pulled away from what I am writing
In conclusion I believe the more important thing to think about is not how you write but more about what your writing is about. What inspires you more? Felling the pen or pencil drag across a paper or feeling the clicks of a keyboard underneath your hands. Maybe it’s not one or the other. Maybe for different things you use different methods or just switch it up to keep your creative juices flowing.
