In a very digital world, the physical dimension still holds great value to us. Leafing through a book, putting the pen on paper… I’m all in for a bit of old-fashioned.
I’m one of those people who can’t decide between regular books and ebooks. Both have their advantages and while ebooks might just take the lead, regular books have something that can never be replaced by technology.
The touch. The tangibility. The “let me put this cute bookmark between these two pages” and the “oh no, the book closed too fast and I can’t remember where I was!” and the “whoops, time to start reading again, based on that layer of dust…”
And, of course, I love the feeling of just turning the page. The sense of achievement and progression is much higher than when just tapping the screen to get a new section of text. Tech can go a long way in trying to mimic physical books (the sound of a page flipping, for example) but holding a reader or a phone will never be quite the same.
Physical books also make for great decoration elements in the shelf! Do you prefer physical books or ebooks?
I think the same goes with writing. Even though the act of writing on the computer still requires a physical touch (occasionally a very physical smack), it’s far from moving the pen along with your thoughts, spicing the story with your own handwriting. Also as much as some writing programs allow us to customize the appearance, nothing can beat the thrill of a new notebook.
There’s something deep and primal about doing things the “old” way, the physical way. For me, after writing for so long on the computer, just seeing my writing on paper fires my imagination and inspiration. Kills my wrist but it’s worth it.
I can’t remember who it was but I heard of a poet who always writes his poems by hand. I believe it was because it strengthened the bond between the words and the emotion, so the poems flowed much more naturally. The computer distorted the process and basically ruined the magic.
Maybe there’s something to that. I’m not saying computers destroy all magic in writing but perhaps in some cases it can dim the spark.
Have you seen a difference in your writing depending on the writing method? Are you more creative when writing by hand?
Northern Chapters 
I can’t write on the computer. My brain just shuts down and I can’t think as freely as I do when I write by hand. It seems weird, but all my blog posts start out handwritten. I also keep handwritten copies of everything I write just in case…the internet apocalypse could happen;)
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It could happen, so it’s always smart to have back-ups! Do you plan your writing beforehand? Do you do that by hand as well?
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I sometimes make handwritten notes on things I want to write, but I don’t formally outline or anything. I’m the ultimate pantser, which could explain why it takes me so darn long to complete anything
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I, on the other hand, can’t stand writing by hand — I’ve always had the worst handwriting, and I can type much faster than I can hand-write anyway, so I feel like I can get all my thoughts down more efficiently with a keyboard. I always have an electronic device with me, whether it’s my actual laptop, or more recently my tablet and/or phone, and I carry a bluetooth keyboard around so I can write anywhere I am. 🙂 However, I’m not knocking those who write by hand, far from it — to each their own, of course! 🙂
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Great point about handwriting! If you can’t read your own handwriting or simply hate it, then it might not be a good idea to use it. But I agree that it’s best to use whichever method you like the most 🙂
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