There is something about writing by hand that I find therapeutic. When I have a pen in my hand and a new, blank notebook in front of me, it takes me back to when I first began writing. It reminds me of the joy and love I felt long ago. As the words bleed from my fingertips, it feels raw and thrilling. The ideas seem to flow faster than when I type. Sometimes I cross things out as I go or add to the margins. I find that my best and cleanest first drafts are the ones I write by hand.
My typical process: Hand write first draft, type second draft into the app/program *Storyist, then email it to myself and create a Word document.
I find that if I’m feeling either stuck or uninspired, writing by hand helps get the creative juices moving again. Next time you’re feeling that way, maybe give it a try.
*Storyist; is a program that is similar to Scrivener though I’ve heard it is a bit more user friendly and a bit cheaper. I love it because it formats your manuscript correctly so it’s professional and clean and ready to submit to agents or publishers. https://storyist.com
You are the first person I know who writes like me. I wrote the first draft of my novel with pen and paper. In fact most of my rewrites were by hand. I do it because I can feel the characters. It’s as if their energy is exploding through the pen.