I love to write using my computer, but I also like to write with pen & paper!
It’s a funny thing writing. Sometimes, if I need to vomit out a bunch of words in a hurry, I’ll turn to my computer and bash away at the keyboard. If I had a typewriter, I would probably prefer to use that instead. That physical connection of hitting the typewriter keys, the hammer throwing ink onto the paper, smashing it deep into the fibres, leaving almost imperceptible splashes of the ink around the letters as you type.
But, I don’t have a typewriter at the moment, so I fire up my laptop computer and mash my fat fingers onto those keys instead. Occasionally, I like to slow down my writing process. When I am in an analogue kind of mood, I’ll pull out one of my Moleskine notebooks, grab a sharp 5B pencil and begin to write using block capitals, and with very little in the way of correct grammar.
For me, when I take the time to write using pencil, pen and paper in this way, I tend to write differently. I don’t tend to care too much if my spellings are correct, or if I have used a comma in the proper place. Instead, I just spew out the words that are in my mind, filling every spare gap on the paper, and quite often, in no particular order. I might write a half of a page near the front of the notebook. Then I might find a gap in the back of the book and write a few lines there. The thing is, it is like I suddenly have the freedom to express myself adequately.
I still use a paper diary to back up my digital calendar. The digital schedule is always with me, on my smartphone. The paper diary comes along, only when I remember to pick it and a pen up as I walk out of the door, but I always take the time to add essential happenings and dates to my paper diary, every day.
So, in conclusion, I suggest that you get yourself a lined notebook, nothing too expensive to begin with, a biro pen and have a go at writing your thoughts down in it. I’m sure that you will find it quite liberating. No spell checker, no eraser or delete button. Just crack on and embrace some analogue bubblegum.
Cheers
Z.