BSV Forum - General - The Bloodshedpub

How do you write?

Apr 29 2008 06:32 pm   #1Monty
Do you write directly in Word or do you use pen & paper and then transcribe it into your comp? I'm asking because I'm doing the latter, and it's twice the work. I want to put a stop to it, but so far, none of that. What are your thoughts on this?
''I felt love for him. That tired, hopeless love which asks for nothing, which is satisfied only with a look and presence of her lover, love pointless and blind which drips from the inside with every beat of a heart. Love which doesn't ask for a touch, nor existence. Love which is here and now and which will be for forever. I wished that I could fall asleep in this moment. I would dream of him.'' Viktoria Faust

Apr 29 2008 06:47 pm   #2Scarlet Ibis
Putting actual pen to paper is very cathartic, and easier on the eyes.  I always hand write out a good portion of story, or whatever it is I'm working on, before taking it to the computer.  Sure, it's twice the work, but I find that sometimes, it helps me on detail later.  The writing gets your main thoughts out, and then when you go back to type it, you catch and think of things you may not have originally just doing it the one time.  Sure there's rereading and rewrites, but I find it better (for me) that way.
"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
Apr 29 2008 09:30 pm   #3dawnofme
I type almost everything into Word.  When I revise, I change the font and size, which helps me see mistakes better.

I'm an extremely fast typist who has poor penmanship.  Writing it out would be torture. 

I do carry a notepad in my purse for jotting down notes.  Sometimes I can't read them later.  LOL!

Years ago, I punched out my fiction on an old manual typewriter.  I'm so glad we have computers now.
Apr 30 2008 12:18 am   #4Eowyn315
I'm with Dawnofme. I type almost everything, unless I'm somewhere where I can't access my computer. It's less work, plus I can type much faster than I can write, so it helps me keep up with my brain a lot better. :)
Writing should feel easy, like a monkey driving a speed boat.
Apr 30 2008 12:27 am   #5pfeifferpack
My first stories were pen and paper then transcribed online.  I had no site to post and only WebTV for access.  Later I started typing directly to Word (still my method) then upload to my different host sites and my LJ.  I still have parts of a couple of stories yet to transcribe from pen and paper including one that will definitely be done one day as the bunny is still demanding it be written.

I take lots of notes, scraps of dialogue and so on...usually on paper as I am at work or in transit when they hit.  I also have an outline of where I plan to go in the story and research links...some on paper, some in my document.

Kathleen
Apr 30 2008 02:07 am   #6Izzy
I carry a notebook with me constantly for any random ideas, plots, perfect phrases, or bits of dialogue that come into my head. I like having a messy notebook where I don't need sequence or order or to discipline myself to focus on one part of one story. I usually only have very rough drafts and notes to copy onto the computer Microsoft Word, but while I'm typing it out I'm editing and working on it, and then I keep going with the rest of the story on the computer.

I like having a notebook I can check back on for the very rough beginning of an idea before I do so much editing or so much time passes I can't remember the main point, especially when I want to write down a part of a story or plot I haven't even started yet. Then again, if I'm working in sequence on a particular fic, I'm a fast typist and I like how easy it is to edit and make corrections on the computer, especially when you get into the flow and you just want to keep going without worrying about mistakes or incorrect grammar. It's easy to go back later to make the necessary changes with word processing.

Apr 30 2008 03:46 am   #7Guest
It all depends where I write how I write, I write at works, pen and paper, I also have a laundry mat fic, I only right it there so it is pen and paper, if I am at home doing a fic I do it on the computer, I currently have about 5 to 6 fics that need typing because they are done and are on paper. I thought of getting that fly program where you write with a special pad and pen then just download it. It also does the work of a beta in the program, so it said but very expensive and made for kids to do their homework.

smlcspike
Apr 30 2008 12:33 pm   #8slaymesoftly
When I first started writing, I thought I could only do it with pen and paper. It just seemed a more organic way to get ideas down.  Then I learned how to think as I type and that became my preference.  However, until I got the laptop, my fics were still written out by hand in a notebook that I carried around with me and then I transcribed them when I got home.  Writing by hand gives my some time to revise and rearrange before I put it "on paper" so to speak, but the convenience and ease of typing directly into a document has long since outweighed that small advantage.  Like some others, my handwriting sucks, so rereading can be an issue. LOL  The short answer is, I type directly into a Word document.
I am not a minion of Evil...
I am upper management.
Apr 30 2008 12:59 pm   #9goldenusagi
I only use Word.  I type pretty much everything, from the story to any notes for the story.  A lot of the time, I do first drafts when I'm watching TV or something.  I'm a faster typist, so it works for me.  I've never really had a problem creating just because it's not on pen and paper.   And having a laptop has spoiled me, since I no longer have to go sit at the computer desk to do something.
Apr 30 2008 02:56 pm   #10ya_lublyu_tebya
Same as the consensus. My first story was written on paper because I was in Russia and didn't have access to a computer (or at least one that wasn't in the middle of an internet cafe) but once I got back to England and was reunited with my laptop, it was Word all the way. I just find it easier to correct and change things around when it's on the computer. Also, I think I would have to plant a small forest to compensate for all the paper I would use up with my stories and musings.

Like the notebook idea- I usually just remember things that have popped into my head and hope it sticks til I can get it onto the computer.
Apr 30 2008 08:18 pm   #11ClawofCat
It really depends on the situation. Like others have said, I have a notebook that I carry with me everywhere should I want to brainstorm or if I get some inspiration and want to scribble down plot points, dialogue, and actual sentences. The notebook is also very useful for writing individual scenes. It's difficult to keep continuity straight for an entire narrative when writing solely by hand, computers really are much easier to track progress, but I have written entire ficlets by hand while in transit. I also have a background in journalism, so I'm very comfortable scribbling away. It feels very organic and natural to me.

That said, I prefer the convenience of writing on the comp. The revision process is much easier and faster. However, for longer fics that are in progress, I'll often print out what I've written in Word and then take them on the road with me to mull over and line edit by hand. Having some distance from the computer can also be refreshing since I spend way too much time on it as is. I love looking back at drafts of Window-Dressing and Drive it Home from last summer and seeing the margins all scribbled in, lines crossed out, words boxed and asterixed. You really get to see your progress that way. I blame my desire for the tactileness of pen and paper on the journalism, as well. Also, I don't often save drafts of my fics and just revise in the same document until I have the finished product. Being able to see the work that went into it and my thought process on paper is strangely rewarding.

I say go with whatever you're most comfortable with and what is the most convenient at the time.
Apr 30 2008 11:15 pm   #12Quark
I tend to type directly into whatever word processing software I'm using (Word usually, though I'm seriously considering switching to Pages '08) because when I write manually my fingers can't keep up with my brain, which leads to a great deal of frustration.  I'm a recursive writer (and editor) so using a computer or laptop is just simpler for me in the long run.  Using paper and pen is fantastic for the creative process in my opinion - probably because I tend to doodle when I'm thinking - but it just isn't fast enough for me for large projects, and trust me, I've definitely tried to get my writing skills up to snuff.  My legibility isn't an issue so much as quickness.  I found trying to learn shorthand much like memorizing a new language and gave it up.

My advice - write your rough draft directly into the computer, print off a copy and do your editing by hand.  That way you get both processes without losing massive amounts of time transcribing only the edits instead of the bulk of your work.  It is also a fantastic low-tech backup if you happen to accidentally lose the file, or have computer issues down the road.
~ Q
May 02 2008 01:43 am   #13Spikez_tart
Write early drafts by hand if I am on the commuter train, type everything else, print out and edit by hand.  Since I've been typing at work for 30 years and I type every day, I have been experimenting with the voice type thing on Word.  It's not so bad. 
If we want her to be exactly she'll never be exactly I know the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone' who?
May 03 2008 05:01 am   #14GoldenBuffy
I do both, I write in word but if I don't feel like sitting at the pc or if my muse bites and i'm watching tv or something =, then out comes the notebook.
And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
May 03 2008 06:06 am   #15Guest
Notes get jotted down by hand, but I only write out actual story stuff if my computer is dead. I don't have desk space where i can sit and write properly by hand, so writing a long time on the couch makes my hand cramp, among other things. And I've come to really like the ease of editing on the fly of Word/typing, instead of erasing or crossing out in pen, etc. And I'm saying trees, LOL.

Only story I have printed out is my original fic so I can mark edits and keep track of drafts.

Caro Mio
May 05 2008 06:18 pm   #16nmcil
From the NYT - thought this would be an interesting article for the writers and that some of you might like to try some of these ideas as Creative Exercise and Development Studies for your craft.  This might be an interesting "challenge" write a short to medium story with a character you normally dislike or have strong opinions about but try to write them from a different perspective.  Visual artists often use this creative study method to both develop their skills or to help when they are going through those horrible "dry periods" that we all experience.

Doing a project for "Seeing New" might be a very interesting project for the writers and the readers as well - help us to keep our minds open and ready to try something new.

"In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside our comfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/business/04unbox.html?ex=1210651200&en=e84617ddb814d475&ei=5070#
” Recent evolutionary models have demonstrated what politicians have long known: the best way to get people to collaborate and to think like a group is to identify an enemy and charge that “they” threaten “us.”

Michael Tomasello is co-director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.