Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Writing Wednesday: Writing

I've shared a lot of personal stories with you.  I've talked about guys and hockey and Johnny Depp.  I figure I should probably talk about writing, since I'm a writer.  Just know that this is what works for me.  Since writing is so subjective, it may or may not work for you.  But I've found that reading all I can about writing - whether I agree or not - is just as helpful as writing itself.

Today, I want to talk to you about writing, literally.

I'm working on two different manuscripts: one is going through the revisions process and one I'm writing the first draft for.  The first one, I typed on my computer.  The second, I wrote with my hand and then typed up the draft onto the computer.  Both work, obviously.

But I've found that when I write my story out, I connect with my characters better.  I can't explain why.  Perhaps it's because the act of writing is more personal, more raw, than simply typing everything up on a computer.  But I learn more about them, I get inspired more, and for whatever reason, my writing is better. 

However, there are plenty of downsides to writing: your hand hurts.  I'm left-handed, so I'm definitely left with a smudge.  It takes longer.  My grammar and spelling aren't thoroughly checked.  I can't tell how many words I've written.

Still, though, I prefer writing.

As I'm revising the first novel, any rewrites I do happen on paper.  My description gets more poignant and again, I learn more about these characters and get more personal than I would have had I simply typed everything up a second time.

So I write.  And write.  And my hand hurts.  And I smudge.

But it's worth it.

What about you?  Do you type everything up, or do you write it out first?

No comments:

Post a Comment