Pen and paper or your computer?
I’ve thought about this subject since 2011 and I have wondered if I might graduate from my pleasure of writing everything in a notebook to putting it straight into the computer. I have to say nothing has changed, the sweeping of my pen across the page of a notebook remains far more appealing than typing at my computer.
The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt
To me pen and paper is what writing is all about, just as the canvas or the sketch pad is to the artist. Drawing on a computer requires knowledge and talent but when you see an artist create an image of the Australian bush, the colours duplicated as they are in real life your first impression is filled with awe.
I love to watch the connection of hand, brush and canvas. Hands and how we use them to relay our emotions fascinate me. We stroke our cats, pat our dogs, smooth our hands across the body of our horses or feel their breath on the palm of our hands. We hug our children or loved ones, pat them on the back or gently pat the top of their heads we even cup our hands on either side of their faces to kiss or comfort.
The craft of writing also encompasses the connection and delight of writing down a light bulb moment with a pen and paper. I even enjoy the moment my book is done and the notebooks are packed up along with all the reference material in a large plastic satchel and labelled with its title.
I have no problem admitting that I write in these notebooks, often they include articles, day to day emotions, even family tree’s. There’s something about holding a pen and writing on paper that gets my creativity flowing. I sometimes draw in them and there are arrows everywhere changing the position of paragraphs and lots of crossing out. You can even tell by my handwriting when I’m very excited about what I’m writing. This experience is so different to when I sit at my PC and type. Often I can easily be distracted by Facebook, EBay or other of the social media groups. I spend far too much time staring unproductively at the screen. It’s easy to become distracted typing straight into a computer.
“When I was writing Tails Carried High the words sprang from my soul – my pen streaked across the paper. I had memories to recant, I had a mission to share why we love Arabian horses. The beginning of a challenge.” ~Carmel Rowley
I seem to have this idea that my pen and notebook evokes a feeling of being a writer. Please don’t ask me why! If I’m in town having a coffee I can pull out my notebook and write down what’s going on around me. Yes. I know I can do the same thing with a device but for me, writing longhand connects me to what I’m concentrating on in an entirely different way, My brain connects with the movement of my hand as I write, pause and look round me, then write again. Could it be that the whole craft of writing is about connecting my brain to my hand then to the pen and then the paper. paper after all is still a living thing it grows and contracts as does timber with the weather. I actually love the whole pen and paper process. I love being deep in thought and language, writing down or drawing the things around me, something I can’t feel with a computer. The strange thing is, that once my novel or story is transferred into the computer I seem to be able to continue to completion. It’s the initial writing phase which technology seems to short circuit my brain.
Later when my story is finished I type it into my computer as a first draft doing research and changes along the way. For me personally writing longhand is a secretive pleasure. I can and do sit in a corner of that café unnoticed and write to my heart’s content. I’m less conspicuous than I would be using a device, everyone notices people with their eyes glued to their phones, often with contemptuous expressions of their faces. I’m not really a techno and can’t understand the lure of new technologies. To be honest I think the same way about my writing as I did about breeding horses. There’s no particular right way or wrong way to write, simply your way. I’d be interested to know who else writes longhand, and if they get as much pleasure from writing in this manner as I do. I have included an interesting article by Mark Shead. Happy reading and writing …
Using Different Parts of your Brain
by Mark Shead read more www.productivity501.com
There was some research done into what parts of the brain were triggered when writing at a computer versus what parts were triggered when writing with a pencil and paper. The experiments showed that writing by hand triggered activity in significantly different portions of the brain than when writing at a computer. (See Mozarts Brain and the Fighter Pilot book.)
Obviously, it is expected that there would be some difference because of the varied muscle motor skills required by each activity. However, the difference was greater than what would be expected by just the required motor differences. The conclusion of the researchers was that we think significantly differently when writing by hand than we do when using a computer. This has some important implications for creativity. By simply changing the way we record our thoughts, we can change the neurons that are firing inside our heads. Using different neurons opens up the possibility of making different types of connections and associations.
This isn’t to say that switching how you write will suddenly make you a genius, but it can help you reach your full potential. As a simple exercise, try writing about a subject using a computer and then coming back and writing about it again the next day using a pen and paper. You’ll probably find that you make some new associations that you didn’t make previously. This is partially because of the way your brain tends to work on things subconsciously and partially because changing the way you write causes your brain to work differently.
Composers have used this trick for years when they get stuck writing music. It is common practice for them to switch to a different instrument to help get over a brain block. The different instrument causes them to think about the musical “problem” in a different way.
You can use a similar approach when you feel like you are suffering from a lack of creativity. Even simple things like working in a different place can help change your mind’s context in ways that can help trigger new creative thoughts. Here is a list of some things you can do to help trigger different parts of your brain
Change Where You Work – This can be as simple as moving from the desk to the dining room table for a few hours, or as drastic as spending a month in a Mexican villa across the border.
Use a Different Tool – This is similar to the idea of switching from writing with the computer to writing by hand, but it can be done in other ways as well. If you are writing, try using a typewriter for a while. If you are working for creative numerical solutions, switch to using a calculator and ledger paper instead of a spread sheet. If you normally use Microsoft Word, switch to using a simpler text editor.
Talk to Someone Else – If you are brain storming for a solution to a problem, consider discussing it with someone totally outside of your area of expertise. Talk to a child or your grandparent. You may find that the process of defining the problem for someone outside of the problem domain can help clarify a solution.
Take a Break – Sometimes just doing something totally unrelated can help you generate creative ideas. Better yet, do something you’ve never done before. This can be as simple as visiting a new coffee shop or as drastic as moving to a foreign country.
Of course, if you spend all of your time just trying to mix things up to be creative, your productivity will go down. However, spending a little time making sure that you aren’t getting stuck in a thinking rut can be extremely valuable and can help you make leaps ahead in your personal effectiveness.
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