Checkin' checkin' in

[cleolinda]

Bored to death, what with not having a computer around 24/7--impossible to work on anything for any significant length of time, obviously. Watched Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte yesterday, for lack of anything more interesting to do (and you know what, everyone always talks about Bette Davis hamming it up in that movie, but I don't think anyone ever gives Olivia de Havilland any credit for being a completely fierce bitch. "I will NEVER suffer for you AGAIN!!!"), and then a couple of true crime things on the I.D. channel (it's basically true crime all the time, yays). I should clean instead, but blarg. That said, I did hand-write most of a short story last night, completely on a whim--the last third or so isn't written down, but it's pretty solidly written out in my head. If I can find a market for it--I'm being purposefully vague on the genre/topic at the moment--I think it could actually do pretty well. I mean, if it turns out to be any good. The only problem is that I'll have to wait for the laptop to come in, because I am NOT typing it up on the family computer. You will understand why if it ever comes to fruition.

(How I write in such a situation: mechanical pencil on unlined white printer paper. In case you were wondering.)

Comments

[angelene.livejournal.com]

(How I write in such a situation: mechanical pencil on unlined white printer paper. In case you were wondering.)

That is interesting.

Although... why pencil? I can think of a reason or two why it might be inconvenient, one being the risk of the text fading away in time, although I suppose that might be not utterly relevant in the case of this particular draft (i.e. you mean to type it out anyway and so on). Honest question here, no OMGWHYWOULDYOUDOTHAT intended! I'm just curious. :)

Oh, and I love that movie -- even though I was only ever able to see (the first) half of it.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

One of the best essays I ever wrote was written in pencil (which meant that when the teacher then wanted to photocopy it to share with the whole class I had to type it up, sigh). I had started off with absolute no confidence that I could write the essay at all - title something like "discuss the use of weather in Snow Falling on Cedars" or thereabouts. I was feeling completely like I couldn't write it.

So I started in pencil, because pencil was less intimidating and had an attractive impermanence. It was a message to my brain that "this doesn't have to be perfect, because you could just rub it all out". (This was a timed essay, not the sort you could redraft.) And of course I then ended up getting really into it and writing something amazing.

Which is not at all to suggest that's why Cleo used pencil, but I thought would be an interesting perspective on one reason to use pencil.

[amberdulen.livejournal.com]

I use Sharpie for almost the opposite reason: everything I write has to stay, so I'm free to scratch out and write over and draw little arrows all over everything. There's no deleting, only adding.

[angelene.livejournal.com]

but I thought would be an interesting perspective on one reason to use pencil.

It is. :)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, mechanical pencil tends to be sharper and finer, so it doesn't really smudge or fade the way wood pencils do. I do sometimes write in pen, but they run dry or sometimes you get an old gloopy one, and I guess I just really like the "this doesn't count" informality of pencil. Interestingly, I rarely use the eraser--I mean, sometimes, but mostly I'll just cross something out and keep going, the same way I would with pen.

[angelene.livejournal.com]

I see, thank you for answering. I usually pick what I (hand)write with based on how comfortable a grasp I can get with/on it, rather than considering issues like ink or (im)permanence. I also feel really comfortable with printer paper myself -- the white-sheetness of it is just so laid-back and freeing, I dunno.

Now I'm curious to know what your handwriting might look like. Mine isn't very clean so on occasion when I write something down for later reference, when the "later" moment comes, I am about clueless at half of what was scribbled on paper. Which is why I write in all caps sometimes, as that tends to be a little clearer and/or more univocal. OTOH, I remember seeing Margaret Atwoods' handwriting once (at least I think it was her) and feeling, well, greatly relieved about the unclean-ness of my own handwriting. :p

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I do have a few pens I like. I was really into blue Bic ballpoints, you know, the kind you can get like five million to a bag, when I was in college. I use black gel roller balls now, I'll have to find the name of them--very smooth flow, no gloop (which Bics could definitely have). I think part of it is that I like that pencil is a lighter color than black ink, and it doesn't look quite so stark. I don't know--I get in different pen/pencil moods from time to time. There was a period where I used to really like to write with red Bics--yes, red pen--for some reason.

Now I'm curious to know what your handwriting might look like.

I was actually thinking about that--I suddenly wanted to take pictures of my handwriting, of full pages, just so people could see the different things you can do with how you write on paper. I mean, not that I'm a guru, but it can be really interesting and validating to see how other people write, like, "Oh, it's okay to do that, it's not weird or 'wrong.'" In reading a lot of writing guides when I was younger, I was surprised to find a lot of advice geared towards helping people let go of judgment or fear about the way they physically write things, this persistent fear that they're "doing it wrong." Maybe because I read so many of those books when I was young--like, grade school and early teens; I was very srs bsns about writing from a very young age--I grew up with a lot of confidence about my own process, because I had so many writery-guide types telling me that whatever worked for me was good.

[angelene.livejournal.com]

I love BIC ballpoint pens too, and was quite surprised when (soon after I hopped on the Interwebs bandwagon, of course) I found out that they were internationally marketed and well-known.

I have never read writing guides myself, but, seeing as my prevalent feeling towards writing these days is "GUILT" (I write too little I write when I should really be doing something else I should be writing something else this is a waste of time I'm DOING IT ALL WRONG), I can't say that I would mind something that tells me not to worry and that whatever works for me is good. What are those guides that you read? Are there any that you'd recommend?