Bleary like Sunday morning

[cleolinda]

omg so many tabs open, and I haven't even checked news feeds or Twitter yet.

There were some really interesting comments in the previous entry about the way people physically write, what kinds of pens or paper when they do write by hand, so... discuss. When I get my laptop (so I can download pictures from my camera), I'll take pictures of my handwriting and the way I lay things out on the page (which can be kind of... varied), just for kicks.

Anything else we want to talk about? Because... I can't really manage linkspam too well without Semagic.

(Help cmdr_zoom with a computer problem?)

Comments

[scribesquill.livejournal.com]

I hope all your computer stuff works out soon. I know how bad the withdrawals can be, lol

[janecpb.livejournal.com]

Fountain pens are the best pens. Ticonderoga 2 5/10 are the best pencils. The end.

I hope your computer tribulations are at an end. I think it's my turn next!

[iczer6.livejournal.com]

I wanted to let you know that while I was out the other day I saw a truck that had the phrase 'make it go away' painted on it.

It was about property damage but I couldn't help but think there should be a company that does that for more everyday problems.

[graydown.livejournal.com]

I write my rough drafts with a mechanical pencil on yellow lined notepads. Anything more formal than that makes me nervous. Computers make me too aware of the flaws of my rough drafts -- If I slow down to figure out how a word is spelled, or whether I should have a period or a semicolon, I lose track of what I'm doing. I can't edit and write at the same time.

The upshot of all this is that I end up transcribing hundreds of handwritten pages into a word processor so I can edit them. I've heard rumors that big-deal writers have people to do this step for them. ^_^ I think I'd be too embarrassed. Also, my handwriting is surreal. ("Is that a B? Or a 3?" "... it's the word 'is'")

[sevenmarie.livejournal.com]

see, I'm not an actual writer or anything but the reason I started writing my papers on the computer is for basically the same reason as you except I just typitty type type and don't even look at the formatting, spelling, grammar, capitalization, etc.

Until I have all the information entered. Then I go back and read through it, fix all the mistakes, re-arrange sentences/ideas and whatnot.

I found that when I hand write things I get hung up on what order things should go in and it takes me forever

Ditto on the writing though. I have what is lovingly referred to by my friends as "serial killer scratch" :)

[inkytwist.livejournal.com]

If I'm writing about my main character I fold up an 11x17" piece of Gilbert Bond (I'm a calligrapher! I have tons of it just layin' around!) into four sections and then write on both sides of the paper like a retarded book.

I write in teeny tiny all caps, and only in red pen.

I never (hand) write in all caps except for when I'm writing about my MC.

[karintheswede]

I prefer a Pilot G2 .5 mm with blue gel ink on white lines paper. It has to be a .5 mm, it can't be a .7 mm, because they're too wide.

Or I use a Lamy Safari fountain pen with a fine nib in a moleskine notebook.

[emmaorgana.livejournal.com]

I hate .7 for that reason. Any wider than a .5 and my handwriting looks waaaaaay to childish for a 25yo. And that's how ADD I am when I'm writing. :p

[marydell.livejournal.com]

Perhaps in cosmic synchronicity with your computer woes, Wilde Imagination shipped me a doll with two left hands. I shall be exchanging it. Although it's kind of awesome, in its way.

Also, as hoped, Vinyl Evangeline is quite pretty in person, despite being hideous in photographs.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Laws. Which Ellowyne was it?

(So Vinyl Evangeline looks okay? I don't know why she photographs so badly.)

[limiinal.livejournal.com]

I usually write by hand when I'm stuck on a rough draft. On a computer I always want to fiddle with sentence structure and word choice instead of just laying out the scene and moving on. With pen and paper my hand is so busy trying to keep up with my brain that there's no time to stop for nitpicking.

I always use a retractable ballpoint pen in a spiralbound notebook. Gelpen smears and a pencil just makes me want to draw. And in the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while writing my plotlines.

[paradise-loved.livejournal.com]

i type, but mostly because even i find my own handwriting very hard to read. when i do handwrite, i almost always choose pen because i simply hate writing in pencil.

do you plan on seeing district 9, btw? i hear it's supposed to be fantastic.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I wanted to see it, but I didn't end up getting out this weekend.

[celestinenox]

I've never really thought about it....

Really, what I do depends on the story. Sometimes I'm perfectly fine starting on the computer, setting it up all nice and formatted properly before I even start to write.

Sometimes I feel it necessary to write on paper, and a reguluar spiral-bound notebook of any size will do; I've even been known to write notes in the tiny little portable ones that fit in a purse or a pocket. Any pen will do, too, so long as it writes well. I work in the medical field (clerical medical field, not a nurse or doctor or anything), though, and with a lot of legal things, so writing in anything other than black ink is weird. I used to only write in blue, though.

When I have a random idea out of no where, I will write it down on anything with anything available to me.

When it comes to writing down just general notes, like character profiles, details about the country or religion or culture I'm making up (this is why I write fantasy, folks, so I can make this shit up), it's on paper all the way. Spiral-bound again, though I tried for a while keeping color-coded three-ring binders (gold for details about royal families, green for details about countries, blue for religion, etc. etc.), but that didn't work. Sometimes I'll use composition notebooks, but I've mainly used those as personal journals (I can't for the life of me use a book actually made as a journal for a journal, though I can surely use them to write notes about writing stuff if I have to).

Usually, I end up losing the specific notes about something in the notebook in between notes about other things that pop up and won't let me alone.

I have a shiny blue pocket-sized notebook that has some of my early notes from one of my big projects in it, and the damn thing keeps disappearing on me. I'll find it, only to lose it again immediately for YEARS, and then I'll find it tucked back behind some books on my bookshelf or something.

Uh... /babble

[bibliotech.livejournal.com]

I find that I write better these days when I'm not thinking about wordcounts and computer-related stuff. So I have a black Sharpie pen and a lined Moleskine notebook, and I write in that. I use a lot of tabs/Post-its to write down notes, and I have a smaller Moleskine that I use as a sort of wiki to keep all the characters/backstory/background straight in my head. It's fun, because I love fooling around with paper and fancy pens (yes, Sharpies count as fancy pens! Because I say so!).

[emmaorgana.livejournal.com]

Sharpies are awesome. They are my fancy pens too! Especially the ultra-fine ones that come in about a bisquillion colors and cost way too much for me to justify buying so I put them on my birthday list and no one thinks I seriously want them so I never get them and yeah.

...

[crypticidentity.livejournal.com]

If it's in a sketchbook, I'll write in pencil. I just recently started writing in Moleskine (or Moleskine-like) pocket notebooks, though, and for some reason I always have to write in pen when I'm writing in that. Perhaps it has something to do with the pages being lined.

Writing in sketchbooks is fun because it opens up the possibilities of drawing around the writing--or writing around drawings--but because of the size of the Moleskine I always feel like I'm writing more when I write in it.

[fineprnt.livejournal.com]

I use a sketchbook for my journal; I'm fairly sure I've got more swirly candy-looking drawings than writing in it. Drawing sometimes helps me sort out my thoughts better.

[derangeddarling.livejournal.com]

i kind of collect pens and notebooks. I have two pencil cases (the box kind, not the zippy kind) full of fancy pens as well as two packs of multicolored Pilots, which I love. I also have dozens of never written in notebooks and journals. I am saving them for stories. Or something.

When I do actually sit down to write a story, I use a mechanical pencil on a legal pad to write an outline/character sketch. I write down what needs to happen and any details about it that I can think of, but sort of like bullet points rather than paragraphs. Then I get on the computer and actually write out the scenes. Then I print that out, read it, and scribble all over it.

Even if i one day became A Famous Writer, I would never show anyone my handwriting. It's God-awful. It hasn't improved since I was in the second grade, so it sort of looks like an 8 year old boy did it.

[cesario.livejournal.com]

brown unlined large moleskines and pilot precise point v5 purple pens. i have a large supply of both. for location, i prefer to be outdoors.

[saramiskismet.livejournal.com]

I do a lot of my writing on the computer, but when the urge strikes me and I'm not near a computer, I'll find whatever clean paper I can -- even if it's on the back of a form or a flier -- and start writing. Then I'll fold it, stick it in my back pocket, and hope to remember to type it later.

I favor pens over pencils, but I do love mechanical pencils.

I hold my writing utensils in an abnormal way, apparently. I rest the pen on my third/ring finger, while most seem to rest iton their middle finger (I think?). I have a permanant callous on my third finger from writing, one that's not as prominent now since we've just had summer. Once school starts it will build up again.

When I write, I always end up doodling on the same page, too. Normally something that has to do with the scene. I'm no artist, but as far as doodles go I'm well practiced and they look like little illustrations.

:3

[greedyskunk.livejournal.com]

I must be just as weird as you then! I have a callous on my ring finger, too. I also clutch my pen really, really hard.

[rorqual.livejournal.com]

I find I use the presence/absence of the "perfect situation" as an excuse *not* to write, more often than not. As soon as I get my laptop in the right place/buy a better pen/get a perfect lined notebook, etc etc.... Which is why I have three or four stories in various stages of completion. That, and I am more comfortable writing all in a rush (which is why almost all of my grad school papers were started two days before they were due), and I find starting, or really *re-starting*, to be very difficult. But once I start, and despite the previous "perfect situation" comment, it doesn't *matter* how I write; once I start, I'm good in all media. It's, in general, very annoying.

[s5g.livejournal.com]

Frequently I write on the computer, and I find I like that better, I think, because I can type faster than I can write by hand, so I can keep up with my thoughts.

If I write by hand though (which I still love to do) I am picky:/ Ideal tools? Spiral-bound, smaller notebook, lined pages, but not WIDE lines or DARK lines, and a Papermate Flexgrip Ultra in medium. The most perfect pen ever (and of course, they no longer make it;P).

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I love spiral-bound notebooks for doodling and working things out in. For pens, I use black or blue roller ball, with a micro point. Sometimes I use the Pilot gel pens.

[flamingo-bandit.livejournal.com]

Pencil smudges all over my fingers somehow until I look like I stole Wormtail's silver hand, so it's all cheap ballpoint pen (blue or black) and basic college-ruled notebook paper.

It's kinda hard for me to write by hand, largely because I handwrite slowly and because I like music while I write. It's nice for notes and super-super rough drafts and outlines and things, though, because I can circle bits and move them via arrow and because I can physically see the changes as I make them. Also, because I can doodle on the margins and chew on pens while I'm thinking of the next thing, versus the computer where I, well, surf the web while I'm waiting for inspiration to come. (Fun fact: it doesn't help.) Um, maybe I should write by hand more, actually.

I know some people really prefer writing by hand, perhaps because of the tactile experience, or the look of it, or something. Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down to the Bones" claims that writing by computer creates black, blocky letters and produces black, blocky work, so maybe others feel that way? But I feel like I write better on the computer. I don't know.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Uh... whatever, then (not you, her). I don't find writing on the computer any blacker or blockier than reading print on the page. You're actually closer to what the finished product will look like (although that can be scary), and it engages both your hands/sides-of-brain. When I do handwrite, it's for very particular situations, usually when "omg I can't write this down fast enough" isn't an issue, and I feel more like casting around or making notes and I'm not really sure what I want to say. Or--when I can't get to a computer. *cough*

[editornia.livejournal.com]

Sketchbooks or unlined notebooks (which are very similar, except for the paper quality; it's much better in sketchbooks), or computer printer paper (which I usually have an abundance of). I can't seem to write on lined paper, unless it's on System Cards (aka index cards), somehow. It's weird, I know.

I'm not too fussed about my writing implement; I tend to use whatever's at hand. I like mechanical pencil and ballpoint and gel pens (red and dark blue, preferably) the best, tho'. They also don't seem to run out as fast as others.

When I've got a story idea, my hand just seems to fly over the paper - I write *really* fast! I much prefer to write by hand, even if it means I have to go back and type it all up adfterwards. Writing by hand makes me more productive, and I can do it anywhere, at any time. I like that. :)

This icon is the reason I don't write on the computer anymore.

[sapphires13.livejournal.com]

I use a three-ring binder filled with looseleaf. I personalized the binder by making a collage and slipping it into the clear front cover. I write with retractable ball points, preferably in a moderate width (too thin or too thick make my hands tire too fast), and I'm not picky, as long as the ink flows pretty well.
I used to have a bad habit of writing very small, and ignoring all the lines and margins on the paper, essentially filling every inch, with an average of 1.5 lines of text per line of the paper, but I've recently broken that habit and am now filling the lines properly, leaving the margins for notes/etc. I use crossouts and carets to correct mistakes and add stuff in. If I decide I need to add an entire line or two in, I'll draw an extended arrow up into the margin/side margin and write it there.
When writing, especially on the back of the page where the binder's rings would bother my wrist, I often just take the page I'm working on out and write against the front of the binder. I also keep post-its stuck to the inside front cover of the binder with info and stuff about the story I'm working on.

Re: This icon is the reason I don't write on the computer anymore.

[dylan-weir.livejournal.com]

LOL! Bloody Solitaire and the great works it has blocked.

[bruinhilda.livejournal.com]

What I write on depends on where I am. Scenes and ideas tend to hit me at random. When I'm at home, I'll type it all out on computer, because that tends to be faster for me. When I'm wandering around, I try to remember to carry a notebook or something. But all too often, I'm struck by a thought/idea/scene I have to write down when I can't get to my notebook. I've scribbled on hundreds of tiny slips of paper while at work. And once I ended up writing all over the blank parts of a bus schedule because I'd forgotten to carry blank paper with me.

When I'm dumb enough to forget to carry a pen, I work on freezing an opening line in my head, repeating it over and over until I get home or can reach writing tools, and hope the rest follow once I start writing.

[anthean.livejournal.com]

I have this really ugly unlined notebook that I got by accident in the mail. I ordered a book of poetry for a class I was taking through Amazon marketplace, and the seller got her packages mixed up and sent me the notebook instead. She refunded my money, and I ended up keeping the notebook and using it for my Miscellaneous Writing Things Book.

I generally write with ballpoint pen, as I don't like the way pencil looks in this notebook, and when I want to start something new I turn to a random page and flip the notebook to a random orientation before starting to write. I don't know why I do this; I guess it keeps things interesting.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

I type all my rough drafts up in Notepad for some reason. Then I send it Word to be grammar/spellchecked and Open Office to be auto-formatted. I prefer to type, because my fingers move as fast as my brain. When I handwrite, things get left out. Which I why I always hated that we had to do final drafts in pen at school.

When I do write by hand, I do it in a pretty purple notebook that gets left beside my bed so I put my thoughts down before I sleep. I prefer pens with liquid ink in them, because they flow more smoothly. I never write in pencil.

[pleure.livejournal.com]

I type all my rough drafts up in Notepad for some reason.

i do the same thing, and i find it's because my rough drafts are generally a pretty frantic "let me get this down before i forget it" kind of thing. i'm not the greatest typer (fast, yes, but with an inappropriate amount of errors), so rough drafting in word becomes the most distracting thing ever with all of the squiggly green and red lines. it breaks my momentum and that can be fairly devastating sometimes.

[rahrahmah.livejournal.com]

Usually, when I'm writing I do it on computer, because I'm a big self-doubter and have to go back and fiddle with word choice and sentence structure....HOWEVER! All these people's comments about pens and papers and blank canvas and just getting things out is making me want to try a different way of doing things. Because I am not actually very good at finishing. I'm such a perfectionist, I keep thinking that if I approach it like that I'll never get ANYWHERE, but I'm not getting terribly far with the approach I've BEEN taking.

I've had a really good fantasy idea shuffling around in my head for oh, say, a year now (which seems like a long time when I type it out, but things need time to percolate in my head), and I've started throwing down outlines and such in anticipation of NaNoWriMo (which I have never participated in, but I feel like this is a good place to start). I think I'm going to try some of y'all's advice and attack this next story from different angles.

Back on topic, I'm actually more trained for visual art than written art, and I tend to do a lot of character sketching and visual world building, which I will do on blank paper in pencil and pencil crayon in a three-ring binder devoted to the story.