I know that I’m supposed to start on a new book today, but I was thinking about the Where and When post and I thought it would be only natural to follow it with a question of how and why. How do you write? Why do you write?
How I write is easy. I talked in the comments section of my last post about how I like to write longhand. One reason is completely kiddish: I love buying office supplies. There’s something about a brand new college ruled paper notebook before you’ve written anything in it. It’s so pristine. You get to pick the color of the cover. It’s just waiting to be written in. I love it.
But it’s more than that. There a lot of practical reasons that I love to hand-write.
- You can do it anywhere. You don’t have to find a place with lots of plugs. You don’t have to worry about a bright sun glaring on your screen.
- You never lose a word. I’m not just talking about losing a file because you forgot to back-up your writing; I’m talking about editing as you write. On a computer, I delete the line I don’t like. In a notebook, I cross it out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back to things I’ve crossed out and ended up using them.
- I won’t get all distracted by the technology. When I write on the computer I tend to watch the word-count and use different font colors and highlight certain passages and use the comments tool. Don’t even get me started about solitaire and mine sweeper and the internet. With a notebook, I just write (and maybe doodle a little).
- I always have a copy of the original version of my manuscript.
- I go over my handwritten manuscript once to make gross edits then I transcribe it into my computer. Transcribing into my computer is my second edit. So, my rough draft has usually had two full edits.
- For me, words just flow better when I’m hand-writing. I’m not sure why, but it’s true.
Why I write is a lot harder. It’s nerve wracking. It’s humbling. It’s frustrating. It can get discouraging. But, here’s the thing: I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. I still have my first completed short story in my desk. I put a little Copywrite symbol on it along with the year I turned eight.
You’d think with my biology background, I would meld the two worlds and do something like science writing. But that just doesn’t interest me. I’ve tried freelance non-fiction writing and even sold a few articles. I’ll tell you what–it pays. But I just don’t want to do that either. It’s fiction–particularly young adult fiction–that calls to me.
So, if I had to choose one reason why I write I would say it’s because I want to share my fantasy world with other people. If there wasn’t any paper or computers, I would still be making up stories in my head. There would still be interesting characters and strange and wonderful worlds bursting to get out. Maybe I would tell stories instead of writing them. Either way, I think I write because I’m a story-teller at heart.
So, how do you write and why do you write? Do you like a computer or a notebook? Have you been writing since you were little or did you suddenly get the writing bug as an adult?
well nicely written… i loved the part about “why do you write….”
I completely agree with you about writing longhand, though I haven’t doen it in a while because my WIP, which has been going on FOREVER, is on the computer,has mostly been done ON the computer, and I want it to all feel the same. For me, things that are drafted longhand feel different – and in a good way. The just flow better and more seemlessly. There’s something about moving you hand and arm that way that just gets things flowing. My next project is definitely going to get written that way.
I write because I have to create somehow. It ussimply has to create, I think.ed to be through music, but now it’s mostly through writing. If I don’t create, I get sick – literally. Twenty years ago, when I started teaching, I gave up all forms of creativity to concentrate on the new job. I got depressed and anxious, and after about half a yeaer, I went to a doctor. He said, “You’re depressed. I want you to do something you enjoy, and if there’s nothing you enjoy, I want you to do something that you USED to enjoy.” And, yep, it was the latter. I started plying at some open stages, then I wrote a song, then another . . . and I was happy again.
The creative person
I agree about writing longhand. Usually what I write longhand is more coherent and requires fewer revisions. This may be because I usually write on paper when I’ve got a story that begs to be written. I’m not sure which way the causality flows. I have a trick for writing on the computer, though: write blind. I did this by taking off my glasses, you might try using a blindfold, but it frees you. I wrote faster, longer, and I wrote more actively.
Why? I like my characters and I want to keep talking to them. I want to visit the worlds they live in. These people and places are real to me on some level, and writing them is discovery, adventure, and connection. It is also time travel. It is like reading the best story you ever read, only it doesn’t end until you say it does.
Kate, I love your reasons for how. They make sense. I used to be a paper and pen writer, but then my brain started working way faster than I could get it down and my hand started cramping. I still have to edit on the page, though. And I love looking back at my scribbles in the margins and arrows that point everywhere. Fun stuff.
I love this: ” I think I write because I’m a story-teller at heart.”
There is a difference between writing a story and telling a story. I firmly believe it changes the flow of a piece when the writer hears the words in her head and her heart.
It may be what gives a manuscript voice.
Thanks for sharing.
Heather McCorkle is another author who writes everything long hand. It seems like my hand would get tired! But I’ll have to give it a try. I do love pens and college ruled notebooks 🙂