Handwriting vs Typing

Hello everyone! I thought it would be fun to share my experiences writing both with a focus of handwriting vs typing. These are just my thoughts towards the different ways you can write by hand. Of course, there's many blog posts with why handwriting may be better, but keep in mind what works for you is the best approach. From personal experience, I really enjoy both ways of writing, but here are the key differences I found while writing.

Handwriting:

This is a great approach if you're not really sure if you want to continue writing. For me, it's how I started writing my very first story, and how I've been working on stories in the recent past. But, it's not something that I feel is a great choice for me. This is why: you *have* to type it at some point.

Now, I wrote out most of a story for July Camp Nanowrimo. It's still stuck inside the notebook with my semi-legible handwriting that I can decode. What I'm hoping to do (because typing it is probably a lost cause for me) is to get the dragon software or something similar to it. You could definitely do your story all by voice but, if you're like me, you'll want to start editing it right away. I'll also have to make sure I do a good edit because I'll probably swear at some sentences I thought sounded good on paper.

Overall: It's a great approach if you enjoy pen and paper but also aren't too lazy to never get around to typing it.

Typing:

Ah, I love typing in comparison. Because as soon as I get it down I know I can change it without scribbling or throwing away the whole notebook. The main downside are computers. Yes, they're great pieces of technology, but you risk a computer crashing and losing everything. That's why I recommend getting a USB, doesn't have to be 128 GB but 8-16 GB would b a good start, so you can backup everything. Doesn't need to be every night, but you could do weekly backups.

What I like to do to make sure I'm writing/editing on the most recent version is to date the file. So "Writing About Unicorns 2-2" is how I would save it since you can't use / for the US at least. That way, I know which story it is and when it was last saved. You can also make files for characters, plot ideas, and more and save them in different folders.

Another thing you can do is use Scrivener. Now, I usually love the service, but unfortunately my new Chromebook doesn't like downloading outside software, and I haven't gotten around to trying it get it on here. But, it's a really good tool, and I try my best to use it and save different chapters on their software as well. Don't take my word on it, try it out using their free trial, and see if it would be something useful for you.

Overall: The main way I'll be working with stories in the future.

Now, just because you say "Oh I want to type my story" doesn't mean you'll never need to do handwriting again or you're banned from the use of all pens. On the contrary, I'm hoping to use a bit of both for the future. I'm working on a system which, when I get it figured out, I'll share. So, I hope you enjoyed reading about my perspective, and you can decide which way works best for you!