4 Ways Writing With Pen/Pencil Helps Me

'You still use pen and paper?'

'Haven't heard anyone 'writing in notebooks' in a long time.'

Some people react like this when I say that I still write, quite often, with pen/pencil.

A large part of the first draft of my second book is written in my diary/notebook. If I try to write on a Word document without any rough draft, I find myself staring at the document or wasting time on Social Media. I always create a rough draft, making some basic points in my notebook before I sit down to type. Like I wrote this post, roughly (in 7-8 minutes) in my diary before writing it on Blogger.

And, I believe some writers still do that.

Yes, I like to write with pen, sometimes pencil (As I feel that my handwriting looks better when I use pencil. It's a writing quirk of mine. I feel uncomfortable when, sometimes, I do not like my handwriting), but, I also find it helpful in many ways.

Here, I am listing 4 ways writing with pen helps me as a writer ---

1. It's distraction free (You can read my post, 'Tricks For Distraction-Free Writing)

When I sit down to write in my notebook (I always buy notebooks) or diary (gifted by some people), I usually have a scene or conversation running in my mind, so I don't feel tempted to do anything else (Read check twitter updates), especially because I am away from my computer or phone when I am writing.

2. I don't need to open my computer every time any scene or idea flashes. I just open my notebook. Even if I know that I won't be able to write peacefully or get up after 10 minutes for some other chore (I need at least 2-3 hours of uninterrupted time when I work on my computer or else I get annoyed or don't feel like working), it doesn't annoy or discourage me. I just open my notebook and write.

If you practice even 7-10 minutes of distraction-free, but meaningful writing (using timer is even more effective), you can easily manage 350-400 words.

3. I don't bother about continuity. When I work on Word document, I seek continuity. What I wrote last time, and where to start? I have weird writing pattern. There are so many files in my 'My Second Novel (I've already decided the title though)' folder, scenes scattered here and there.

Of course, I write easily when I have the next scene in my mind, but it really bothers me when I want to write any random scene from --- say 10th chapter (I wrote the last chapter of my second book even before I completed my first draft). In this case, writing in my notebook really helps.

4. The flow of writing is better, my imagination is more vivid when I sit down to type these hand-written scenes. When typing my rough drafts, it's like re-thinking. New scenes, new ideas, various emotions or expressions or any interesting dialogues pop up when I type and then I quickly insert them appropriately.

What about you? Do you write (like writing) with pen? Or are you a keyboard writer? Do you have any writing quirks? Share your thoughts in comment section. Would love to know!