Cauldron writers! What method do you use?

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[Steve - ComW]

*Isn't addicted at all* Nope, I can quit any time I want. BTW have you started part two of ITL yet 

Hey I havent even gotten to read part one of into the light yet.
Me first.

[Mandi]

So, for those of you who write here,  what is your preferred method when inspiration strikes? Computer? Laptop  or desktop? Paper? Pencil? Pen? Mechanical pencil? What gets the creative juices flowing for you? What works best, and what just frustrates you? Or am I just a twisted, weird writer with compulsive tendencies? 

Random self indulgent prose always goes on the puter, cause I can type faster than I write.  Stuff that I'm "working on" eg. study notes I write out because the writing itself is part of the memorization.  Mechanical writing always leaves me with bits stuck in my head.  Computer writing is a clean efficient sweep where it just sort of flows out, and takes half my day with it.

[Zahirah]

So, for those of you who write here,  what is your preferred method when inspiration strikes? Computer? Laptop  or desktop? Paper? Pencil? Pen? Mechanical pencil? What gets the creative juices flowing for you? What works best, and what just frustrates you? Or am I just a twisted, weird writer with compulsive tendencies? 

I'm a computer writer, all the way.  I am a very fast typist with high accuracy (at least, according to all those typing tests I had to take).  When I type, I'm able to forget about what my hands and fingers are doing, and words flow directly from my brain into the text editor of choice, slowing just enough to be able to form complete sentences out of the flashing images of inspiration.

When I am inspired, most of my ideas come in the form of images or like watching a movie in my brain which then need to be translated into words.  It's quite fun.

I dont like writing most things by hand.  My penmanship is atrocious, especially when I get excited, and if I am greatly inspired, then I become very frustrated when my handwriting speed cant even come close to what's going on in my brain, then my handwriting gets worse and I start writing in my shorthand, and if I dont get my notes transcribed within 48 hours, whatever it was I was working on is lost forever.

Cant control when or where inspiration will strike, though, and computers aren't always nearby when it does.  That is why I carry around with me one of these (link).  I'm serious, they're awesome.  I whip out my PockMod and a pen, scratch down in my shorthand the idea, and then write it up when I'm next at a computer.     They're great!!

[Ocelot]

Cant control when or where inspiration will strike, though, and computers aren't always nearby when it does.  That is why I carry around with me one of these (link).  I'm serious, they're awesome.  I whip out my PockMod and a pen, scratch down in my shorthand the idea, and then write it up when I'm next at a computer.     They're great!!

That's great. Thanks for the morning laugh 

[Star]

I am a very fast typist with high accuracy (at least, according to all those typing tests I had to take).  When I type, I'm able to forget about what my hands and fingers are doing, and words flow directly from my brain into the text editor of choice, slowing just enough to be able to form complete sentences out of the flashing images of inspiration.

That's a factor I'd completely forgotten to mention.  This is one reason why I prefer computers if I have a choice, too.  I typically type faster than I hand-write, especially in those (increasingly rare, for me ) flash-of-inspiration moments.  After many years of touch-typing, I also am beginning to find that what you say about forgetting what my hands and fingers are doing definitely applies.  It's like the keyboard's not even there, it's just...  sort of an extension of my hands, taking the words from my brain and putting them into the computer.

I can hand-write if my computer's not handy, though, and I generally don't mind it much.  Although it does take longer and make my hand hurt faster.

Cant control when or where inspiration will strike, though, and computers aren't always nearby when it does.  That is why I carry around with me one of these (link).  I'm serious, they're awesome.  I whip out my PockMod and a pen, scratch down in my shorthand the idea, and then write it up when I'm next at a computer.     They're great!!

Huh.  That looks pretty interesting.  I'll have to look closer at those.  Thanks for posting that!  

[Lily]

Once I made the transition to a computer -- way back in the 80s -- I never looked back.  My handwriting is atrocious.  I find it so much easier to organize my thoughts if I can type them into a document, bullet them, move them around, bold, highlight, etc.

My handwriting is not the worst, but if I'm in the middle of inspiration, the writing can turn a little messy. I can almost always figure out what I meant when I go back to it, but no  one else can. Unfortunately, I can't type by touch, so even though I'm quick (I've had teachers tell me that I'm the fastest typer - 46-59 WPM - with three fingers they've ever seen  ), I can't flow right on the first draft on a computer. But once I have that first run-through bwritten up and copied onto a word processing program on the computer, I can get my thoughts going just fine.

So I guess my issue with the computer is that since I'm not the best typist, it hinders my on-PC inspiration. 

[violentsound]

So, for those of you who write here,  what is your preferred method when inspiration strikes? Computer? Laptop  or desktop? Paper? Pencil? Pen? Mechanical pencil? What gets the creative juices flowing for you? What works best, and what just frustrates you? Or am I just a twisted, weird writer with compulsive tendencies? 

For initial stages that involve creating characters and basic plots, I always use paper. This is because my notes are half words, half drawings. (In the case of characters especially there is always a sketch done first.) I use pen for this stage as I just generally dislike writing in pencil.

For the actual writing, I can (and do) use notebooks, but if given the choice I'll take the computer. My thoughts just seem a lot clearer when I sit at the keyboard. (I type quickly, but not by touch - I never learned how. But I figure, hey, that's why god invented spellcheck.) That said, the notebook is better for stream-of-consciousness babble and semi-magical bits.

Editing I just do on the screen.

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

My handwriting is not the worst, but if I'm in the middle of inspiration, the writing can turn a little messy. I can almost always figure out what I meant when I go back to it, but no  one else can. Unfortunately, I can't type by touch, so even though I'm quick (I've had teachers tell me that I'm the fastest typer - 46-59 WPM - with three fingers they've ever seen  ), I can't flow right on the first draft on a computer. But once I have that first run-through bwritten up and copied onto a word processing program on the computer, I can get my thoughts going just fine.

So I guess my issue with the computer is that since I'm not the best typist, it hinders my on-PC inspiration. 

My handwriting is ILLEGIBLE.  Sometimes even to me.

If there are enough other cues, I can usually figure it out.  But imagining typing up an entire novel ... *shudder*

[Lily]

My handwriting is ILLEGIBLE.  Sometimes even to me.

If there are enough other cues, I can usually figure it out.  But imagining typing up an entire novel ... *shudder*

I have a friend in the 3-D world like that. Even he can't figure out what he has written. 

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

I have a friend in the 3-D world like that. Even he can't figure out what he has written. 

That's always a bit embarrassing.

Sometimes useful, though.  believe it or not.

[sefiru]

My handwriting is ILLEGIBLE.  Sometimes even to me.

If there are enough other cues, I can usually figure it out.  But imagining typing up an entire novel ... *shudder*

*giggle* I'm the opposite, mostly in self-defense. I can not (until recently) compose on a computer, and most of the time when I write something, I'm the one who has to read it. But then, I habitually print and have done so since 7th grade. I don't even remember how to do connected script writing. These days I take a little notebook in my purse and write on the subway or during breaks.

Then there's my father, who went to college in the days of punch cards, and learned how to do blueprint text by hand. He can still do it, and his normal writing is pretty legible too.

[Star]

But then, I habitually print and have done so since 7th grade. I don't even remember how to do connected script writing.

Oh, lord.  Yeah, me too.  I mean, I remember how to write in script, but I don't think I have since...  I'm not even sure when.  Not much since we learned it in third grade (~8-9 years old), probably not at all once I got past sixth or so.  My print-handwriting, though, can still get illegible if I'm in a hurry. 

[Melamphoros]

But then, I habitually print and have done so since 7th grade. I don't even remember how to do connected script writing.

My 7th grade civics/math teacher (in middle school, it was normal to have a teacher who taught two subjects) told me to write in print in her class because my cursive was too illegible.  I've compleately forgotten how to write in it except for my signature.

[sefiru]

cursive

wouldya look at that ... I even forgot the proper name of it! LOL. I only used cursive in 5&6 because we were forced to. This for the same reason I will probably never learn to touch type: it would be slower for me than what I do now. (Why make us learn two writing systems at all? ::mutters:

[Star]

wouldya look at that ... I even forgot the proper name of it! LOL. I only used cursive in 5&6 because we were forced to.

*nods*  Sounds like the situation with me too.  I used it when I was required to, and once they dropped the requirement, I went back to printing.

This for the same reason I will probably never learn to touch type: it would be slower for me than what I do now. (Why make us learn two writing systems at all? ::mutters:

It's odd...  I used to say that myself.  I did horribly in the typing class they made us take in school, I hated it, I was faster if I could see my hands, etc.  After 10+ years of typing-heavy computer usage (what with the programming, the chatting, the Usenet there for a bit, the forums, the word processing, and just all the other miscellaneous typing), though, I was shocked to find that somewhere along the way I had started touch-typing automatically and actually was doing so pretty well and pretty quickly.  (Not sure exactly what my wpm actually is, since I haven't tested it lately and tend to freeze up in such tests anyway, but it's pretty decent.)  As long as I don't think about it I'm usually fine.    No idea how that happened.

The really funny thing, though, is that if the room is too dark, my typing suffers.  I can type while holding a conversation with someone else that requires me to be turned so that I can't see my keyboard or monitor, but I can't type in the dark.  It's bizzare.  (I've not tried typing with my keyboard covered, the way they made us do in school, but I suspect the result would be the same.)

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