Why Do I Write Better In Pencil?

I took a typing class in highschool (to write university essays faster) and I have a decent word per minute speed. But give me a sharp pencil and a blank page and I’m in heaven. I love the visceral connection as my ephemeral thoughts control my motor skills and create something from nothing.

If my creative flow stalls, I whip out pencil and paper to kick-start my creativity back into a high drive. That’s the way I’m built. Old school.

I’m conscious of how long it takes to write an entire manuscript of 100K plus words by hand. Word count estimates vary wildly when I write a rough draft on paper. I can’t use optical scanning technology. The way I craft by hand follows no known logical system in the universe. My computer would melt. I also can’t afford to train a P.A. to learn my style.

Some authors use voice to text programs to increase productivity. This is a bit more difficult for authors who create fictional worlds and the language within them. A digital pen sometimes helps me reach the best of both worlds. Even then, I’m do a heckofalotta editing after the fact.

In the end, I have a cosy balance between writing by hand and typing.

Paper and pen doesn’t require frequent saves or safe backups. And I don’t have to worry about where the electrical outlets are if I am writing in my mobile office my tablet computer isn’t fully charged up.

Which, not entirely on a tangent, reminds me of It’s a Book by Lane Smith.

I can’t explain why I love writing in pencil. I just do. One day someone more neurologically mind than me will get a grant to study all the authors in their city and figure out the answer.

In the meantime, I tick-a-tap or scribble as needed. Whatever gets the job done. And, although no singular process works for every author, there is one universal truth: don’t hand-write the manuscript you submit if you want to avoid the slush pile.

What is your preferred method of writing?