Computer versus Paper: The Eternal Debate

[Desraelda]

Originally Posted by urrutiap

I'm old fashioned. I prefer good old notebook paper and pencils. that way you can erase mistakes and start over.

Sometimes you'll have an awful lot to erase. With the computer, you can backspace, block and cut, or even typeover.

if a computer crashed on you then you're screwed and its bye bye short story etc

I have nightmares about that very thing so I'm super cautious.

I have a backup hard drive, thumb drive (that I carry with me everywhere) and I use Carbonite backup. There are free services too. Another good idea is to email your work to yourself. I created a separate folder in my inbox and everything rests safely in there.

Originally Posted by gelowo93

I change constantly. I'll go through phases of preferring to write on my laptop but then I'll suddenly stop being able to and then I'll switch to writing on paper. It's usually just what is more convenient for me at the time though, before I got my laptop if I got some inspiration then I'd find my notebook and write it down because the computer took so long to boot up and someone else was probably on it, but now I have my laptop that loads so much quicker I can just turn it on, open a Word document and type something up in 10 minutes. I do try to write on my laptop though because that way I don't have to copy it from my notebook onto the laptop at sometime in the future.

I used to carry a notebook with me so I could write on my lunch hour. Then I got a PDA so I could write on that and then download to my computer. I don't do that anymore and I'm strictly a netbook person. I can fit it in my purse and carry it around with me. I have one of the original 7" netbooks. Kind of heavy, though and now that I got the 9 cell battery, it doesn't fit anymore.

I'm thinking about getting an Alpha Smart. The refurbs are very cheap. The AS is very light and easy to carry around. It's compatible with Word and your docs can be downloaded to the laptop.

[leah49]

I wish I could just hook a computer up to my brain. I don't do a lot of writing when I'm out and about, but I do a lot of daydreaming. If I could just download that into a computer I'd be golden.

[Desraelda]

Originally Posted by leah49

I wish I could just hook a computer up to my brain. I don't do a lot of writing when I'm out and about, but I do a lot of daydreaming. If I could just download that into a computer I'd be golden.

Isn't that the truth! I'd have thousands of books written by now instead of only seven.

[madders94]

I always keep a pen and paper handy, in case inspiration comes to me - I always have my ideas notebook in my bag for college - but I much much prefer writing it all up on the computer, it lets me get my ideas down so much quicker, and I can send it to friends to see their opinion of it quickly.

[Tiberius]

Originally Posted by leah49

I wish I could just hook a computer up to my brain. I don't do a lot of writing when I'm out and about, but I do a lot of daydreaming. If I could just download that into a computer I'd be golden.

Just get a usb port on your arm or something, connected to your nervous system. Sure it won't work now, but once the hardware is in place, the rest is just a software update anyway...

[DancingMaenid]

Definitely the computer. I'm afraid I find writing by hand too frustrating at this point. I'm a fast typist, and I'm used to being able to get my words down as soon as they come to me, and change them easily if I want. I can't do that as easily with a pen and paper.

[Nnylarak]

Originally Posted by leah49

I wish I could just hook a computer up to my brain. I don't do a lot of writing when I'm out and about, but I do a lot of daydreaming. If I could just download that into a computer I'd be golden.

Amen to that. Especially because most of my stories play out like movies in my head, so it's harder to write in the description, because I can just see it happening.

[HersheyLipGloss]

I personally like paper,because I feel that if my story gets HUGE,like A Wrinkle In Time.I don't know if that will happen,but if it does,I want to be able to have my fans get my first hand written copy,because I would be disappointed if I got a typed first copy.Also,I like the way it looks.I tend to go for paper because I can write it anywhere,and if someone sees me,they can always wonder what I am writing,and I can be secretive.

[AldeberanBlack]

Paper to brainstorm the intial ideas, like character and plot outlines.

Computer to make it comprehensible.

[lacerta_lynx]

Computer is a lot easier: spell check, grammar check, and typing is easier than writing. Handwriting has its charms, but I don't like wasting paper, and I often lose my ideas in the mess that my notebook is, so I mostly write in the computer...

[Goddess_Clio]

I find that typing it out is easier but I tend to get wrapped up in editing too soon because of the ease of revising typed documents (I tend to only make it to about chapter 3 before I begin revisions). Writing long hand gets me to write more of the story down before I'm tempted to revise (sometimes over halfway through the entire story) since it's such a pain to erase or totally rewrite whole passages but then I'm too lazy to transcribe the long hand stuff into the computer. It's a double-edged sword... =^J

[HersheyLipGloss]

I tend to still go towards paper for the above reasons, and I now realize that seeing those red squiggly lines really irritate me- I feel like yelling at the top of my lungs. Plus, what do you think editors are for? They have to do something while they read your book, and I truly like the charm of hand-writing, because it makes you feel as if you care. Plus, it is to easy to lose your work- a lost flash drive, you forgot to save, the blue screen of death pops up, and so much more.

[BubblyShell22]

I use both. Usually, I'll have one notebook for each story if I have any to write so that keeps me organized. If I find I have a new notebook, I'll save that for the existing story or use it for a new one depending on what I want to do. But since I don't have a lot of notebooks on hand, I do sometimes write stories on the computer if I need to. I prefer notebooks though because then the story is right there and you can refer to it if you have writer's block on a part of the story. I do like computers though for some things.

[Wab]

Originally Posted by HersheyLipGloss

I tend to still go towards paper for the above reasons, and I now realize that seeing those red squiggly lines really irritate me- I feel like yelling at the top of my lungs. Plus, what do you think editors are for?

It's not correcting dumb spelling and grammar mistakes.

They have to do something while they read your book, and I truly like the charm of hand-writing, because it makes you feel as if you care.

In the real world of publishing the opposite applies. Slush pile readers have enough grief in their lives without having to decypher handwriting. This is why just about every publisher's guidelines specify a standard serif font, double-spaced and at least 10pt.

Hand-written mss go straight on the reject pile.

[Desraelda]

Originally Posted by HersheyLipGloss

I tend to still go towards paper for the above reasons, and I now realize that seeing those red squiggly lines really irritate me- I feel like yelling at the top of my lungs. Plus, what do you think editors are for? They have to do something while they read your book, and I truly like the charm of hand-writing, because it makes you feel as if you care. Plus, it is to easy to lose your work- a lost flash drive, you forgot to save, the blue screen of death pops up, and so much more.

If you want an agent or publisher (and most publishers won't accept unagented work) to read your ms, you'd better have it spell-checked, proofed and edited before you send it out. Publishers are providing less and less editing services, even for their long time authors and especially below mid-list. Even the mid-listers are complaining that their publishers aren't giving them editors.

The world of publishing is changing rapidly and all you aspiring authors out there need to start tuning in to what's happening.

The competition out there is even fiercer than before. Many traditionally published authors have taken back their digital rights on out of print books and e-pubbing their backlists on their own.

Publishers are trolling Amazon to find indie pubbed best-sellers and offering some very nice deals for the print books. Indies are too savvy to give up their digital rights anymore and the publishers are realizing they have sure-fire winners are their hands.

A forum friend of mine just signed a movie deal with Ridley Scott (Steve Zallain will be scripting) and another deal with Random House for the hardcover and foreign rights. They found him on the Amazon best seller lists. I'm reading it now and it's a great futuristic/dystopian thriller (at least that's how I class it) and I will definitely be going to see the movie.

So, get out on the Internet and do your research. It's a hard world out there.

[HersheyLipGloss]

Thanks about that. I am basing all this on my favorite childhood book by Andrew Clements, School Story. I suppose I should double-check the publishing date.

[leah49]

I've been writing on my computer a lot lately (well, typing) and the other day I was sitting on my bed writing in a notebook. I came across a word I wasn't sure of how to spell. My first thought was to put something down and if it's wrong a red squiggly will appear. It doesn't work that way on paper.

I have to say that I think I'm preferring the computer more and more.

[HermioneLandry]

I like both - when writing for scientific journals, I prefer the computer - literature review and writing the paper all on the computer and no making copies

However for pleasure and journaling I like pen and paper

On another note, I was amazed to read that J.K. Rowling wrote the books with pen and paper...

[asdfasdf17]

I write and plan it all out on paper, like the background story, the plot, the characters, etc. But I'm thinking about putting the information in WORD documents titled Characters, Plot, etc. so that its easier to get to and more organized. I usually tend to write the actual story on paper, and sometimes I might transfer it to the computer so I can edit it easily. But sometimes I find that typing the rough draft on the computer works well for me too. Overall though, I manage pretty well without a computer although I think it's also useful to use.
The only negative about writing is having your hand get tired or cramped. The negative thing about typing is the light on the screen can be harsh after a while and also, if I make a typing mistake, I have to go back and fix it and that can slow me down. Which is weird because when I make a mistake in spelling when I'm writing, I don't even bother to fix it until I'm on the editing part.
If I were ever to send it to a publisher I would type the book though.