I'm really proud of myself. It looks like I'm going to finish my first full on book.

I've done so so so many outlines in the past and super summarized treatments etc.

But this pup is on schedule as an audiobook and I even found someone pretty cool to edit it for me.

However now that I am an everyday writer the claustrophobia of sitting at the exact same place to write everyday because of the technology issue is bonkering me out a bit.

I even have an old laptop but the battery situation makes it virtually unusable as anything but a desktop in a different static location?

So today at the bookstore like I always do I go to a rack of stuff that is stuff I'm into. I pick up yet another "writing etc etc managing creativity etc etc" type book and there is literally a whole chapter to the importance of writing with pen or pencil on paper.

Here is why that bothered me.

1. I LOVE writing in fancy, premade, journals already yet have forced myself to abandon in because what goes in their just stays in their as no matter how good the story is it is to painful for me to simply retype exactly what I penciled in? Argh, I'm a creative and its hard enough to finish one when ten more are firing in like rabid locusts! Retyping sucks!

2. Since all data today at somepoint ends up in a computer format, isn't it the most logical to just start it there?

(geez I'm becoming such a writer I can't even get to the point anymore?

SO... WHAT DO YOU WRITE ON! How do you do it? What is the whole step by step process you get that wild imagination into printed or recorded mass market format?

I plan on paper, do drafts at the computer, revise with a red pen on paper, then do final polishing at the computer. Away from home, I have an Alphasmart.

The big experiment coming up, though, is I've ordered speech recognition software, and I'm going to try working that way. I have pretty significant RSI issues and want to type less. But the tactile element is pretty well engrained; I don't know how well it will work to write out loud. But it might be good enough for recreational typing, like this, which would help a lot.

As long as I'm writing, I'm not particular as to what I'm writing on.

Recently, though, the medium DID make a difference. I was struggling with my main character. I had shifted into her brother's POV (and absolutely fallen in love with her brother), but I didn't know how to shift back. It scared me. Had I fallen out of love with my main character? Yikes! Oh, no!

What would it take me to get back into her head?

It popped into my mind exactly what would get me back to her. The physical act of writing it down. I was lying in bed at the time poring over the dilemma, so I mentally put myself into the position. I sat myself outside at one of the tables at work with a fresh notebook and pen in hand. What would I write first? Well, first I would describe the weight of the book in her lap...and the whole scene just fell into place.

Good thing I learned to use computers. I love my computer. I feel crippled without it because I need the ease of editing, of copying and pasting and moving things around. I love it. Did I say that I love it?

I currently have a laptop, which is handy on occasions like, say, Memorial Day weekend where I can take my computer WITH me on the family holiday and get an hour's worth of writing in before everyone else gets up. But I'd be equally happy on a desktop unit.

I have Dragon Naturally Speaking Standard v7. I used it for a couple of the early chapters of my novel when I had some early carpel tunnel syndrome. (Reversed, fortunatley). I wasn't willing to give up writing.

The speech recognition software is great when you need to rest your arms, but it is a bit expensive.

Benefits:
* You can write probably twice as fast as you can with your hands.
* You don't need to touch the keyboard very often.
* The software learns your voice and vocabulary
* You can still use the keyboard

Drawbacks:
* You must proofread *VERY* carefully. The software will interpret any sound you make, such as clearing your throat, as a word. It also misunderstands you from time to time, and when you proofread, you have no idea what you said.
* Training the software can be a pain in the arse, especially in SF/Fantasy where you invent words.
* You need a quiet environment, probably without background music.
* You have to wear a headphone/microphone.

Overall, if you have RSI problems, the software is great, but you need to train the software to your speech patterns, and you have to train yourself to interface with the software efficiently. Just remember that your proofreading efforts need to at least double.

When I am brainstorming or worldbuilding, I scribble randomly on whatever. I can't do that part on the computer. Using a keyboard makes me want to write complete sentences and watch paragraphs grow. It isn't organic and flowing in the way a blank sheet of paper and a pen are for me. The pen has to be a good one of course. But I typically scrawl all over the page, use sentence fragments, sometimes draw pictures, or just write down single words or phrases.

But I don't do any actual drafts by hand. I'm far too impatient at the speed and forget what I was going to say next by the time I get there, which means my handwriting gets worse and worse and faster and faster until at last it is unreadable even by me, and I'm still not going fast enough, and then my hand cramps up and I give up in frustration.

Guess how long a 9-year-old laptop battery at 50% lasts? If you said 12 minutes, you're RIGHT!! No warning or anything. Sigh.

Anyway, I'm in Survivor's "rock beats paper" camp. Tried it, can't do it. I need to be able to cut/paste big swaths during drafting. Scissors and tape get messy.

I use a touchstream dvorak keyboard, which makes a big difference for my RSI. Even a regular keyboard on Dvorak mode is a big step up. I used Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor to learn.

And then I figured it out, my father had a microphone and had been playing with some speech reginition software. It'd been on the whole time, and everytime it picked up voices it globbed gibberesh on the screen.

I write most of the time on my laptop, but also use my Palm and a keyboard when I don't want to lug the laptop around.

I can type a bit faster than I can write on paper (unless I don't want to read my own writing).

I love the computer. Mr Simpson would have a cow about now if he knew that his typing class has helped me do this.

But overall, I enjoy writing on paper mostly, but the paper looks like poo when I start to rewrite.

But my opinion only.

well... it's either pen/pencil and paper or full-size keyboard attached to a computer...

And neither does the public space where I go (former train station lobby). No trees there, either.

Lisa

First, I may or may not write an outline. Then I start writing--on paper. I've written my three novels entirely on paper (in pencil...in cursive, which is...weird for me). Then I start slowly typing it up on my computer. After that, I revise and edit a few things on the computer when I know I'm going to waste ink printing it out. If I can manage to print out a manuscript, that's what I do and then I go through and mark everything I need to fix in red or blue ink. Then I go back on the computer and revise everything I marked.