Why You Should Write by Hand

I write by hand because I am a fast typer. I type faster than I can think. Before I finish a thought, I’ve already started typing the sentence. Then, the red squiggly line appears under my misspelled word. I quickly change it. Now the beginning of the sentence does not sound right. So I rewrite the entire thing. After that’s done I realize I had no idea what I was actually going to say.

On paper, you are exposed. No spell check. No grammar checks. God forbid, no word count. But I like that.

When I was in high school I would take 6 to 8 hours writing a paper in one sitting. I got decent grades- A’s and B’s. Although I got by in my classes pretty well, I would still say my writing was mediocre. I was not known as one of those people that was a “good writer.” That title belonged to people who aced AP English. I considered myself more of a math person anyway. It’s when I started write by hand that I suddenly became a “good writer.”

It happened by accident. My freshmen year of college I was too lazy to bring my heavy laptop to the library. Instead, I brought my notebook and my pen, snuggled in one of the cushioned chairs facing the windows, and worked on my three page paper.

Something beautiful happened. I started off weak, unsure of what to say. Most of my first paragraph is rambling. Once I hit the second or third paragraph I became confident -I knew what I wanted to do and I knew where this piece of writing was going. That’s when I sprinted. My ideas ran, overcoming sentences, galloping through paragraphs. Although I’m eager to reach the main point, I pace yourself, recognizing that this is part of the journey. That was the first time I thought my writing was something to be heard and shared.

That sensation I feel when I write by hand is something difficult to experience when typing. Typing is like a series of sprints. You start off strong, then you take a break on Facebook. Then you go back and you’ve lost your fire.

Writing by hand is collecting your thoughts. It’s slowing down. It’s meditative. It’s not judgemental.

Typing is critical. It auto-corrects you. It compels you to spit out extra words because the sentence looks too short. Don’t get me wrong typing is great. It’s great for tweaking, fixing, spelling errors, editing, and afterthoughts. It’s great for second, third, and final drafts. But it does not belong in the business of building thoughts.

Writing is personal. That’s why we write our cards and letters by hand. Handwriting is a tangible object that encapsulates emotions, memories, and your experiences. The letter captures a little piece of your mom, dad, grandma, best friend, or lover. The same care you give to writing a letter should be given to your reader.

When you write on paper, it is pure. It is you, your pen, and paper. All your focus is placed on this one task. At this place you can let your mind chatter as your hand doodles across the page. There are no instant instant messages, tweets, or notifications that distract your thoughts. Just you -without the 454 friends you have on Facebook. You write full coherent thoughts, not those half thought out tweets.

Writing by hand allows you and the reader’s mind to wander in a natural way. New thoughts emerge once you are in the writing zone. Both you and your reader are delightfully surprised by what you uncover. Sometimes the best ideas come out when you aren’t grammatically correct. Those words and phrases that would have been discarded through spell check.

I dare you. Bring only yourself, a notebook, and a pen. Leave behind your phone, laptop, and wristwatch. Decide to write until it’s done. Don’t stop. Just write. Accept that your first few paragraphs are babbles. You will know when you’ve reached to the richness part of writing. You don’t have to even have  full sentences. Write the conversations in your head, don’t filter yourself, and let it happen.

I promise that you will get lost in your writing, making the process actually enjoyable rather than painful. I can’t guarantee that you will have a full coherent piece of writing. However, I can guarantee that your writing won’t be bullshit that you made up to fill the word count. It’ll be your real words and real thoughts. Your reader will see it. And you will be enlightened by your own ideas.

Quick Tips on Writing by Hand:

1. One page of lined paper holds about 250 words.
2. Use pen. Never erase. You might end up using the material later.
3. Write neatly. This will help you out when your typing up your work. Believe me.

Photography credit:  Roco Julie on Flickr. All photos used under Creative Commons licensing.