Handwriting and the creative process

There is an interesting essay in yesterday's Wall Street Journal: The Powers That Flow From a Pen, in which writer Paul Theroux explains why writing with pen and paper is an essential part of his creative process. His advice to a woman who sought his comments on her typewritten novel is telling. He only got through the first 50 pages:

In the pages I read of the woman's novel I did not discern any close attention to a word or phrase. "How can I make it better?" she asked. I had the answer. I advised her to put her computer away and to get a pen and a good pad of paper, and then to sit down and copy the 50 pages in her own handwriting—slowly, studying each word.

This advice is unquestionably based on his own creative process. He notes, "The speed at which I write with a pen seems to be the speed at which my imagination finds the best forms of words." Granted, not everyone's mind works the same way, but there is something to be said about the theory that reliance on computers can result in users focusing more on the process than on the content.

Sometimes my mind is racing with so many ideas that I feel I must use a computer to capture them all. When I do, capturing the ideas and expressing them becomes a single step, but not necessarily for the better. Perhaps it would be better for me to brainstorm my ideas on paper, then make the attempt to express them in words a distinct second step. I have a feeling it will be much easier to keep these tasks separated, and to do a better job on the second, by using pen and paper.

It's a short essay, so I won't post any more of it here. Just go read the whole thing. It makes me think there might be hope for me to write something worthwhile.

Handwriting and the creative process

My pen-less vacation

Well, "vacation" is probably an exaggeration. But I stretched last weekend into four days spent with family about 500 miles away.

I had grand plans of relaxing with some pens, paper and new ink samples. My wife drove up ahead of me, and I made sure to send the ink samples with her so I wouldn't risk having them confiscated at the airport security checkpoint when I flew up later in the week. I made sure I had some completely empty pens to take with me on the plane. I packed stationery and notebooks.

I didn't use any of them while I was there. But I did get some peace and quiet, which is probably what I was planning on with the pen and paper. I played two rounds of golf with my brothers in surroundings that were beautiful and very, very peaceful.

Now, I have to brag to the golfers out there. I hadn't played in two years. Yet, on the first day, I was putting for eagle on no. 18 (missed, but sunk the birdie putt), and the second day I had the game of my life off the tee. I must have hit 10 fairways. My scores? No idea. I didn't keep score (but I do know that I was a combined one over par on the top four handicaps on the second day).

All that excitement, you might think I forgot about the pens. No, I remembered they were there. There just wasn't enough down time to get to them.

My pen-less vacation

If the Statue of Liberty were holding an uncapped pen instead of a torch, would the cap be posted?

Since the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France,
I think it goes without saying that if she were
holding a paper tablet instead of a stone tablet,
the paper would be Cairefontaine

I've seen some people rule out pens completely because it is impossible or impractical to post the cap. They can love everything about a pen, but if the cap won't post or it makes the pen top heavy, forget it. That's a dealbreaker.

I was having a chat with someone at the pen show last month about non-posting caps. Her view: that the only people who seem to be bothered by non-posting caps are Americans. Everywhere else, she insisted, people overwhelmingly write unposted.

So, is posting really just an "American thing"? Given that the USA is, according to Wikipedia, anyway, one of only three countries that continues to hold out against the metric system, some stubborn nonconformity when it comes to posting would not surprise me. But it is true?

If the Statue of Liberty were holding an uncapped pen instead of a torch, would the cap be posted?

ShoStoWriMo

Many of you are probably already aware that November is "NaNoWriMo," short for National Novel Writing Month. Full details are at the link, but the basic idea is to get a 50,000-word novel written in 30 days by emphasizing consistent daily writing without worrying about quality as you go. Hey, that part sounds fun!

A 50,000 word novel seems somewhat — make that very — ambitious for me. I haven't even come up with an idea yet! But a short story . . . well, that sounds "do-able."

Thus, for me, November will be Short Story Writing Month: "ShoStoWriMo."

ShoStoWriMo