Sorry for all the typos and even the wrong word (it should have been pane) I was writing near supper time and must have been really hungry! Also my tablet keyboard has a mind of its own sometimes 
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In an altered form, it very well could be a āpainā of glass.
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Speech recognition software is what I use to get my ideas, and books, on the page as well as any computer use generally. In this way, I donāt let my physical disabilities get in the way of my creation.
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Got done transcribing one of my handwritten outlines a little bit ago and realizedā¦ this chapter introduces my characters into what might be considered āExtreme Hide and Seek.ā Theyāre onboard a locked-down ship, and thereās a murderer hiding somewhere onboard. O_O
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Hand written in longhand? Give me a break. My penmanship is so bad that even I canāt read it. Back in the dark ages when I got my start as a writer, I carried the obligatory pocket notebooks but my note taking was a slow, laborious process because I had to print everything if I wanted to read my notes. When small cassette recorders became available, it was a day to celebrate. Today I carry a digital voice recorder. Today I often dictate my text into my Notebook or Laptop using voice to text programs. Anyway, I have written nothing in longhand since graduating from high school and then college back in the 1960s.
I do both. Mostly I type straight into the wordprocessor, but if I need to āthink aloudā I prefer to do that by writing it down on paper. I also prefer paper when Iām doing an especially difficult scene, partly because it feels more organic somehow but more I think because there are fewer distractions. I also find it helpful at those times to be lying on my sofa, so I write on A6 sheets (A5 folded into little 4-page booklets) I bulldog clip to an A6 piece of cardboard. That way it feels very disposable and throw-away while still being permanent. When I get around to typing them up I cross out the sections or pages so I know Iāve captured as much of it as I want.
I write fast, but print for clarity, and writing small helps a lot since the pencil doesnāt move far. I even found 0.3mm propelling pencils and 0.3mm 2B pencil leads so the letters are crisp and I donāt need to worry about stopping to sharpen a pencil.
The above image is one such A6 page. Iām a bit short-sighted so I have no trouble reading it - usually!
I guess I write 80% on computer, about 20% on paper, and occasionally dictate short emails or notes to myself if I donāt have either of those handy.
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Mostly typing although I will turn to handwriting if I need a change of pace. Also, certain types of revising I will do on printouts of the work rather than on a computer as it helps me see the text differently. What is 100% handwritten are my notes. Writing things down has always been my most successful way of learning things, so now I keep a ābibleā of everything story related: character histories, development, floor plans, maps, research notes, outlines, histories, music etc. in a specific journal-like notebook. Itās organized with an index that grows as the notes do and is beginning to tell its own story about how my current project is coming to be.
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Handwriting? Ohā¦ noooooooo. While my writing would look fine for a few paragraphs, it would quickly change to something unreadable. Plus, my hand would ache.
Writing in Word, with it set up as an actual 6x9 book works for me.
I used to only write longhand- with a sharp pencil and soft eraser. But my hand had trouble keeping up with my brain! The main reasonā¦ I write on the go- in the doctors waiting room, on the plane or train, on the beach (my favorite place!) on lunch break. Now I have small laptop so it travels with me.
And I no longer worry about that soft eraser wearing away!
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As a recently retired āmulti media marketing creativeā, typing still feels too much like I am at work, so I have been using longhand for my newest novel attempt adventure.
So far so good, although I do worry about when the time comes to type it all up!
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For fiction, I prefer typing. I never get far handwriting fiction. When Iām writing poetry, however, I prefer handwriting the first draft.
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I hand write 1st drafts. 2nd draft usually starts with transcribing my 1st draft into my computer, changing and inserting as I go. After that I 3rd draft it and show parts to my critique group. Their advice, if I choose to accept it, is included in the 3rd.
I have done blog posts and short stories exclusively with a keyboard (though many of my short stories start as handwritten).
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I almost always type when writing fiction. I find good ideas tend to come to me as my fingers dance over the keyboard. I find handwriting too slow, and too hard to revise. However, Iāve read that handwriting improves creativity because youāre actually creating the letters as you type.
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