I like to sit and admire the azaleas while
writing in a notebook. Photo and blog post
(c) copyright by Max Jason Peterson.
Everyone has their favorite writing tools—and learning how we relate to our tools helps us be more productive with them. For some, staring at a blank page is the hardest part of writing; for others, that clean, pristine page is an invitation for words to happen. Are you motivated by the online tools available to you as a writer, or distracted by research rabbit holes and social media (maybe both)? The tools themselves can help us accomplish so much—including providing the focus we need to accomplish our dreams.
There
are so many ways to write, and I’ve tried a lot of them: writing by hand in a
notebook; composing on a manual or electric typewriter; drafting directly into word-processing
software; dictating onto cassettes or voice recording software and typing it up
later (with and without a dictation pedal to assist with the playback); using
voice typing via a variety of tools and programs. Experiencing these different
tools gives me a wide array of options for creating, depending on the
circumstances—and especially if I find that I need to write, but something’s
holding me back.
I
like to experiment and make note of how well I work with different tools. It
encourages me to know how many words I can produce in an hour while dictating
into a voice recorder and pacing in my backyard, or how many pages I can write
in my notebook while pacing. Yes, moving helps me—something I found out through
trial and error. Listening to music also helps me focus—especially instrumental
music. I need something for my brain to latch onto so that I don’t get
distracted by worries or making to-do lists.
It
might seem that writing by hand is the slowest method. I get less words per
hour overall because I must factor in the time to type it up later. However, dictating
to a voice recorder and typing it up (or even using voice typing and then
listening to the audio version to correct the inevitable and often copious
mistakes) actually produces a lot more extraneous words to cut later. Plus, I
can type more quickly from a notebook page than I can while listening to
dictation; and I can listen to music while I type from the notebook page, unlike
with dictation. Thus, typing from my notebook is a lot less boring than typing
up dictation—an important factor for my overall happiness and enjoyment of
writing.
Dictation
is great for creating dialogue. It’s also great for multiple things, such as dealing
with health issues (various bouts of tendonitis that made it hard to use a pen
or type), or being short on time (I dictated by necessity during a long
caregiving situation when I didn’t have time to keep up with basic tasks or
sleep, yet desperately needed the money from writing). Dictating helps with
creating snappy, realistic dialogue, or just doodling your thoughts when you’re
too tired to sit up and write, or feel too daunted by the blinking cursor or
blank page.
Computers,
among other things, help me be a better editor of my own work. And I learned
during college just how essential composing on the computer can be with a tight
deadline. However, when I have all the time in the world, my laptop makes it
way too easy to dive into a research rabbit hole (seriously, all I really
needed was to check the spelling, and that could have waited till the proofing
stage, but I just spent two hours learning about something that’s not even
going to make it into the final draft) or fall prey to other distractions. Yes,
computing tools do offer various focus modes, but it’s really still up to you
to have the nerve to stick to it. The ability to listen to music on the
computer does help me, but I can do that separately.
Every
tool has pros and cons—both inherently, and in how I personally relate to them, including what
I find useful about them. Actually typing up my words (from a notebook or
dictation) does help me get more familiar with what I’ve created so far, which
is useful for the editing stage. Composing directly on the computer gives me a
better overall word count per hour than with handwriting; yet handwriting helps
me slow down and consider my words so there are fewer missteps. With a computer,
I don’t get as large an overall wordcount per hour as I do with dictation (even
counting the typing time); but the computer is more economical than dictation
on the editing side (fewer extraneous words or passages), and less boring to
accomplish (no typing my existing words). But I’m more likely to be distracted
on a computer than I am with any other tool, and I can’t walk and use the
computer. (I can walk and dictate, or walk and write in a notebook.) But absolutely
nothing beats the computer for being able to edit, shape, and rewrite what I’ve
already written.
What
works and what doesn’t work with each tool? I got my start writing by hand in a
notebook, so that comes most naturally to me—and I’ve always enjoyed the
feeling of accomplishment that comes with filling those blank sheets with my
words.
In
terms of the computer, I sometimes find myself more daunted by the blank
computer screen than the blank sheet of paper. But having words already there,
waiting to be edited? That’s gold.
With
dictation, there can be a learning curve: many people find it weird to hear
their own voices, or uncomfortable to talk to empty air. However, since I also
read my work aloud for public performances (and practice for them a lot), and listen
to a lot of audiobooks, I didn't have too much trouble here. Plus, it gets easier
the more you do it. Nevertheless, the need to fill the air with constant words can
lead to a lot of wheel-spinning out loud that I would normally do in my head
instead of wasting time committing it to the page. Yet if I have very little
time or energy to compose, dictating can be easier than almost any other method
(even the boring back end, transcribing it, can be helpful if you’re very tired—you
don’t have to exert much mental energy, just put in your time). In case it helps with inspiration, Erle Stanley Gardner famously dictated his Perry Mason novels,
and I dictated my first story in Clarkesworld during that intense caregiving
period. So consider giving it a serious try to see if it helps in some
circumstances.
Through
trial and error, I’ve learned to work with myself. I get stuck most often when
trying to compose directly on the computer. I find it easiest to do the first draft
on paper, which I can take anywhere: sitting on a rock at the beach with my clipboard,
pulling a folded sheet or tiny notebook from my back pocket while waiting at a
concert, sitting in my car when I arrived early to avoid traffic, walking
around under the trees at lunch or after work. Then I get to listen to music
while I type and reacquaint myself with the shape of the narrative; indeed,
typing from a notebook often generates further helpful thoughts about the story.
And then I have a bunch of draft ready to be edited, reshaped, and rewritten when I get down to word processing, so
I’m less likely to spin my wheels or be distracted on the computer.
Though
I’ve tried to tell myself I should give up the notebook because the computer is
faster, or that I should compose all my first drafts with dictation due to the
superpowered word count, in the end, the tools that inspire me most are the
ones I started with. I get excited by stationery. Yes, just seeing my wizard
pen or a notebook turned to a smooth, blank sheet fills me with happiness. My
first thought on seeing any new location is how much I'd like to sit there all
alone and write in my notebook—with a gel or fountain pen, so the ink flows
smoothly; or with a ballpoint, whose smell reminds me of furiously composing my
first novels as a teen.
Circumstances
and personal needs change, so it can be helpful to experiment with different
tools and ways of writing and editing. And it’s good to have multiple ways of
doing things in your arsenal. Even if it’s not a necessity based on what’s happening
in your life, the ability to change your tools based on your energy or mood can
be as helpful as sitting in a different place with a new vista to inspire you.
By thinking about what excites you, as well as some of the circumstances in
which you’ve most enjoyed writing, or done your best work—you will find ways to
help yourself create more easily, and with greater pleasure. All of which are
more likely to provide writing longevity, which means you will, in fact, be
your most productive overall.
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For more information about Max Jason Peterson (they/them), visit maxjasonpeterson.wordpress.com or the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram links through gardnercastle.com.
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