tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post2330844090519458991..comments2023-10-31T10:59:03.023-04:00Comments on INKSPOT Crime Fiction Blog | A Place for Mystery, Mayhem, Writing and Life: The Scratch of Pen on PaperLinda O. Johnstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512430135042480450noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-82866731196448728642010-09-17T16:26:02.136-04:002010-09-17T16:26:02.136-04:00Mmmm...yellow legal pads. Fabulous, Keith. I wonde...Mmmm...yellow legal pads. Fabulous, Keith. I wonder if we'll become more than metaphorically "wired" to our computers in the future.<br /><br />Beth, I haven't heard the word "cursive" in forever! And I remember back when penmanship was part of getting a good grade on a paper.<br /><br />Lol, Carol. Good advice -- especially about getting carried away with your own prose!<br /><br />Romantic, Darrell? Hrm. Add that to Sue Ann's comment that I make writing sound civilized and genteel, and I'm starting to wonder about myself. Mostly I just think of it as messy.<br /><br />Kathleen, you strike a chord when you mention fresh perspective. I think that's exactly why I've been writing by hand lately.<br /><br />Elizabeth, when you described writing at the pool or while you're waiting to get the oil changed in your car, I always imagined you writing in a notebook. Now I'll think of you typing away. ; - )Cricket McRaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786996969148417569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-82033143554682924972010-09-17T14:32:47.477-04:002010-09-17T14:32:47.477-04:00I used to write on paper, in the good old days bef...I used to write on paper, in the good old days before the deadlines came too quickly! <br /><br />Since it takes twice as long because we have to transcribe our scribbles to Word (well, mine are scribbles, anyway!) then I'm forced to use the computer. But I LOVE writing on paper. And, when I get a block, I'll pull a notebook out.Elizabeth Spann Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625595247828274405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-89511041918043345042010-09-17T13:59:41.545-04:002010-09-17T13:59:41.545-04:00I write on computer, but like you, I have a separa...I write on computer, but like you, I have a separate notebook for each project. I use it to take notes, to brainstorm, and sometimes--if I'm feeling stuck--to write. Putting pen to paper definitely helps me find a fresh perspective.Kathleen Ernsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009876100214388898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-53614333894333257742010-09-17T12:54:25.544-04:002010-09-17T12:54:25.544-04:00I'm always amazed when I hear that someone act...I'm always amazed when I hear that someone actually "writes" a novel. I'm with Beth on this one. I do everything on a lpatop for one simple reason... I can't read my own handwriting.<br /><br />But it is a rather romantic picture you paint, Cricket.Darrell Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08394984700734588887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-1796072616581872992010-09-17T11:56:45.992-04:002010-09-17T11:56:45.992-04:00Ooooh, I want one of those banana paper notebooks....Ooooh, I want one of those banana paper notebooks. As for writing by hand, to avoid cramping follow these rules:<br />1)Grasp pen loosely.<br />2)Do not press pen heavily against page.<br />3)Try out pen before purchasing.<br />4) Warning. Do not get carried away with your own prose. Pen will have to be pried from your cold fingers.Carol Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14396587145906682529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-29797215538983576862010-09-17T11:15:30.984-04:002010-09-17T11:15:30.984-04:00My handwriting has deteriorated over the years, si...My handwriting has deteriorated over the years, since I rarely write in cursive anymore. I really have to think now to hand-write a note on a card! I've become a faster typist, though. :)Beth Groundwaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13999372882748655834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-83237393531115368172010-09-17T11:14:43.619-04:002010-09-17T11:14:43.619-04:00Cricket, I envy you, but those are old days I can&...Cricket, I envy you, but those are old days I can't get back to. I wrote a whole thesis in pen on yellow legal pads, but now my fingers on the keyboard seem to be diectly connected to my brain. No keyboard to tap on, no words generated.Keith Raffelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02926077627965529183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-69835421868179839802010-09-17T10:57:18.710-04:002010-09-17T10:57:18.710-04:00Sue Ann, with your incredible productivity I can d...Sue Ann, with your incredible productivity I can definitely see why you stick to the keyboard. I'm envious of your white board --they're my favorite way to plan!<br /><br />Alan, perhaps the latent engineer is combined with a latent doctor re: the handwriting? <br /><br />Gin, I love WH Smith! It is a disease, isn't it. Btw, Target has really cool file folders, too, with all sorts of geometric designs on them.<br /><br />Lois, I touch type around 90, which is a little ridiculous. For me, it's nice to slow down sometimes, but I can't realistically produce as much by hand. No doubt I'll be back at the keyboard in a month or so, banging away as our 8th grade teachers hoped. ; - )Cricket McRaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786996969148417569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-62592784761141793952010-09-17T10:17:59.860-04:002010-09-17T10:17:59.860-04:00I'm with Sue Ann on this. I type everything. I...I'm with Sue Ann on this. I type everything. I find my thoughts flow faster if I type rather than hand write. And my hands don't cramp up from typing the way the hand holding the pen tends to cramp after a few minutes. Of course it helps to be able to touch type at around 60 words a minute. I can thank that mandatory typing class in 8th grade for that skill!Lois Winstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01866423986250423199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-28613260762861998862010-09-17T10:16:55.778-04:002010-09-17T10:16:55.778-04:00Target has banana paper notebooks? I am there.
L...Target has banana paper notebooks? I am there. <br /><br />Like you, I have high and inflexible standards for notebooks. The rules or grids can't be too big or too narrow. The paper has to be white and the ink neither too pale nor dark. Blue is infinitely preferable to black or gray. Gray is bad, in fact.<br /><br />Whenever I go to England, I do a major run on WH Smith stores. They make these notebooks with hard plastic fronts and backs, with a band to hold the pages together. Various colors.<br /><br />This is a real sickness, you know? Made worse this time of year by all the back-to-school supplies.G.M. Malliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13805971625496094303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-4510910977320342522010-09-17T09:56:54.143-04:002010-09-17T09:56:54.143-04:00I'm with you on the graph paper (the latent en...I'm with you on the graph paper (the latent engineer in me, I guess), but I only hand write stuff when I'm on the go and a laptop isn't feasible. Of course, that's a good thing--my handwriting is atrocious.Alan Orloffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03695574442723430347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3529128955266044151.post-71223255969309628562010-09-17T09:18:24.235-04:002010-09-17T09:18:24.235-04:00Cricket, you make writing sound so civilized and g...Cricket, you make writing sound so civilized and genteel. As I read your post, I can hear the sound of your pen again the paper accompanied by chirping birds. It's lovely - truly - but far removed from my process. I haven't hand written anything beyond a check in years, and even that is rare. Scratch that, I do take notes in meetings at work. But that's about it, and those are typed up as soon as the meeting is over.<br /><br />When I write, I jot notes on a huge white board on the wall next to my computer, and jot a few words on a calendar representing the time line of the story. That's it. Everything else goes straight from my brain out my fingers and into the computer. Even ideas I get for new projects are typed up and printed out and put into a file for the future. <br /><br />I know a lot of writers do like to hand write their first draft. If I did, it would take me two years to complete a book, maybe longer.Sue Ann Jaffarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09984054116933714621noreply@blogger.com