I love to write on paper.
For a writer, I DON'T LIKE TYPING! I know some writers feel the same too.
Now, since my phone is almost always with me, I type multiple times more often than I write on paper (I miss it every time) but I've learnt to live with it.
I'm not terrible at it at all (well, 'terrible' is relative) I just don't like it.
I must confess though, my note app, (Google Keep Notes) which I don't see myself changing anytime soon, has been a blessing so far. It has saved me a lot, and has never let me down (I hope it doesn't do that ever).
So, why my dislike for typing?
My love for paper is more than the artistic or sentimental reasons. It's beyond the feel of paper, or the excitement that comes with writing in a new journal or notebook (I love customized notebooks).
It's beyond the fact that my handwriting matches my mood, environment and even the kind of pen or pencil I'm using. Such that if you are looking through what I wrote, my handwriting can inform you of my state of mind before you even read the actual thing.
It could be big (very rare) and bold or small (usually) and curvy or illegible and rushed. It could be beautiful or untidy or straight or with doodles or just plain annoying. You'd never get that with typing (sadly).
My love is beyond all these. It’s the fact that the rate at which I think matches the rate at which I can write. So I’m writing and I’m able to pen down multiple thoughts (sometimes unrelated) very fast and most times I would be able to write everything before I forget.
With typing (you guessed right), it's a struggle.
I don't type as fast, so I'm thinking and writing and it can become frustrating very quickly. Because in the seconds it took me to type, say genuine (one of my word-nemesis), I'd have completely forgotten what was supposed to come next and then I'm scrambling.
I know what you are thinking now.
“So, learn to write faster”.
Well, I’m definitely better at typing now but, there is one other reason why typing isn’t my bestie.
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It’s the weird fact that typing doesn’t aid my writer’s block, oh! and my attention span; it even worsens it (I think). If I’m struggling to write, I’ve learnt that writing by hand helps way more than typing.
However strong my love for physical notes is (you will usually find a pen and a piece of paper on me), it hasn’t been feasible for me to have the opportunity to always use them. So, I found the next best thing, recording.
Dear Writer, if you have the same issues with typing as I do, you should try speaking those thoughts that run through your mind out loud (and audibly).
I've found it therapeutic to record my thoughts as they come and write them out later.
This works if you have a cordial relationship with your own voice. If you aren't comfortable listening to your own voice (Hi fellow comrade, it's nice to meet you), well, to be or not to be?
You'd have to learn to, at least enough not to cringe every time you hear yourself speak. I did it, so can you!
Let me tell you now that it's an acquired taste. Sometimes you find yourself ending with the totally opposite of what you started with. It's also usually crude or raw so you'd have to refine it as you rewrite.
But that's my story, you could be blessed and it comes out cleaner for you.
Yeah, it doesn't end there. You can just transcribe your recordings (the best ones are usually not free).
Or you could be like me and sit down one day (could be months and years later) and write that recording into perfection.
While it might be impossible to never type (you’d even have to type to comment on this😊) except you hire someone maybe,🤷🏾♀️ voicing your thoughts and recording it might be helpful sometimes.
So, there is today's writing advice🌹
This advice, (if it counts as one) is very relative you see, do with it as you see fit😌
Welcome To August 2024✨
p.s I typed this from beginning to the end, and it wasn't supposed to be this long. I'm not even sure this was all what I intended to say when I thought to do this.
I deserve a reward😊
©Chesed
