When I had to read Anna Karenina for class I splurged on a $24 copy because I thought it looked way nicer. Me and my friends joked about how it was a waste of money but I found that whenever I really started to lose momentum, the nicer copy spurred me to keep going. I definitely understand what you mean about using materials that you like!
Finally. I'm not the only one who writes the first draft of a novel by hand. I use a basic college ruled composition notebook that 200 pages long, and I plan the story, then write it without tech stress. Then, I transcribe it, which gives me an extra look at it, I take some notes, then I expand on the story I have. On google docs, I fix the story and add scenes I feel like I missed, and it defeats the empty page syndrome, since the editing keeps me going. Hope someone finds this method helpful.
When I was a child I wrote stories in little self-made notebooks. When I was a teenager I wrote many stories by hand because I didn't have access to a computer all the time. That way I wrote an 80k story by hand. Now in my 20s I often tried writing stuff, starting over again and again - but on a laptop. It just doesn't flow well on a Laptop. Plus it is limiting me in my writing speed and also in making little notes, doodles and connections between sections or words. But I can do that on paper. Currently I am not writing or planning on writing a story but when I am going to start again, the first draft will definitely be handwritten on paper.
Thanks for sharing this! It’s really encouraging to hear that you wrote such a substantial story that way. And interesting to hear that after all this time, hand writing is still the most effective way for you to write! Maybe something about it clicked early on :) thanks for watching and commenting😊
Thats really cool!! I know what you mean about screens, I should consider handwriting my first draft for my next project. I feel like i look at the computer all day, it's exhausting.
I am writing all of my poems in a 4 x 6 Pen and Gear notebook that was $1.35. Next up - A novel or short story that fits into the 160 pages. Yes, I love the 602 too. I haven't written with a pencil in so long, but fell back in love with it.
I've always struggled with translating what's in my brain onto paper and actually putting words down on the page I've been considering lately if I should try writing the first draft by hand instead and I think this video has finally convinced me to give it a try.
i completely understand what you mean by you end up reading for hours instead of actually writing. i do that a lot and it always feels like i never get anything done. ive been trying to handwrite things a lot recently and i think it helps, and ur video has given me some encouragement to really keep on it so i will! i also usually use either scrivener or a notes app, and if i ever *have* to get a scene out, i drop it in there before returning to the rest of the story
It really slows me down a ton 😅 glad this video was a source of encouragement! With all the software tools available now, it feels weird to opt out of them- notes app is a good friend to me as well :) I’ll generally put an idea in there, then fully write it out by hand when I get the chance
this was super helpful! I hadn’t heard that Gaiman interview but the few times I’ve written in a notebook and then transcribed to a computer I’ve found I like that process a lot, for most of the reasons you mentioned. good luck writing!
the reflection on your drafts are relatable. i think that handwriting is a really valid way of avoiding those issues you talked about, but it definitely comes down to personal preference. i find just as many aspects to physical writing which inhibit my progress as you do with digital. i also agree with the part about sharing your work before its complete, the delayed gratification of showing a more comprehensive story is rewarding, and the feedback is much more valuable. overall great video, i love to see other writers’ methods and compare i’m curious about ignoring the word count. if you plan to publish after a short/long draft, would you then rewrite it with the intent of getting the story to fit a specific length? that could lead to fluffing or unnecessary cutting, how do you plan to approach that
Thanks so much! I agree, it’s always fun compare processes. Glad you’re finding what works for you! And great question- the short answer is that I’m not sure! This is my first time doing this, so anything could happen. I think if it comes up short, I’ll have to be real with myself, and determine whether it needs more words, and if those words would actually make the story better. I’m hoping to have some detailed descriptions, and goofy metaphors and stuff in later drafts, and overall make the prose more interesting- not sure if that’ll shorten or lengthen it though!
With AI able to transcribe now, you can easily write out a lot by hand without the tediousness of transcribing it. If the transcription process helps you, you can utilize that as well
One writing advice I often hear is instead of trying to craft the perfect sentence one at a time, it's better to write every idea that pops into your head and cut away and stitch together a perfect sentence later. In other words, it's easier to remove words from a page full of text, than to fill a blank text full of words. This process seems it would be easier on a computer than handwritten. Have you been able to do something like this when writing by hand?
Great advice!! I think the process of inputting the handwritten words into the computer allows that- it’s a bit of a different process, but you can revise as you go that way!
Great question! It definitely would be hard to find, but I think that’s a feature not a flaw. If I forgot the eye color, I’d try my best to remember, and think more about what I would’ve chosen before. If I get it wrong, I can always fix it on draft 2, and there’s a chance I like the “wrong” eye color better in the end :)
I'm currently handwriting a short story as well, it's a about a curse in a high-mountain village and 5 friends who need to solve the mystery of an old crime that caused that curse, I really love how writing it on paper feels, it's so mindful and so relaxing at the same time 💙, thanks for your video
For me I do the samething with my first draft of my novel but instead of writing with a blackwing pensil it is one of my fountion pens that I love using.
I am a forever novel quitter haha. I write to chapter 6 or so and cant move forward. I go back and spend so much time editing and than getting stuck and sometimes I do just want to write down my thoughts....I need to try something new. I heard Hemmingway said to always write your first draft along with some other authors. I dont think I honestly ever considered writing a first draft by hand....so I started looking around about it hence me here on this video. Im def writing in pencil and Im looking at the same pencils haha!
You should definitely read American Gods if you like Neil Gaiman! It's so good. Also, you mentioned your novel having a sort of absurdist, surreal feeling, so I think you'd like it.
I deeply relate to not writing because you’re not proud of it and not writing because it needs to be as good as your previous work 🥲 I’m glad you went back to pen and paper and that you’re not counting the words! I was also really bummed out about losing the google drive account from school so I’m glad you saved everything. Looking forward to seeing you published book one day!
When I had to read Anna Karenina for class I splurged on a $24 copy because I thought it looked way nicer. Me and my friends joked about how it was a waste of money but I found that whenever I really started to lose momentum, the nicer copy spurred me to keep going. I definitely understand what you mean about using materials that you like!
That’s a great example!! Glad you got to read a copy you really like :)
Finally, 😩 I see someone who's handwriting his book. I thought I was the only one ❤
I'm doing it too! There are dozens of us!
@@misnermayville That's nice. Nothing beats old fashioned, handwritten drafts.
Working on a handwritten draft myself. 😅
No effort is a waste of time. It seems you learned something about your process from each effort. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Andrew! Definitely agree- the process of figuring out what I don’t know never ceases to keep me engaged 😅
Finally. I'm not the only one who writes the first draft of a novel by hand. I use a basic college ruled composition notebook that 200 pages long, and I plan the story, then write it without tech stress. Then, I transcribe it, which gives me an extra look at it, I take some notes, then I expand on the story I have. On google docs, I fix the story and add scenes I feel like I missed, and it defeats the empty page syndrome, since the editing keeps me going. Hope someone finds this method helpful.
When I was a child I wrote stories in little self-made notebooks. When I was a teenager I wrote many stories by hand because I didn't have access to a computer all the time. That way I wrote an 80k story by hand.
Now in my 20s I often tried writing stuff, starting over again and again - but on a laptop. It just doesn't flow well on a Laptop. Plus it is limiting me in my writing speed and also in making little notes, doodles and connections between sections or words. But I can do that on paper.
Currently I am not writing or planning on writing a story but when I am going to start again, the first draft will definitely be handwritten on paper.
Thanks for sharing this! It’s really encouraging to hear that you wrote such a substantial story that way.
And interesting to hear that after all this time, hand writing is still the most effective way for you to write! Maybe something about it clicked early on :) thanks for watching and commenting😊
Thats really cool!! I know what you mean about screens, I should consider handwriting my first draft for my next project. I feel like i look at the computer all day, it's exhausting.
Totally! I think the whole experience is more doable when I can look at paper- funny how that works!
I am writing all of my poems in a 4 x 6 Pen and Gear notebook that was $1.35. Next up - A novel or short story that fits into the 160 pages. Yes, I love the 602 too. I haven't written with a pencil in so long, but fell back in love with it.
I am glad I am not the only one who does that.
You’re not alone!
I've always struggled with translating what's in my brain onto paper and actually putting words down on the page I've been considering lately if I should try writing the first draft by hand instead and I think this video has finally convinced me to give it a try.
i completely understand what you mean by you end up reading for hours instead of actually writing. i do that a lot and it always feels like i never get anything done. ive been trying to handwrite things a lot recently and i think it helps, and ur video has given me some encouragement to really keep on it so i will! i also usually use either scrivener or a notes app, and if i ever *have* to get a scene out, i drop it in there before returning to the rest of the story
It really slows me down a ton 😅 glad this video was a source of encouragement! With all the software tools available now, it feels weird to opt out of them- notes app is a good friend to me as well :) I’ll generally put an idea in there, then fully write it out by hand when I get the chance
this was super helpful! I hadn’t heard that Gaiman interview but the few times I’ve written in a notebook and then transcribed to a computer I’ve found I like that process a lot, for most of the reasons you mentioned. good luck writing!
Thanks tim! Glad it was helpful!
the reflection on your drafts are relatable. i think that handwriting is a really valid way of avoiding those issues you talked about, but it definitely comes down to personal preference. i find just as many aspects to physical writing which inhibit my progress as you do with digital. i also agree with the part about sharing your work before its complete, the delayed gratification of showing a more comprehensive story is rewarding, and the feedback is much more valuable. overall great video, i love to see other writers’ methods and compare
i’m curious about ignoring the word count. if you plan to publish after a short/long draft, would you then rewrite it with the intent of getting the story to fit a specific length? that could lead to fluffing or unnecessary cutting, how do you plan to approach that
Thanks so much! I agree, it’s always fun compare processes. Glad you’re finding what works for you!
And great question- the short answer is that I’m not sure! This is my first time doing this, so anything could happen. I think if it comes up short, I’ll have to be real with myself, and determine whether it needs more words, and if those words would actually make the story better. I’m hoping to have some detailed descriptions, and goofy metaphors and stuff in later drafts, and overall make the prose more interesting- not sure if that’ll shorten or lengthen it though!
With AI able to transcribe now, you can easily write out a lot by hand without the tediousness of transcribing it.
If the transcription process helps you, you can utilize that as well
Yeah I find manual transcription absolutely CRUCIAL because I fix things and add stuff.
One writing advice I often hear is instead of trying to craft the perfect sentence one at a time, it's better to write every idea that pops into your head and cut away and stitch together a perfect sentence later. In other words, it's easier to remove words from a page full of text, than to fill a blank text full of words. This process seems it would be easier on a computer than handwritten. Have you been able to do something like this when writing by hand?
Great advice!! I think the process of inputting the handwritten words into the computer allows that- it’s a bit of a different process, but you can revise as you go that way!
Hi. Great video. I had a question. If you forget a detail, like a character's eye color, is it hard to find in a handwritten manuscript? Thanks.
Great question! It definitely would be hard to find, but I think that’s a feature not a flaw. If I forgot the eye color, I’d try my best to remember, and think more about what I would’ve chosen before. If I get it wrong, I can always fix it on draft 2, and there’s a chance I like the “wrong” eye color better in the end :)
I'm currently handwriting a short story as well, it's a about a curse in a high-mountain village and 5 friends who need to solve the mystery of an old crime that caused that curse, I really love how writing it on paper feels, it's so mindful and so relaxing at the same time 💙, thanks for your video
This is really cool! Glad you’re enjoying the process :)
@@SamDCote thanks 🥰
For me I do the samething with my first draft of my novel but instead of writing with a blackwing pensil it is one of my fountion pens that I love using.
Love that!! It’s definitely nice to use the tools we enjoy most
I am a forever novel quitter haha. I write to chapter 6 or so and cant move forward. I go back and spend so much time editing and than getting stuck and sometimes I do just want to write down my thoughts....I need to try something new. I heard Hemmingway said to always write your first draft along with some other authors. I dont think I honestly ever considered writing a first draft by hand....so I started looking around about it hence me here on this video. Im def writing in pencil and Im looking at the same pencils haha!
This is so real 😅 have you considered writing a 6 chapter story?
@SamDCote no, but that wasn't the intention. If it was intended that way, cool but I'm not sure it's a length thing. Just something missing.
You should definitely read American Gods if you like Neil Gaiman! It's so good. Also, you mentioned your novel having a sort of absurdist, surreal feeling, so I think you'd like it.
Amazing!! I got it from a free little library, so maybe I’ll check it out!
which notebook is in your hand? why not use a thick one?
This is a moleskine journal! It’s just what I had lying around, and I like the size of it- it’s portable and light, which is nice
Why not use an e ink device like remarkable 2 or supernote a5x?
I’d have to buy one, and they don’t have all the things I love about notebooks 🤷
I went to buy one and seen the price, so I decided to buy a yacht.
I deeply relate to not writing because you’re not proud of it and not writing because it needs to be as good as your previous work 🥲 I’m glad you went back to pen and paper and that you’re not counting the words!
I was also really bummed out about losing the google drive account from school so I’m glad you saved everything.
Looking forward to seeing you published book one day!
Glad you could relate!! The file management anxiety is real 😞
And thanks :) no promises yet, just words on a page!