Good to see a writing by hand video! Once again, I can only marvel at that Visconti pen. I concur with your assessment about clarity of thought. From what I have read, writing by hand activates more areas of the brain than using a computer. That probably explains why writers who do use the computer often still use longhand for notes, as I have seen you do. Personally, I would *love* to write an entire book by hand, not least because it reminds me of days where I would make up stories years ago and fill pages. I also love for purely for aesthetics. When writing in French or German, I find working by hand particularly necessary for concentration and writing better sentences. And yes-- too many choices means no decision! Have learned that the hard way. Thanks for this video!
Ah, you said exacompta! I used their 5x7 journals for over 25 years before I discovered stalogy and the lovely tomoe river paper! Writing today’s morning pages with my twsbi diamond mini with broad nib! Gorgeous little pen. I agree the tactile act of writing by hand is more conducive to creative thought than banging away on a keyboard. It’s good for editing and doing the ‘work’ but the creating is best done by hand. The two books I’ve written were done by hand in the first draft and the editing all done on scrivener;)
I find the handwriting is ideal for getting initial ideas down, but then (having been writing for so many years), when I have a book to write, I have to put it down straight to the computer. I use the Freewrite for most writing because it's so good to be away from twitter, facebook and all the other interruptions, but I have proved to myself that I cannot write my books using a pen and paper, sadly. It's too slow, and just doesn't word for me!
Oh many thanks for that. I look forward to checking this out. Best wishes with the work ahead and I look forward to the update on the 'hand written book' project.
Got the Bloody Mary books - all four of them! Since my local Indigo only had the first one, I had to get the rest from Amazon.Can't wait to get my hands on them! Q: Do you talk about your writing process/writing life in Patreon...like a behind-the-scenes look at your life as an author?
Hi, Pink, All four Bloody Mary books? I really hope you enjoy them. They're very much tongue-in-cheek, and intended to be non-serious, and so far I haven't seen an unhappy review! Yes, in Patreon I have the four main "tiers" - the lowest is a monthly blog about what's been happening to me as a writer; the second has that, but also gives a bit more about the current projects I'm working on along with examples; the third has the first two, plus a video talk about work, talks, contracts and anything else that appeals to me, and the highest has all three plus another video where I respond to questions people have, talk about additional aspects of work, and basically just talk on about any issues the patrons want to hear about! I'm seriously considering another level, which would be a little different, since it would involve mentoring aspiring writers. That would be potentially difficult, since it would mean a lot more time on my side, but it would be appealing to help writers setting out. I'll have to think about that one a bit more before jumping!
I have never been able to visit Vienna. I've heard a lot about it, though. I love Austria, but I always used to visit the mountains rather than the cities!
I really enjoyed this, thank you! I took note of your idea to write on the right-hand page and then use the left side for editing and amendments. That would be a great way to help me organize some of the chaos my handwritten draft takes on. Using that file system (that you likened to Scrivener) is a great addition. Do you have a link to where a person can find it? I may give this method another go for my next book. Book 2 is being published Sept. 1, and then I'll turn my attention to writing again. Thanks for taking the time to update us!
Oh, was also going to add that they say writing longhand opens up your creativity because you don't edit yourself as much. The juices flow faster. But you probably already knew that.
Hi, Dieter - it is made by a company called Q-Connect, and they call it "Bank Paper" - I think because it was originally used for multi-part carbon documents. The thinner paper meant that typewriters and early printers could punch the characters through several sheets. It's in several stores on-line, but don't pay too much. Some want to ask £10-15 for a ream, but I pay less than £5. One site is here: www.buy-stationery.co.uk/q-connect-white-a4-bank-paper-50gsm-1kf51015 Good luck.
@@writerlywitterings Having never heard of Q-Connect, I Googled them. Remember that notebook you bought in NYC only to find out it was made nearby? Uh huh. Q-Connect's head office is here in Gent, Belgium, less than 4 miles from my house. Here's the kicker though: not only do they not have this paper on their website, but if you click on the "Where to buy" their products link, they don't have any distributors in Belgium... *slams head on the table* I also googled the product code. Seems this is only available in your neck of the woods. I'd have to buy this paper in the UK to get my hands on it. With the taxes and custom fees added (thank you, all of you who voted for Brexit!) I'm sure it'll be the same price as Tomoe River.
Good to see a writing by hand video! Once again, I can only marvel at that Visconti pen. I concur with your assessment about clarity of thought. From what I have read, writing by hand activates more areas of the brain than using a computer. That probably explains why writers who do use the computer often still use longhand for notes, as I have seen you do. Personally, I would *love* to write an entire book by hand, not least because it reminds me of days where I would make up stories years ago and fill pages. I also love for purely for aesthetics. When writing in French or German, I find working by hand particularly necessary for concentration and writing better sentences. And yes-- too many choices means no decision! Have learned that the hard way. Thanks for this video!
Thanks so much for your comments. I only hope that one day you'll be able to write your own book longhand, my friend!
Ah, you said exacompta! I used their 5x7 journals for over 25 years before I discovered stalogy and the lovely tomoe river paper! Writing today’s morning pages with my twsbi diamond mini with broad nib! Gorgeous little pen. I agree the tactile act of writing by hand is more conducive to creative thought than banging away on a keyboard. It’s good for editing and doing the ‘work’ but the creating is best done by hand. The two books I’ve written were done by hand in the first draft and the editing all done on scrivener;)
I find the handwriting is ideal for getting initial ideas down, but then (having been writing for so many years), when I have a book to write, I have to put it down straight to the computer. I use the Freewrite for most writing because it's so good to be away from twitter, facebook and all the other interruptions, but I have proved to myself that I cannot write my books using a pen and paper, sadly. It's too slow, and just doesn't word for me!
writerlywitterings understood! You are making that freewrite machine more appealing by the minute!
I'm lucky enough to have a Visconti Bronze Age. Inspired by your review! I look forward to hearing how the project progresses.
They really are stunning pens, aren't they?
Oh many thanks for that. I look forward to checking this out. Best wishes with the work ahead and I look forward to the update on the 'hand written book' project.
:-)
Thanks for the update Michael, and the blogpost. Interesting that when you can work from anywhere, you found you worked nowhere!
Ironic, isn't it!
Got the Bloody Mary books - all four of them! Since my local Indigo only had the first one, I had to get the rest from Amazon.Can't wait to get my hands on them! Q: Do you talk about your writing process/writing life in Patreon...like a behind-the-scenes look at your life as an author?
Hi, Pink,
All four Bloody Mary books? I really hope you enjoy them. They're very much tongue-in-cheek, and intended to be non-serious, and so far I haven't seen an unhappy review!
Yes, in Patreon I have the four main "tiers" - the lowest is a monthly blog about what's been happening to me as a writer; the second has that, but also gives a bit more about the current projects I'm working on along with examples; the third has the first two, plus a video talk about work, talks, contracts and anything else that appeals to me, and the highest has all three plus another video where I respond to questions people have, talk about additional aspects of work, and basically just talk on about any issues the patrons want to hear about!
I'm seriously considering another level, which would be a little different, since it would involve mentoring aspiring writers. That would be potentially difficult, since it would mean a lot more time on my side, but it would be appealing to help writers setting out.
I'll have to think about that one a bit more before jumping!
Thx for your review, Manfred here from Vienna in Austria, the land of Mozart
I have never been able to visit Vienna. I've heard a lot about it, though. I love Austria, but I always used to visit the mountains rather than the cities!
Sounds like a good plan; much success :)
:-)
I really enjoyed this, thank you! I took note of your idea to write on the right-hand page and then use the left side for editing and amendments. That would be a great way to help me organize some of the chaos my handwritten draft takes on. Using that file system (that you likened to Scrivener) is a great addition. Do you have a link to where a person can find it? I may give this method another go for my next book. Book 2 is being published Sept. 1, and then I'll turn my attention to writing again. Thanks for taking the time to update us!
Oh, was also going to add that they say writing longhand opens up your creativity because you don't edit yourself as much. The juices flow faster. But you probably already knew that.
:-)
Dear Michael, many thanks for the update on this fascinating project. Could I ask which 50g paper you are using for the task?
Hi, Dieter - it is made by a company called Q-Connect, and they call it "Bank Paper" - I think because it was originally used for multi-part carbon documents. The thinner paper meant that typewriters and early printers could punch the characters through several sheets. It's in several stores on-line, but don't pay too much. Some want to ask £10-15 for a ream, but I pay less than £5. One site is here: www.buy-stationery.co.uk/q-connect-white-a4-bank-paper-50gsm-1kf51015
Good luck.
@@writerlywitterings Having never heard of Q-Connect, I Googled them. Remember that notebook you bought in NYC only to find out it was made nearby? Uh huh. Q-Connect's head office is here in Gent, Belgium, less than 4 miles from my house.
Here's the kicker though: not only do they not have this paper on their website, but if you click on the "Where to buy" their products link, they don't have any distributors in Belgium... *slams head on the table*
I also googled the product code. Seems this is only available in your neck of the woods. I'd have to buy this paper in the UK to get my hands on it. With the taxes and custom fees added (thank you, all of you who voted for Brexit!) I'm sure it'll be the same price as Tomoe River.