“A stitch in time saves nine.” –Benjamin Franklin
I am writing this text by using my favorite writing implement: a finely crafted Waterman fountain pen with an extra fine nib and an ultra smooth light ink (South Sea Blue in color). My paper is a smooth, eggshell writing journal, bound in a calfskin leather jacket with a corresponding leather thong closing wraps. The only metal I touch is in my pen’s sleeve connectors, and even that is minimal. I will eventually type my words into my notebook computer and word processing software for editing and layout. You may be thinking, why not initially compose at the keyboard? I compose by hand because my words flow more smoothly if I write by hand, manually without digital assistance.
I write more slowly using pen and paper, and this allows me time to consider my words. I am a persnickety writer when I compose at the keyboard: fussing over each word and phrase. Writing by hand frees me to let my ideas flow, without any editing and evaluation. I am able to test multiple alternatives of phrasing and content, where, if I were to compose at my keyboard, my composition rate (typing speed) often outpaces my thoughts. I find myself writing quickly, but writing the first thing that comes to mind. During the manual writing process, I think of a few turns of phrase before committing my words to paper, yet I feel fully engaged and productive because my hand is in constant motion, albeit, always a moment behind my mental composition.
This is but one example of an activity that works best, for me, if I do it manually. By way of creating the proper paradigm and perspective, I do almost all of my composition at the computer keyboard; however, most of my writing is the creation of academic syllabi, lecture note, blog and e-zine articles, and technical manuals. These are brisk, factual and come out my recent experience; the content is often dispassionate and dry. My personal works: this text, personal notes, and notes to family members are all composed manually using pen and paper so that my feelings and broader thoughts have time to develop fully during the comparatively slower manual writing process.
