I think it’s sad that we’re losing the practice of writing things by hand. Of course, having computers and phones and word processors is fast and easy, and it makes it much harder to misplace your work or spill your coffee on it and ruin it forever.
The truth is, there is so much simple joy in writing something by hand. I’ve been trying to do this a lot more lately, just scratching out a rough draft of a short story in a notebook, or filling the blank pages of my poetry journal with thoughts and musings. Now, this doesn’t just have to apply to stories. Letters, study notes, even to-do lists, could all be composed on a good old-fashioned lined piece of paper instead of on your phone or laptop.
But what’s most important to me here is writing, really writing, by hand. Just picking up a pen and a piece of paper, and letting the thoughts come. There’s no backspace bar, no distractions just a click away – it’s just you and the words. I think there’s so much beauty in that, in letting your hands get stained with ink and cramp up from the effort, in filling a page or five with thoughts and scribblings. There’s something so raw, so real, in unplugging for a little while and letting your imagination work itself out on something concrete.
Whether it be the beginnings of a story or poem or novel, a journal entry for the day, or just observations on what’s going on around you, embrace this (dare I say it?) antique approach and pick up that pen.
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