Boost Creativity by Writing on Paper

I read Jenny Bravo Books Blog Why You Should Write Your Novel on Paper.  It had some valid points, so I gave the concept a try, not with a novel but a short story. Here is what I discovered. The link to the original blog is below.

Jenny begins with a comment on how a blinding white screen is tiring and can deaden creativity. I agree. There is nothing inspirational about it at all.

When I am stuck on how to phrase something, what word to use etc, I get up from the desk, wander around the house a couple of times, tossing the thought in my mind. 

The movement seems to help get the ideas going. I also get to pick up dirty washing, rinse the few dishes in the sink and do other little tasks that don’t require great concentration.

In relation to hand writing she said, “the tactile movement, the distraction-free nature, and the feeling of connection encouraged my story.”

Let’s look at some of her points.

• Margin writing. - If I'm writing a scene on paper, I get tons of ideas. I use the heck out of my margins, writing ideas for future scenes or characters, and brainstorming when I need it. Comment: It’s true. It is easier with pen and paper to note down ideas as you write. Just make sure you use pre-ruled paper. Nothing stifles creativity like having to draw lines on a piece of paper.

• Page-flipping, line-filling greatness. There's something amazing about the feeling of flipping a page filled with your own words. This is a great way to see your progress in full scale!

When I wrote Angel with Drumsticks I conducted several interviews with the central character. I used a recorder, but I also jotted down notes of key points. The book was always handy to note additional ideas and thoughts. When I finished I had a large exercise book filled with my handwriting. It was very messy with scribblings all over the place, but it made me feel proud. It hit home how much I achieved more than the final printed edition of the book.

• Prevent Self-editing - There is no “delete” key when it comes to pen and paper. When you write your novel on paper, it allows you to get everything out in the open before your brain kicks in to fix it. All the misspellings, all the unfinished ideas, all the questions are welcome on the page. It starts with a big mess. Editing comes later.

It really does allow creativity to flow better. How often have you lost your train of thought because that wiggly red line popped up and you went back to correct it.

You can still edit your story. Don’t like what you have written? Put a line through it. You can still read it later if you change your mind. I live in horror of deleting passages on the computer because once they are gone you can’t get them back unless you save draft after draft after draft.

Take it with you - Notebooks are portable and easier to carry than your laptop around. Tablets work, of course, but then there's the keyboard. Also, you never have to charge a notebook. Hooray for eternal battery life!

I hate keyboards on both laptops and tablets. OK I’m showing my age because I started with typewriters but honestly, you really can’t bash away at their keyboards when you a are in the middle of knocking off your villain.

Transfer your text, get ideas - There are plenty of good things to be said about the process of transferring scenes from paper to print. It gives you new ideas, a new way of seeing things, a fresh look at what you’ve already written.

My other thoughts
I am a bit of colour code freak, so I always have an array of coloured pens on the desk. I use these to make any changes as they come to mind. They stand out more than using the same blue or black pen and much quicker then changing the colour of fonts on the computer.

Like many writers I lie in bed and concoct the most brilliant storyline or wake in the middle of the night knowing exactly how to describe my character. You too?

Now, think about it. You get up, turn on the computer, wait, and wait some more while everything loads, open your word processor, wait some more – idea gone! All you manage is jotting down odd bits and hope they make sense in the morning.

It’s a lot more effective to just get up, grab a pen and paper and write, write, write.

Even when I was writing this blog straight onto the computer, I got distracted with formatting the document and lost my train of thought. Idiot, time to take your own advice (or Jenny’s)

http://jennybravobooks.com/blog/write-on-paper

Now, the only thing I must do is improve my handwriting, so I can read it and avoid having to type it up straight away.