Please feel free to view or read my handwritten script it in its original codex form below (click the three dots to view in full-screen on the bottom right of the image for best results) or, you can view the PDF below it in scroll form. Choose whichever is more comfortable for you.

Excerpts from the Camino de Santiago by Alexis R

Writing by hand versus typing on a computer

This task was a fun task for me because I actually prefer to write by hand when writing creatively or in a journal. Although I find it a lot easier to type and “fix” mistakes when using my laptop for example with the help of a few buttons, I also enjoy seeing the mistakes when writing by hand and contemplating my changes as I revise my writing before proceeding further. I also don’t feel the pressure to correct my mistakes instantly when writing by hand, which allows my creativity and ideas to flow in a freer fashion on the page. I usually pause when I run out of ideas and then go back to revise, rather than having the pressure of having to correct as I go along as indicated by the very prevalent red underlined words my automatic word processor indicates (ever so subtly). When I do make a mistake when writing by hand as in this activity, I tend to cross out the word and write the new word or corrected spelling/grammar above it or even on top of it at times. I also generally type in printed mechanized fonts whereas I write by hand using cursive writing so as to alleviate the pressure from having to write super neatly and accurately and to encourage the free flow of the pen forming letters and words more easily.  It may look quite messy by the end but, when I read through the completed text I can make the final call if I would like to keep certain words previously changed, replace them with new ones or take them out completely. On the other side, I find punctuation a lot easier when typing rather than writing by hand perhaps due to the blue reminders my word processor gives me when I forget a comma or other punctuation mark.

The process of writing by hand is definitely felt a lot more physically in my hand and wrist and I sometimes have to pause and shake it out as I am used to typing now and only occasionally practice this “exercise”.  I also tend to get ink or lead all over one side of my hand being a left-handed writer, occasionally smudging my work as I go, which is never pleasant.

I personally think the most significant difference in terms of writing by hand and typing on my computer is that I am able to review all my pages at one time rather than having to scroll up and down on my computer to see the whole text when revising it in its entirety. Of course, I can choose the option on my computer to view all of the pages at once, but this leaves me with my pages shrunken down into indiscernible type and therefore not the best option for revision.  Writing by hand I am also able to move all the pages physically side by side, write on the back of the paper causing me to flip it forwards and backwards easily or if I want compile the pages into a little book (if they are free sheets of paper for example).

All of the reasons mentioned above combined alongside the personal desire to preserve the tradition of handwriting from a cultural perspective are reasons (although it may take longer and look messier), I prefer writing by hand.