Do you normally write by hand or type? Did you find this task difficult or easy? Explain.
All of my formal writing, especially for work, is done on a computer. But I still do all my notes and rough drafts by hand. I leave numerous post-its around my desk to remind me of things; that sounds old school, but I find that I pay attention to them more than just throwing a note in my phone. I am also not a very good typist; I’m 2 to 3 fingers max so I do find that handwriting is a lot faster for me to get my thoughts out.
What did you do when you made a mistake or wanted to change your writing? How did you edit your work? Did your choice of media play a part in how you edited your work?
Seeming as I thought of this as a rough reflection, I didn’t go back and edit my work. I did make mistakes however, and what I usually do is try to fix it on the paper; add a letter where I forgot one, fix a spelling mistake, or ultimately cross out a word and redo it. A funny thing: I started this assignment and finished the first paragraph when one of my kids came in and took me off task (they wanted to play chess). Once I came back to my paragraph, I quickly read it over and noticed that I had missed words. Small ones, the ones you just automatically say when you read something even if they aren’t there. I decided to start over again.
What do you feel is the most significant difference between writing by hand and using mechanized forms of writing? Which do you prefer and why?
The most significant difference between these two for me is speed. I write quite quickly; hence why I sometimes end up missing some words. My typing skills are lacking so I am not a fast; my wife can type between 90 to 100 words a minute and makes me feel tremendously inadequate. I also like the feel of holding a finished copy in my hand. I think this is because I am an older guy and haven’t embraced technology to some of the younger generation’s degree. One of my favourite smells in the world is the smell of secondhand bookstores, where I love hanging out in and adding to my shelves; I also have a large record collection in my basement. The pen I use for the majority of my writing was the first gift my in-laws gave me for Christmas. The feeling of having something in the end still resonates with me; I can’t entirely entrust myself to technology with my writing. Plus, I really love my pen!
2 Comments
You said that you missed a few words in your first attempt before your kids interrupted you ( I can SO relate); Do you find that you miss words when you type them up (speed notwithstanding)?
I do the same thing when I write manually so I’ve gradually moved over to typing in order to fix mistakes without having to cross out/whiteout/erase.
I’m such a slow typer that I find that I don’t miss words very often. But I do find that my spelling is worse when I type as I hit the wrong keys all the time and don’t notice until I look up and read what I’ve typed. Sigh… really should have actually tried at that keyboarding class back in highschool instead of playing King’s Quest in the back row.