This task was harder than I thought! I started off thinking how hard would it really be to write down a few words but I had no idea writing five hundred words by hand would take me this long, and make me think so hard. I wrote a page thinking this may be five hundred words but it was only a hundred! I use my diary to occasionally write down my feelings, make plans, track goals etc but writing something creative after so long turned out to be a challenge. At this point in life, I am more used to typing although back when I used to be in school, writing by hand was the norm and not a challenge at all.
When I made a mistake, I either just went along with the mistake, disregarding it, or cut out the word to write what I wanted. While writing by hand, I realized I care less about the mistakes than when I am typing. I also tend to reread my typed sentences for grammar or spelling mistakes, or they are automatically highlighted so I am more aware of them. While writing, I did not bother rereading what I’d written and just went along with it.
Also after writing for a while, my handwriting automatically became sloppier than when I had started and it almost looked like I changed fonts. But I did not care as I realized I am immersed in the process. Much more so than when I am typing.
I definitely used to think typing and writing by hand were interchangeable ways of jotting down words but I was wrong. Typing on digital devices has literally changed the way we think on a very deep level. At least for me, it no longer requires the same attention span or focus.
I think I prefer both ways for different reasons and contexts and would not want to lose the ability to write with my hand ever.