For Task 4, I chose to write a manual script in the style of a journal entry. The topic I chose is my mom’s recent visit for my 40th birthday.
Whether I choose to write by hand or to type on a computer tends to depend on the type of writing I am doing. I typically write by hand when writing personal pieces- things like journal entries, dumb little poems, and letters to friends and family. I also write by hand when making notes from course reading material. I find that when writing by hand, I absorb the information better. When typing, it feels much more mechanical, and I often find that I’m not really paying close attention to what is written. Because I do a fair amount of writing by hand, I found this task to be relatively straight forward.
Because this written piece was done in a stream of consciousness style, very few edits were necessary. When I made a spelling mistake or other error, I would simply cross it out and continue writing. Interestingly, I find that when I make a mistake while writing by hand I notice it and make the correction immediately, before I continue writing. By contrast, when typing I typically don’t notice my mistakes until the word processor catches them for me. I’ll generally type out the whole piece before going back and making any corrections. I’m not sure how this really affects the final product, but I feel that when typing I’m able to “get the whole thought out” at once, making edits later, whereas by hand I am continually thinking about what I’m saying and editing the work as I go along.
Probably the most striking difference between writing and typing is the fatigue that sets in when writing by hand. I notice my work gets sloppier as I go along and I wonder if this impacts the message that I’m trying to convey. I can’t say I really prefer one method over the other- I think it’s important to take context into consideration. Typing works better for me when writing formally, when I need to proofread and ensure that language, tone and spelling and grammar are all correct. But when I’m just working through my thoughts, I prefer to write by hand. Seeing the piece come together slowly is pretty rewarding, and I often feel a sense of clarity when finished. That said, I rarely go back and read the words I’ve written- I find the act of writing is enough in and of itself.
