Assignment Recap: For this activity, I wrote a 500-word diary-style entry by hand instead of typing. The goal was to experience the slower, more deliberate process of manual writing and reflect on how it compares to digital text production. I found that it changed my pace, made me think differently about mistakes, and left me with a more tangible product.
Reflection on Manual Writing
I usually type almost everything I write, so it felt a bit different to sit down with pen and paper for this task. To my surprise, it wasn’t as difficult as I expected. The words flowed fairly smoothly, and I only made one mistake the entire time. Instead of rewriting the section, I simply crossed it out and kept going. That small edit reminded me that handwriting leaves a visible trace of the process, unlike typed text where mistakes disappear instantly.
The biggest difference I noticed was the pace. Handwriting slowed me down compared to typing, which actually made the writing feel a little calmer and more deliberate. When I’m at a keyboard, I tend to race ahead and then fix things afterward. With a pen, I had to think just enough ahead to keep the sentences moving in a steady way.
Physically, handwriting reminded me of how “manual” the process really is. My hand started to feel it by the end, and my writing became a little less tidy as I went on. At the same time, there was something satisfying about seeing a full page of ink build up line by line. It felt more personal and tangible than looking at words on a glowing screen.
In the end, I still prefer typing for most schoolwork because it’s faster and easier to edit, but I appreciated this task. It reminded me that writing by hand can give a stronger sense of connection to the words and a clearer record of the process.