44 thoughts on “Results of the TKZ Handwriting Experiment”

1. Debbie, my first novels were written long-hand, pre PC days. I also edit as I go, and my trick was to write a footnote number where I needed to do a big change, then I’d flip over to the backside of the paper, write the footnote number, then do what I needed to do. A bunch of my editing is filling in what I left out so this works quite well.

   • Footnoting is a great idea, Marilynn. Thanks!

   • Marilynn, that’s a smart idea!

   • I agree, this is a terrific technique! Thanks for sharing it, Marilynn.

   • Footnoting is a good tip, Marilynn. Thanks.

2. The interesting thing to me about this experiment was that I am more relaxed writing long-hand than at a keyboard.

   While the pressures of time preclude always writing long-hand, what I’d like to do is dedicate some time to writing long-hand one day a week, say on Saturdays. Perhaps, since I find it easier for scenes to come long-hand, doing it regularly will transfer that free-flow to my keyboarding sessions too.

   That, and I must remember to transcribe my writing within a few days while it’s fresh, because my handwriting is terrible! 😎

   • Even my Buck Rogers secret decoder ring can’t translate my handwriting.

     • I love this reply! I might have to borrow it in the future (no BR pun intended there) because that’s so terribly true for me as well! Ha ha!

       • My handwriting is also atrocious. Apparently there’s a contingent of us here at KZB 🙂

   • BK, I feel that relaxation when writing longhand, too. There’s something about the smooth loop-loops that sooth the soul. It’s just not the same with the tapping tick-tick of a keyboard.

   • Thanks again for suggesting this experiment, BK. Each of us had a different approach and a different experience.

     And now we know TKZers have something in common in addition to the love of writing. We all have terrible handwriting.

     • Um . . . I don’t! But it’s getting worse every year . . .

       🙂

3. An interesting experiment. I type fast; longhand would slow me drastically. I make changes as I go; good ideas might get forgotten if I wait. I insert notes to myself flagged with “zxc,” a fast sequence that is easy to search on. There is a botanic garden 3 or 4 miles from me, and I sometimes sit under a tree and write with a pen. Mostly, I brainstorm there, not much scene writing. It’s quiet, and I can walk the shady or sunny paths to let things perk before the next stint. I may try that again soon.

   • Sitting under a tree and writing sounds like a wonderful way to come up with ideas in an idyllic setting. I’m reminded of Omar Khayyam. “A book of verses underneath the bough …”

     It’s interesting that each of us is coming up with a custom-made way to add a little handwriting into our journey.

4. A complaint I’ve heard many times about writing longhand is it’s hard to read one’s own handwriting. I use a French-ruled notebook to write. (Been using these notebooks for years for my Morning Pages.) It’s a grid of squares with three horizontal lines in each square. (Google French-ruled paper for an image.) It significantly helps to keep my cursive readable!

   • I will definitely look that up, Priscilla! Thank you!

   • Good morning, Priscilla.

     Thanks for taking part in the experiment, and thanks for the tip on French-ruled paper. I need a new notebook, and I’m going to give it a try.

     I’m looking forward to your book about the poet. Having a poetic epigraph to introduce each chapter sounds intriguing.

   • I just searched that, Priscilla, and does it really have all the little squares? I don’t think I could handle that . . . 🙁

     • Yes, it does. It actually scared me a little until I looked up a few articles on how to use it (a few YT videos, too).

       • I ordered a French-ruled notebook. Looking forward to transforming my handwriting to something that other people can read.

5. I do my most productive editing while transcribing my handwritten drafts.

   • Several of us found the editing during transcription to be productive. I wonder if going from one medium to another has something to do with that.

6. Thanks, Kay, and your group of researchers. Very interesting. I found bits and pieces in each researcher’s comments that seemed to be my experience (from past experimenting with paper vs. puter).

   I like pen and paper to brainstorm, sketch, mind-map, etc. But after that, I switch to the computer. Since I can type faster than I can write, and I often have trouble deciphering what I wrote (if it’s been more than a day), I find it more efficient to work on the computer after the initial creative abstract ideas coalesce into something more concrete.

   I don’t think I’ll change my approach, but I would like to learn to write more legibly. I should practice that.

   Oh, did anyone mention their favorite pen. I like to write with the Pilot G-2 07. Feels a little like writing with a fountain pen.

   • Good morning, Steve.

     It’s interesting that each of us finds our own way to incorporate handwriting into our writing habit.

     Thanks for mentioning what kind of pen people use. Other than Patricia who used an iPen on her iPad, I don’t think any of the rest of us commented on that. I usually grab the nearest ballpoint pen and start writing. Maybe I should rethink that.

7. I regret having missed the original post on this as it looks like it was a fascinating experiment for all involved.
   Like Marilynn, my firsts were done longhand, before I purchased an electric typewriter (which my roommates HATED), but as soon as I mastered the basics of Word on a pc, I was in heaven!
   I could (almost) keep up with my thoughts, and I no longer had to worry about my atrocious handwriting!
   Like Debbie, mine is mostly unreadable. It’s a mishmash of cursive and block print (the latter being a holdover from my sign-making days), with a touch of shorthand thrown in. I do still send handwritten correspondence, but to make it legible, I must stick to the signmaker’s “block print” and use a very specific pen to slow my hand!

   I suppose overall, I’m still a hybrid.
   Seeing the scene unfold can happen anywhere, at any time (usually inconveniently, like at a meeting or in the shower. Aren’t we all like that?)
   Like Robert, I’ll make notes on paper (envelopes, sticky notes, receipts, napkins… whatever’s to hand. There’s even a ruled-paper binder in my truck for this purpose!) Later, I’ll convert my scribble to type, and, unless the notated scene corresponds to something current, it gets slotted into a folder labeled as “Shorts.”
   But for clear scene composition (stitching those jotted scenes into something useful), I need the ease of a computer. My version of J Gunther’s “zxc” is the highlighter function.

   • Thanks for your comments, Cyn.

     Over the years, I migrated to block print, but I’m going to write my longhand in cursive. I’d like to try the French-lined paper Priscilla recommends to see if that helps.

8. I am a major plotter. Before I even sit down to type a scene I write out by hand the goal of the chapter and what is important to get across (mystery clue, foreshadowing, MC or C’s personal life, etc.).

   With that said, once I had an idea and sat up all night and typed over 8K words – most of which I loved.

   SO WHAT DO I KNOW!!!

   • Good morning, Michelle.

     I like your idea of writing out the goal of the chapter in longhand.

     8K words in one all-night session! I’m in awe.

9. Thank you, Kay and intrepid researchers for performing this experiment. It’s fascinating.

   My first two novel attempts, many years ago, were written in longhand. The second was a complete novel, which I finished while accompanying my wife to a lace making conference she attended at the University of British Columbia. I scribbled furiously away in the dorm room while she was at the conference.

   I find writing in longhand accesses my creativity a bit differently than typing. These days, I’ll write a fragment of a scene or brainstorm on paper. The other big benefit is that it can be a great “block” breaker when I’m having trouble getting moving, say pas a plot issue or overcoming self-doubt about what I’m writing.

   The problem is that my handwriting is atrocious, and, at times, it takes a lot of effort to decipher. Years ago I checked out a copy of “Write Now”, a book on handwriting in basic and cursive italic by Barbara Getty and Inga Dubay but didn’t get far. I should pick up a copy and really give it ago.

   Fascinating post and a great start to the week.

   • Good morning, Dale.

     “I find writing in longhand accesses my creativity a bit differently than typing.” This was also my biggest takeaway from the experiment.

     From all the comments today, it sounds like we should all take a look at “Write Now.”

10. Love Debbie’s Buck Rogers decoder ring! I do find writing longhand taps into a part of my brain that typing doesn’t, and I need to discipline myself to do it more often. I’ve been thinking through my keyboard for so long it’s hard to revert to longhand.

    • Good morning, Patricia.

      I agree with you that longhand adds a dimension to our writing. Now if I can just discipline myself to write some longhand every day.

      We definitely need to get Debbie to write a post on that decoder ring. 🙂

11. Very cool experiment! It was interesting to read where everyone ended up.

    We weren’t allowed to have bad handwriting so that’s never been an issue for me.

    For morning pages and project notes I use a blue Pilot V7 (though I have them in a variety of colors).
    For my work journal and submission book I use blue fine point Cross Classic Century.

    For storyboarding I use post-it notes inside a file folder (different color for each project. That keeps it portable since I’m on the go most of the time.

    Happy writing, however you do it!

    • I admire your organization, Cynthia!

      I also use post-it notes for storyboarding. (I plan a “post” on this soon.) I like your idea of using the file folders to hold the post-it notes. I use the three-door closet in my office — not very portable. 🙂

      • Art folios will hold more sticky notes than file folders. I may get one to hold a monthly calendar.

        https://www.dickblick.com/products/economy-art-folios/

12. Ah, those with young hands and the option of writing long hand. Two of my careers destroyed the joints in both thumbs and writing with pen and paper are no longer an option. Even before that my handwriting was unreadable. My staff at my flower shop used to bet each other with pitchers of margaritas who could decipher my writing, even my printing. Sigh. I tried to write as fast as my thoughts. Disastrous.

    I plan to look into Priscilla’s suggestion of the French Lined Paper. Anything to help improve in my writing. Tere are times it is the only option.

    So, for me, the laptop is the only option. I’ve gotten so used to it, that I find even for cards and letters I write them out on my computer and then copy them onto paper when I must because I find it easier to compose, mentally. Our brains are fascinating organs, aren’t they?

    • Please excuse the typo. Proof we can’t proofread our own work. I read my response several times before posting and still missed it. Ugh.

      • We can awl identify. 🙂

    • Good morning, Cecilia. Glad you stopped by.

      Thank goodness for laptops, eh? I’m also looking into the French-lined paper Priscilla recommended. I can use all the help I can get.

      “Our brains are fascinating organs, aren’t they?” Indeed!

    • Our brains are the biggest puzzle in the known universe.

13. I journal in long-hand. Somehow, my feelings flow better with pen and paper. I tried journaling in a log I created on my laptop, but it felt too much like work.

    And for authoring stories? I do better with my computer because it’s faster.

    This was very interesting, hearing all the varied methods. Truly, no two authors are exactly alike . . . which is why authoring is so much fun. 🙂

    • “Truly, no two authors are exactly alike ” So true, Deb. We each have to find our own way.

14. I don’t know whether mind mapping on a graph paper pad counts as longhand but I do that quite a bit.

    • If it’s pen and paper, I think we should count it as longhand. 🙂

      Thanks, Robert, for your participation.

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