In a post on the Killzone blog, Kay DiBianca compares the benefits of handwriting versus typing. Some research suggests that learners retain more information when they take notes by hand, instead of using a laptop. But does that benefit translate in some way to fiction writing?
Writing by hand can give you more focus. You can’t check email and you won’t be distracted by notifications from your notebook. A journal also lets you draw mind maps, doodle, or make notes in the margin as you write.
On the other hand, typing is faster for most of us, and eventually your handwritten text will need to be transcribed into an electronic document. Drafting on your computer saves that extra step. Research can be completed quickly with an internet browser and copy/paste.
But that’s process. What about creativity?
In a 2021 article on whenyouwrite.com, Jessica Majewski says that writing by hand activates your cognitive processes, leading to more inspiration and random ideas. Brain scans have identified increased brain activity when subjects write by hand, rather than type. Studies have connected handwriting to an improved ability to retain long-term information, improved thought organization, and an increased ability to generate ideas.
Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and Quentin Tarantino have all written one or more novels by hand. Not bad company.
