When I first started writing novels, I mostly wrote them in notebooks and then later typed them up. I vastly preferred drafting in notebooks, because this was in the days before I had a laptop. Even now, a notebook is much more portable. It doesn’t need batteries. I don’t have to worry about some little glitch making everything go poof! and gone.
But there’s no denying that typing is far faster than handwriting. Even if my handwriting speed were to exceed my typed words per minute, there’s always the matter that eventually, these words will need to make their way into some kind of computer program if I want them to be published.
There’s just something about sitting quietly with a pen and notebook, though. I love the feel of the pen gliding across the paper and watching the words come to life. I love being able to hold the notebook in my hands and count how many pages–the physical act of turning pages is immensely rewarding. And I even love how chaotic it can get if I need to add scenes or take things out, with little arrows and asterisks littering the pages as I try to make sense of where the words go.
How do you prefer getting your words down? Typing? Notebook and pen? Dictation? Something else entirely?