New research suggests that writing by hand helps us remember.
These past couple of years, as I’ve begun to take the craft of writing more seriously, I’ve found that writing by hand tends to make me more thoughtful and more engaged in the writing process. Also, when I compose ideas for stories on paper, I tend to have better recall of those ideas than those I tap out on a computer, smartphone notes app, or tablet.
Now there’s some research that supports the idea that writing by hand helps us remember.
Continue reading “Writing (by hand) to remember”
This being Valentine’s Day, maybe “On killing your sweethearts” would be a more appropriate title for this post. But since most writers are familiar with the phrase “kill your darlings,” let’s stick with that.
I was scrolling through Threads last night when I ran across a discussion about the phrase, thanks to a post by the novelist Michael Chabon.
My journaling routine begins early in the morning. Writing longhand in a notebook is one of the first tasks of my day.
As a follow up to my recent post about confronting the blank page (or blank screen), I wanted to describe my writing routine and, I hope, prompt some of you to share yours in the comments.
But first, a short back story:
Once upon a time I journaled consistently. Then I fell out of the habit. I don’t know why. Got busy, I guess.
Continue reading “My writing routine”How much should you write in one sitting? And for how long? These are questions that nag at me daily.
Once we’ve embraced the idea of beginner’s mind and have opened ourselves to the limitless possibilities before us, it’s time to get down to the act of writing itself.
It’s time to begin. And sometimes, that’s the hardest part of the writer’s experience.
Sometimes, despite our best intentions and efforts, we freeze before the blank page or screen before us. Where to begin? How to start? How to conquer the tyranny of the blank page?
Continue reading “The tyranny of the blank page”
