Handwriting for a Change
I spent part of yesterday morning handwriting a list of the things that I need to fix in Brass and Glass 3. And while I’m definitely the sort of author who can’t imagine what it was like to write without a computer on hand, there’s something about writing by hand that can change your perspective on what you’re working on.
For me, having a handwritten list of things to fix means that as I fix each of them, I can cross that off my list, which will be super satisfying as the list gets closer and closer to finished. For writing, sometimes a pen can let the words flow in a way that a keyboard can’t. One of my favorite stories is one I wrote while sitting on a dock with my bare feet dangling in frigid lake water. Unsurprisingly, it’s a story that is very tied to the water, and it’s one that I would have had a more difficult time writing if I was inside the toasty warm house.
So if you need a change of perspective on something you’re working on, try a good old-fashioned pen and paper approach to see what comes out. Even if it isn’t productive for writing, sometimes it can be just the act of stepping away from the computer that gets your brain working differently and helps you solve the problem.
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