25 Authors: Pen and Paper or Computer
25 Authors: Pen and Paper or Computer
25 Authors: Pen and Paper or Computer
Camp Pen & Paper
C.S. Harris
Pen and paper. I used to compose at the computer, but then Hurricane Katrina wrecked our house and I had to write a book while living a vagabond existence for 11 months without anyplace to set up my computer (I didn’t have a laptop and don’t like them). I found I loved writing by hand so much that I’ve stuck with it. Recent studies have shown that the tactile stimulation from holding a pen actually enhances creativity, so it’s not my imagination.
Hallie Heald
scrap piece of paper and pen
Marc Graham
Pen & paper, for the brain stimulation handwriting provides that the keyboard can't
Bella Ellis
Pen and Paper, quill if I could get away with it. I’m not a fan of modernity.
Jane Bernstein
A green Pelikan fountain pen on lined paper.
I bought that pen just before my first-ever writing workshop. It’s a stubby plastic pen that doesn’t look special. But the nib is a soft gold. It’s the perfect pen for this lefty and eggs me on when I lack confidence. Think of how much we’ve written together, it tells me.
Camp Computer
Delia Owens
Computer. Can't write a thing by hand anymore. Can't even read my own grocery lists.
Wendy Wax
I have a fairly good imagination, but I cannot imagine writing a 100,000 plus word novel with pen and paper. (And I notice you didn’t offer white out.) I’m constantly rethinking what I’ve just written or tweaking to get the phrasing and timing just right. My usual rhythm while writing: Type… type…type. Delete… delete… delete. I doubt I could write a cohesive story without the ability to insert, rewrite, or delete. I’m definitely never giving up the cut and paste feature.
Elizabeth Ames
Computer, though I’m a glutton for office supplies. I can’t read my own handwriting, nor keep up with my own thoughts when writing by hand, but you’ll never pry glitter pens and washi tape from my clutches.
Natasha Lester
Definitely computer! I have the world’s messiest handwriting — I often find it hard to interpret the scribbled notes I’ve written to myself about a scene that’s sprung to mind so there's no way I’d be able to read an entire book that I’d written by hand.
Holly Peterson
Laptop on lap while lying down.
Susan Mallery
Computer. I type somewhere around 120 words per minute, so I can keep up with my thoughts a lot better that way.
Brenda Janowitz
I would love to be all romantic and say pen and paper, but the truth is: computer.
Sonya Lalli
Computer all the way. Not only to I have terrible handwriting, but my hands wouldn’t be able to keep up with my brain. When I write, I type everything - usually imperfectly - for as long as I can, and then go back later to see what I can salvage.
Mhairi McFarlane
I'd love to say pen like a romantic but do you know what - any author telling you they write longhand is either lying or on a contract like Donna Tartt's, a book every decade. It's just too inconvenient. I do however stay on brand as a romance author and general gadabout by writing on a rose gold MacBook Air.
Anna Murray
Computer. My goal is to wear down the “E” key so you can’t see the letter anymore. I have yet to meet an E that can beat me.
Beth Morrey
Computer every time. I can't write longhand any more, my hand cramps up. I don't use those newfangled programs like Scrivener though, as I don't understand them. I have a very elaborate and illogical filing system that keeps track of characters and timelines. It occasionally lets me down and I discover that everyone in my WIP has a Welsh surname or three people are called David.
Camp Both
Louise Candlish
I have an ancient MacBook Air and constantly threaten to throw it out, while clinging to it. I also have a notebook with ‘Bestseller’ engraved on the front, a gift from an optimist friend!
Heather Harpham
Both. I can’t handwrite fast enough to keep up with my thoughts, and so I need the speed of typing. And, I’m so grateful for cut and paste, as re-ordering material is half the battle, half the craft. Order and timing are everything! At the same time, the computer can take me only half the way there. I always edit by hand, with physical pages. Somehow the writing doesn’t feel real until its printed and tangible. Seeing your writing on the page helps you put yourself in the reader’s place, and to suddenly know what is extraneous or not yet right. Holding first draft pages is like holding a map, or a guide to get you someplace you want to be, but have no idea how to reach.
Anna Lee Huber
Normally computer. But I have discovered that if I’m stuck, picking up a pen and paper to write often gets me out of my jam since it utilizes different areas of my brain.
Jeanne Mackin
Both. Because I’m left-handed and my handwriting is often illegible even to myself, I usually write directly at the keyboard. But when things get stuck in my head I go back to pen and paper to slow myself down a little, to take more time with each word. I had a writer friend who, when she was stuck, would limit herself to one word per page! Slowing down like that, she said, really clarified what she wanted to say.
A. J. Banner
Oh, I love this question!! I keep a handwritten journal in a lined notebook. I use a Dell XPS 13 laptop computer for manuscript revision, and I own two typewriters for typing scenes for first drafts: a 1956 Hermes Rocket and a 1968 Olivetti lettera 32. I absolutely love typewriters and want to buy another one!
Lauren Layne
I always do the actual writing on the computer, but I love to use a pen and paper for brainstorming! Lately, though, I’ve been using my iPad and Apple Pencil, again because of the minimalism thing. I was a little dismayed by just how many pens and notebooks I had (unnecessarily).
Erica Boyce
I write all my first drafts with pen and paper because it gives me more time to think before writing things down. Typing everything up on my computer after that is a pain, though!
Camp Other
Sophie Jordan
Alphasmart
Abby Jimenez
cell phone actually. I write all my books on my phone with my thumbs
