Apr 26, 2012

Handwriting That First Draft


"But there is obviously more to writing than typing. What I'm really doing is composing. Composition requires focus. It is, like most acts of creation, monotasking.

I stumbled upon this great article by Patrick E. McLean entitled "A Defense of Writing Longhand." It totally struck home, since I am struggling through the first draft of a new play called THE DOLPHINS OF MARS. I realize I always write out my first drafts in longhand. I do the first round of edits as I type in that draft, because it forces me to re-read my own work.

Why do I use a pen and paper the first round through? the same reason I doodle in my sketchbook... I just need to get the ideas out as fast and furiously as possible. Inspiration does not wait on my slow-ass hunt-and-peck typing skills. Plus, there is that nice feeling of being about to hold a notebook - that tangible thing - in your hand, filled with scrawled-on pages and think, "Yeah, I made something where before there was nothing."


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