tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5636684364171689598.post6297800293375430891..comments2023-10-29T01:48:35.863-07:00Comments on The Dark Corner of the Mind: Writers' Tools: The NotepadRyan Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11093880801598251933noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5636684364171689598.post-20869416871656969922011-03-06T20:40:08.285-08:002011-03-06T20:40:08.285-08:00Lindz: Ah! That was the other thing that using a n...Lindz: Ah! That was the other thing that using a notepad really helps me for: It keeps me away from the internet, that master of procrastination.<br /><br />J.Andrew:If only I were blessed with your power! My typed pages are double-spaced and all that jazz, and I'm going to keep it that way until it's time to publish. It's so useful for line-edits, which I sometimes do at the end of a chapter. (But of course, this is all WELL before I do my revision passes. They aren't my final drafts.)Ryan Sullivanhttp://thedarkcornerofthemind.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5636684364171689598.post-64381690932274795902011-03-06T13:27:09.077-08:002011-03-06T13:27:09.077-08:00I guess I am completely opposite. I only write at...I guess I am completely opposite. I only write at the computer. 25 years as a programmer has blessed me with a fairly good typing speed. If I try to write longhand that fast, my wrist cramps within a page or two.<br /><br />I don't edit as I type, other than to fix misspellings or the like. When it comes time to edit, I print out a single scene, double spaced, with wide margins. That hits the clipboard and I use my colored pencils (don't judge! I like colored pencils!) to mark it up. Doing that longhand forces me to spend more time thinking about what I am doing and what I want to say.<br /><br />Markups then go back into the computer. I don't have any pretty formatting though. I use a single chapter in each file, 12 point Verdana zoomed in until it fills the screen.<br /><br />--j--Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5636684364171689598.post-87449530035266668572011-03-06T09:08:23.082-08:002011-03-06T09:08:23.082-08:00I'm definitely a typer, and yes my rough draft...I'm definitely a typer, and yes my rough draft is fully formatted with header, page numbers and even a little symbol I drew that appears at the start of every chapter.<br /><br />That said, I can't be sitting at my computer all the time, so when inspiration strikes I keep a little notepad on me at all times. I notice when I scribble in my near illegible hand-writing that what gets to the page often feels way more organic than when I'm sitting at my laptop.<br /><br />I can't open up facebook, or fiddle with the type of font, I just write... Sometimes the power my computer has over me is a little terrifying. There's something to be said about the power of a blank page and a pen.Lindz Pagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04663646312808701883noreply@blogger.com