1.4 - Pen VS. Cursor - Own Your Distortion

A question that shouldn’t come up, but it does. A lot. 

Should I do my freewriting by hand or can I type this? 

Don’t get stuck here. You’ll never find your way out. 

It’s not about the tool; it’s all in how you use it.

A client of mine said she does all of her daily freewriting by hand, so she's not tempted to use it before it’s ready (trust me, your freewriting is never ready to be used. More on this in Module 2).

Again, there is no right way to do any of this, only YOUR way of making it happen. 

Whatever you use, make sure it is something you can use consistently. I’ve had some manner of notebook within arms reach for the last ten years. Everyone has a smartphone with a million different apps that can capture notes. A handful of 3X5 notecards can be your friend. So is “the cloud.” 

Hemingway wrote his drafts with a pencil. A PENCIL. Everything else was typewritten. Writers have been getting their thoughts to the page for a millennia without "apps" or "the right pen."

Frankly, if you can't do it with a No.2 pencil and a stack of loose-leaf paper, then it wasn't meant to happen.

Whatever your means, the goal is to have it down with intention while also reaching for it in the odd moments when things come to you, when there are observations to be made. 

When you sit and freewrite, the last thing you want is to be fresh out of ideas. Show up with half a thought, or with something you dreamt about, or something that came to you while you were on your way to pick up the kids. If you spend 20 minutes looking for an idea, the time is wasted, and you’ll likely never keep it up. Later, you should be jotting down ideas that come up as a continuation of those 20 minutes. 

Back and forth, over and over again, until you find yourself thinking like a writer. 

Create Your Process: Hands down, end to end, Google Keep is one of the simplest applications for getting your ideas down to a place where you can work with them and let them grow. Whether you go digital or analog, your notes should be easy to review and add to, while still giving you the flexibility to grow.