Longhand Projects, Anyone?

The art of longhand and I have a love-hate relationship. I used to be and recently craved to be again a writer that carries around their story with them and steals moments writing under the dinner table, at the movies, at school, etc. So, I have multiple (like a bajillion) blank journals and keep buying more but do nothing with them.

After my computer got a virus, which scared me to think I could have gotten a worse one that actually did corrupt/delete my files (this time I was lucky), I decided it might be best to force myself to write longhand. So, I really wanted to make my New Year's resolution to work my hardest at one or probably several longhand projects (novels).

I was hoping someone else might be doing this? Or would be willing to? Am I crazy for thinking I can write multiple (5-8) novels at once?

At the exact same time? I have written different short stories at the same time but never novels... I congratulate you on your challenge but to honest I like focusing on one thing at a time. Good luck though!

It depends on the length of the story / novel. I've done this with short, children's stories, but not with a full-length novel - largely, I think, because it would become unwieldy & take time to read the last bit I wrote to work out where I am with it. I do have a plethora of small, hand-sized, notebooks that I carry with me on long journeys, but these are for ideas only, not for any significant writing.

I'm going to be working on a rewrite of a novel this year, and I've been playing around with the idea of writing it longhand. I'll join you!

I like the sound of a longhand project. I question if the conveniences of my laptop make me lazier??? I may challenge myself to take on more longhand projects this year.As a romanticist, I certainly see the appeal.

I'm already working on one! I'm on my second notebook, and 286 pages in on this novel. It's been wonderful. I've found it's a great way to focus without the distractions of email, internet, and twitter.

I have another notebook that I love, but haven't found the right story for. I've also got a Chris Baty notebook that I think will be my next one.

I'm working on bulding a daily writing habit, particularly at night... writing longhand is a great way to wind down for bed, without the artificial glow of the computer to keep my poor brain up past its bedtime. It's helped the insomnia, too. :)

I've set a daily writing goal for myself this year, and so far I've accomplished it by writing longhand, and then typing it up later. I don't know if I'm going to keep going with that trend, and I'm not necessarily working on a single project, but I do find it nice to write by hand sometimes.

I think it helps stir up the creative juices to change mediums, and it's a different sort of challenge when you can't delete and rewrite what you've written as easily. It sort of makes you really think about your words.

I'm sort of amazed at how quickly I'm filling up a notebook, though; granted, I picked up the notebook just before November, and it's filled with lots of snippets from that month, but now it's filling even more quickly. It's kind of fun!

I find I do so much better longhand. I am working on expanding the 2011 NaNo creature and have just started another novel that popped into my head a couple of weeks into my down time from NaNo, which is good because that way I always have something to write each day.

Computers are so distracting...for example, look where I am right now -- sigh!

I would love to be able to do longhand, but I write so incredibly slow. Also my handwriting is tiny and my hand cramps up after only a few pages. Maybe I'm just lazy, but I'll be admiring your abilities from the confines of my computer.

OK I'm in! I've had a horrible virus on my computer - my new camera disk had a virus on it and I kept getting sirens screaming out me when I opened any document.

I used to write long hand (in fact, if I didn't I would never be making a film of one of my books. You see, I'd given up on it but took my journal into towrk (not knowing what was in it!) in case I got some ideas. I'd got up to about chapter 6 ... I set the children some work and then set out to see if everyone was OK (they were only junior school kids) and left the journal on my desk without thinking. Then I got a tap on the shoulder. A little girl apologised but she'd "accidentally" read my book and loved it. She wanted ot know where she could buy it ... I froze, wondering which one I'd brought - I write adult books as well though, I'm sorry, I rarely put any sex in them - the publisher said they can get a ghost writer to put those scenes in if they are deemed necessary, which I don't think they are (I know I should have told her off for picking up someone's private work but i didn't have hte hart as I wasn't a teacher, just a stand in assistant. It turned out to be my favourite book, The Wishing Tree. She got me thinking and I decided to take another look at it ... no wonder it had been rejected so often - it was AWFUL! But I plugged away and now the film should be made this year in time for release of Christmas 2013! :-) Strange to think if I hadn't taken that book in we'd never be in this position (and if that lovely little girl hadn't read it! I wish I knew her name)

Since then I've tried to hand write my books as neatly as possible because inevitably I get struck by inspiration just when I don't need it so I'm almost never without a notebook ... it's always those times you are without one that you needi t, of course, as I found out to my cost just before Christmas! :-)

And no, you're not mad to try to write several books at the same time. I have 9 books on the go at the moment - 4 in the planning stages but I've given it a good go at writing the others. I too have countless journals and still by more (which nobody knows about because they are hidden). I use certain types, especially those from Paperchase - they and the ones with a margin are my favourite. Because I'm writing books and seem to have verbal diarrhoea (I simply cannot stop writing - as you can see!) the journals have to be thick. The other problem I have is that I have a permanently broken wrist so the physical act of writing is hard for me ... yesterday I was struck by such a sudden surge of inspiration that I was completely lost in the world of my novel and was writing the synopsis for over an hour - to the extent that I didn't know someobdy had been in the room and talking to me for the last 30 minutes! I felt terrible but I couldn't help that I was so engrossed.

I'll take my notebooks everywhere and keep writing - we should keep each other informed on how we are doing. Apologies for the typing - my wrist and hand is particularly bad today (I'm even having to use a special light cup) - other days I'm able to type reasonably comfortably.

Mel

I really want to get back to writing the majority of my stuff in notebooks, not least because notebooks are really pretty! Plus then I can write during class instead of being struck with inspiration and left scribbling up my arm and having my teacher ask if something is wrong. Once I find a few notebooks (does anyone else use a different book for character profiles, plots, and 'actual writing'?) then I'm definitely doing this.

In a way, yes - but I make sure I use a journal i don't particularly like! Usually it's one of the hardback a5 books which you can get for a pound ... I hate writing charcter backgrounds and plans in my beautiful journals! :-)

Longhand is standard operating procedure for me.

I don't use notebooks though. My medium of choice is 8 1/2 x 11 college ruled paper. I use both sides of the sheet and make sure that I start on line one and end on the last line. My average word count per sheet of paper is between 635 and 670 words, but I use 600 words to make calculations easier and to allow for pages with lots of dialogue. (My NaNo Number is 84 sheets of paper. (Hey, that's two times forty two...))

I number the sheets sequentially so I can keep them in order and know how close I am to my 50K target.

Because I'm hard on such things, I use an aluminum clipboard with a piece of vinyl drafting board material to provide a consistent writing surface and protect the papers beneath.

I like writing longhand because it allows me to write at a moment's notice AND write at my thought speed, allowing a little editing as I go, but not enough to slow things down. Since I don't allow my Inner Editor to rewrite or try for the 'perfect' phrase, I don't have to worry about 'killing' my Inner Editor in order to get word count.

I've done NaNoWriMo sanctioned events four times plus a practice event before trying NaNoWriMo. Results have ranged from 52K to 76K.

I use three wing binders when dealing with storage for things like notes, at least while they are still being created and shuffled.

Completed writings go into pressboard binders. If I'm being fancy, I'll print up a label for the manuscript.

I've always been writing longhand - I just can't seem to write on the computer, unless it's to edit it. I can hit about 400 words per side of paper, so my NaNo was around 50 pages.... 25 leafs? Something like that. But then it's probably because I don't like indenting, so I just make one of those backwards P-with-two-lines thing and keep on writing.

So it all just turns out into this giant block of text that really doesn't make sense to anyone except me.

I usually write longhand first and then type it up. Does it still count if I've been doing longhand all along? Lol.

Whoa, I haven't checked this thread in forever.

Aranel du Lac: My laptop definitely makes me lazy, that's for sure. I know the pain.

Dragonchilde: That's truly amazing! And yeah, the internet can be really distracting.

golfgal08: Yes, wanting to edit as I go is what kills me during longhand. I'll scribble or white things out and it's a horrible habit.

allwritemel: Yes, perhaps we should keep up with each other. That would be cool.

tweedletallie: I have a habit of trying to put things into separate journals and it's a menace. Then again, I've never kept up with it for long enough to say how it turned out.

Hi Lunaka

For some strange reason every time I try to send you a PM it throws me out so I'm having to do it via the boards (this invitation is open to everyone on this thread too).

I just thought I'd drop you a line to let you know about a project I'm working on - this will have to be very quick as we have workmen coming in about 10 minutes ... they didn't bother me much until today (except a little on Saturday!) but for the first time in over 3 years I actually slept like a baby last night - then they rang just now and said they were on their way! :-( I wanted to sleep longer because I've survived on just 2 hours sleep a night for the last 3 years!

ANYWAY, sorry, back to the subject! Told you in one of those other posts that I had verbal diarrhoa, didn't I?!

I really miss the so called stress of nano and have been finding it hard to get as motivated since it finished. So myself and a group of others have come up with The Year of Continous Writing which we thought would be just a couple of us - but it seems to have caught on. I'm currently limiting membership to no more than 20 because so much is going on that it will be impossible to keep up with everyone (one lady said she thought it would be as big as NaNo one day. I HOPE NOT! :-) THis is just a group of friends who are getting together to write, a bit of moral support, a few laughs, maybe the odd competition, you know the sort of thing. But at the moment, only myself and my penfriend Amanda who I met on NaNo are running it.

The rules are few and the parameters are huge. You set your own word count (doesn't have to be 50,000 words) and a lot of different types of writing are counted - I do have an introductory email to show how it works and yes, handwriting is fine too. You also get a newsletter - what more could you ask for? :-)

Seriously, if you're interested, drop me a line at mwinrow1@sky.com - I'd love to have you on board.

Better go because the workmen are here - right outside my room and I'm not even dressed. Ooooops!

Take care
Love
Melanie XXX

I´m writing longhand during the day. If I have a doctor´s appointment I don´t sweat the waiting time because I´m writing! It goes with me wherever I go. If I finish something, like a blog entry or a poem, I type it in at night. But not until it is a finished product.

I´m writing longhand during the day. If I have a doctor´s appointment I don´t sweat the waiting time because I´m writing! It goes with me wherever I go. If I finish something, like a blog entry or a poem, I type it in at night. But not until it is a finished product.

I also get a kick of using a different fountain pen when I run out of ink. I´m loving it!