I was just wondering what other people prefer to do - type their stories/poems on the computer or hand write them. I have always found writing things by hand impossible. I feel as though I am committing myself to whatever I put down on the paper first, and I hate the way that I can't write with the same speed as I can when typing. Making mistakes it always messy, involving rubbers or crossing out.
I never thought this was a problem, but recently I read 'The Ode Less Travelled' by Stephen Fry (which I recommend to anybody interested in writing poetry). In the list of 'rules' at the beginning of the book, he said that it's vital to write your poems down yourself in a notebook. Other pieces of 'writer's advice' that I have read have said much the same. Would you agree? Is there something about hand writing your work that is either more satisfying or more effective than typing it?
I type most of mine. Simply because I can then copy and paste, and then edit one version and compare, and move things around more easily etc...
On the other hand, when I'm at work or out and I have a thought (a rare occurrence) I like to write it down as fast as possible. When I get back to my laptop I can type it up as it is and then edit it and see how it fits in or if it's a completely different story.
Of course, writing up a novel in a book has a lovely romantic feel about it, especially if you then bind it with ribbon.
Thanks for posting everyone - I'm relieved that most people seem to type as well! I do lament the fact that I'll never have a big handwritten manuscript such as the early drafts you see of Thomas Hardy and Dickens, but it is easier to edit!
I write on my laptop. But every now and then I get stuck and I've found that sometimes going back to a notebook and pen can help.