The convenience of digital, the romance of ink.
July 2, 2013 8:37 PM Subscribe
I love the idea of doing everything electronically - easy backups, filing, being able to search, etc. Problem is, I much prefer the tactile experience of writing on paper. I have this delusion that I'm not able to be my "full creative self", whatever that means, unless it's with pen/pencil. I know that's just procrastination/laziness talking, but I am curious: did you struggle with this? Did you find something that made the typing process as enjoyable as writing, or did you just train yourself out of wanting to physically write?
For instance, I will always choose paper to-do lists over any app, no matter how much more convenient they may be, simply because I love the physical feeling of crossing something off. I would like that to change.
To the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" folks - It's not that my handwriting is illegible or anything like that, but if I handwrite things, it's often on scraps of paper that I lose or don't organize or in journals that I then don't feel as motivated to do anything with.
For instance, I will always choose paper to-do lists over any app, no matter how much more convenient they may be, simply because I love the physical feeling of crossing something off. I would like that to change.
To the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" folks - It's not that my handwriting is illegible or anything like that, but if I handwrite things, it's often on scraps of paper that I lose or don't organize or in journals that I then don't feel as motivated to do anything with.
I don't know. Like you, I can't seem to make myself do anything unless its written down on paper. It's not really seeing it on paper, it's the act of writing it down. My solution was to find notebooks that work for my needs. At work I have a smallish one that I keep all my to-do's in. When my home life is hectic enough to warrant it, I have one that fits in my back pocket.
I think part of my solution was also a conscious effort to take on less stuff to-do. That probably helped more than anything.
posted by dawkins_7 at 8:49 PM on July 2, 2013
I think part of my solution was also a conscious effort to take on less stuff to-do. That probably helped more than anything.
posted by dawkins_7 at 8:49 PM on July 2, 2013
I'm a HS English teacher, and there are plenty of times I use paper for my notes (which are displayed on an LCD for students to see) rather than using a google document or projecting from my iPad. Sometimes I like to take notes or write at the slower speed needed for pen/paper, rather than my 50-60 wpm typing. Harder for students to keep up with me typing too.
But I've learned to take pictures of all the paper I use and organise/tag/file them digitally in iPhoto, and I post links so students can get a copy too. Then it's a win-win. Last step is to recycle the originals.
posted by guster4lovers at 8:52 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
But I've learned to take pictures of all the paper I use and organise/tag/file them digitally in iPhoto, and I post links so students can get a copy too. Then it's a win-win. Last step is to recycle the originals.
posted by guster4lovers at 8:52 PM on July 2, 2013 [3 favorites]
I'm waiting until some kind of software can decipher my handwriting on a piece of paper and convert it to text. Then I'll be in heaven, one way or another.
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 9:01 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 9:01 PM on July 2, 2013
My experience with this in such things as to-do lists and little notes is that I'm drawn to paper for these sorts of things because it's so much more casual and disposable. I write down what I need to go shopping, or some notes; and it's a five second affair, I don't have to go into some sort of application on my phone which would take an extra ten seconds. Bang, we're there.
My best solution was to just set it up as to reduce the formatting to a minimum while not actually losing or disregarding things. Open up a notepad file, jot it down, and save it in the folder designated for general notes (or just keep it open all day, sometimes). Then if I need to redo it in some sort of more formal fashion I cut and paste and redo as a project in itself.
Writing at length is a different story, and one where I suffer with computers because they don't automatically say "write", whereas that is all a paper and pen says. The only solution I have there is making a decent chunk of time, and bashing at distraction for about 20-30 minutes until I actually get into writing mode (which does happen even when I feel like it's impossible to focus at first). I imagine the time for this would be cut down substantially if I did writing as a matter of routine, but it doesn't come instantly by any means. If you want to get into that side of it, don't beat yourself up for taking that long to start - allot it as part of the process, somewhat like learning to touch type.
posted by solarion at 9:08 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
My best solution was to just set it up as to reduce the formatting to a minimum while not actually losing or disregarding things. Open up a notepad file, jot it down, and save it in the folder designated for general notes (or just keep it open all day, sometimes). Then if I need to redo it in some sort of more formal fashion I cut and paste and redo as a project in itself.
Writing at length is a different story, and one where I suffer with computers because they don't automatically say "write", whereas that is all a paper and pen says. The only solution I have there is making a decent chunk of time, and bashing at distraction for about 20-30 minutes until I actually get into writing mode (which does happen even when I feel like it's impossible to focus at first). I imagine the time for this would be cut down substantially if I did writing as a matter of routine, but it doesn't come instantly by any means. If you want to get into that side of it, don't beat yourself up for taking that long to start - allot it as part of the process, somewhat like learning to touch type.
posted by solarion at 9:08 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
I've picked one of those discbound notebooks and punches, which I'm making work for me. I like it much more than other notebooks, binders, and notepads I've used. There are a couple different manufacturers.
I may make a 5.5"x8" datebook/sketchbok with it.
You can incorporate scraps of paper into notebooks with it. I'm traveling, and picked up a tiny dollar-store sketchbook, pages of which may get 'rebound' into fodder for artworks or a comic. This includes sketches and chunks of dialog.
I think it's important to just keep grinding away at it, paper or computer, and recognize when one is getting hung up on the external trappings of the practice rather than just doing it.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:22 PM on July 2, 2013
I may make a 5.5"x8" datebook/sketchbok with it.
You can incorporate scraps of paper into notebooks with it. I'm traveling, and picked up a tiny dollar-store sketchbook, pages of which may get 'rebound' into fodder for artworks or a comic. This includes sketches and chunks of dialog.
I think it's important to just keep grinding away at it, paper or computer, and recognize when one is getting hung up on the external trappings of the practice rather than just doing it.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:22 PM on July 2, 2013
I have successfully made the switch to my iphone's basic Notes function for lists and short reminders. For anything involving my creative brain, I can't shake loose the need for pen and paper.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:46 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by restless_nomad at 9:46 PM on July 2, 2013
Somewhat beside the topic, but I absorb what I read much more fully if I read aloud. A medium which slows you down a little bit can be extremely useful since it forces you to hold different parts of your ideas in your memory simultaneously - during that time, their relationships are clarified to a degree greater than if you can simply get them down asap.
posted by Teakettle at 10:10 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Teakettle at 10:10 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
estlin: "To the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" folks - It's not that my handwriting is illegible or anything like that, but if I handwrite things, it's often on scraps of paper that I lose or don't organize or in journals that I then don't feel as motivated to do anything with."
Perhaps instead of replacing your notepad with a computer, you should consider putting a pen in your computer?
Livescribe does a lot of stuff to digitize your handwriting, although it does require special paper last I checked.
posted by pwnguin at 10:31 PM on July 2, 2013
Perhaps instead of replacing your notepad with a computer, you should consider putting a pen in your computer?
Livescribe does a lot of stuff to digitize your handwriting, although it does require special paper last I checked.
posted by pwnguin at 10:31 PM on July 2, 2013
I don't see any reason why you would need to change your habits. Switching between mediums can often shift you into a different mindset, and allow you to approach a familiar text from a new perspective. I frequently print my (design) work to look at it on paper, even though it will all end up on a screen anyway. I become so familiar with the digital version that the act of looking at it on paper somehow allows me to see it with fresh eyes. I catch a lot of errors that way. I also used to do that with papers in college, to some success.
Anyway, if writing on paper is allowing you to be your best creative self, then it's working. Don't worry about fixing what's not broken.
posted by MsMartian at 10:43 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
Anyway, if writing on paper is allowing you to be your best creative self, then it's working. Don't worry about fixing what's not broken.
posted by MsMartian at 10:43 PM on July 2, 2013 [1 favorite]
If your handwriting is legible enough, maybe scan your notes into Evernote, which does OCR for you? Then the scans would be searcheable.
posted by StrawberryPie at 10:54 PM on July 2, 2013
posted by StrawberryPie at 10:54 PM on July 2, 2013
I'm yet another person whose brain seems to work better when writing on paper. I'm a computer programmer, and for anything non-trivial, I'll walk away from my computer and write pseudo-code by hand. Rather than trying to change how my brain works, I've embraced this as how I'm productive and work with it.
So, I think the broken part is your handling of the notes, not the medium itself.
Have you tried buying a notebook that you always carry with you, and putting all lists in there? I have a single notebook that contains everything: pseudo code for my current program, notes taken while reading a textbook, to-do lists for work, packing list for upcoming trips, etc. This means that I have one place to look for everything, and a way to page through old to-do lists and see if I've actually crossed everything off.
In addition to always writing them in the same place, you'd have to figure a way to not just ignore the lists once generated. (I find that digital notes are even easier to ignore/lose!) My current approach to this is to recognize when I'm spinning my wheels - either killing time surfing the web, or flailing on a work project - and take that as a cue to review old todo lists.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:48 PM on July 2, 2013 [4 favorites]
So, I think the broken part is your handling of the notes, not the medium itself.
Have you tried buying a notebook that you always carry with you, and putting all lists in there? I have a single notebook that contains everything: pseudo code for my current program, notes taken while reading a textbook, to-do lists for work, packing list for upcoming trips, etc. This means that I have one place to look for everything, and a way to page through old to-do lists and see if I've actually crossed everything off.
In addition to always writing them in the same place, you'd have to figure a way to not just ignore the lists once generated. (I find that digital notes are even easier to ignore/lose!) My current approach to this is to recognize when I'm spinning my wheels - either killing time surfing the web, or flailing on a work project - and take that as a cue to review old todo lists.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:48 PM on July 2, 2013 [4 favorites]
Switching between mediums can often shift you into a different mindset
This.
Writing is a whole-arm, sometimes whole-body movement - I wonder whether something about the physicality of it has repercussions for memory, and for emotion. I'm sure typing with a word processor also has physical effects in the body, but they may work in a different way, or be differently expressive.
One thing everybody remembers about Kerouac is the description of him banging away on a typewriter with two fingers: somehow that really gives an insight into the expressiveness of On The Road, the effort of memory, the struggle to record. It's a heroic image.
I personally can't write creatively, or even very thoughtfully, on a laptop, although people one generation younger than me seem to have no difficulty. I need to be more physically anchored in my body, in order to make full use of my mind. (And, all that the 'mind' expresses and conceives, is nothing but the elaborations of physicality.)
So, sorry to have come on here and added to the don't fix it! chorus. Thirding, or fourthing, that you just need to fix the way you collate your notes.
But I've learned to take pictures of all the paper I use and organise/tag/file them digitally in iPhoto, and I post links so students can get a copy too. Then it's a win-win. That really made me laugh! Talk about having your pieces of paper and recycling them too! It's an unabashed approach to customizing technology for the analogue-minded: I like it!
posted by glasseyes at 5:15 AM on July 3, 2013
This.
Writing is a whole-arm, sometimes whole-body movement - I wonder whether something about the physicality of it has repercussions for memory, and for emotion. I'm sure typing with a word processor also has physical effects in the body, but they may work in a different way, or be differently expressive.
One thing everybody remembers about Kerouac is the description of him banging away on a typewriter with two fingers: somehow that really gives an insight into the expressiveness of On The Road, the effort of memory, the struggle to record. It's a heroic image.
I personally can't write creatively, or even very thoughtfully, on a laptop, although people one generation younger than me seem to have no difficulty. I need to be more physically anchored in my body, in order to make full use of my mind. (And, all that the 'mind' expresses and conceives, is nothing but the elaborations of physicality.)
So, sorry to have come on here and added to the don't fix it! chorus. Thirding, or fourthing, that you just need to fix the way you collate your notes.
But I've learned to take pictures of all the paper I use and organise/tag/file them digitally in iPhoto, and I post links so students can get a copy too. Then it's a win-win. That really made me laugh! Talk about having your pieces of paper and recycling them too! It's an unabashed approach to customizing technology for the analogue-minded: I like it!
posted by glasseyes at 5:15 AM on July 3, 2013
Just like I choose journals by their feel in my hands, I think about the feel and sound of a keyboard or laptop when deciding which one to buy. There is still a tactile component to writing electronically, and I think not being comfortable with your keyboard can be as prohibitive as not liking a particular pen or notebook.
My system for notes on scraps of paper: Make notes all day on whatever is handy, collect all scraps in one place when I get home, triage the notes every month or so. Some get copied, or even pasted, into my journal. Others get combined and rewritten as one list of songs to buy or movies to watch (if I'm feeling really productive, I'll add these things to my Netflix queue or Amazon wishlist and pitch the notes). Some have become obsolete since I made them and they just get pitched.
I suspect that one day I will move to the 'one notebook all the time' approach, but my current journal is a little large to carry all the time and I must fill it before I can start a new one. It's a personal rule if mine that keeps me from having multiple notebooks, in addition to my note scraps. I have started using Evernote for some things (mostly for a specific event that happens daily and for which I need notes), and will probably look into their system of integrating hand written notes into my digital file using their scanning function (OCR) and their molskene notebooks.
The idea of having everything neatly organized and tagged in the cloud sounds great, but just doesn't work in practice sometimes. I find that no matter how much I love typing on my laptop, certain types of writing are easier for me to do with a pen and paper. I wouldn't hand write anything for my job, but can't start a piece of fiction electronically. And that's ok for me - the act of hand writing something is better for committing it to my memory, and I'm very good about visualizing what I've hand written so I don't have a problem finding a particular item again without tags and a search function. It's very ok for you to choose not to use all of the digital note taking technology, even if it is good and useful for many others.
posted by youngergirl44 at 6:14 AM on July 3, 2013
My system for notes on scraps of paper: Make notes all day on whatever is handy, collect all scraps in one place when I get home, triage the notes every month or so. Some get copied, or even pasted, into my journal. Others get combined and rewritten as one list of songs to buy or movies to watch (if I'm feeling really productive, I'll add these things to my Netflix queue or Amazon wishlist and pitch the notes). Some have become obsolete since I made them and they just get pitched.
I suspect that one day I will move to the 'one notebook all the time' approach, but my current journal is a little large to carry all the time and I must fill it before I can start a new one. It's a personal rule if mine that keeps me from having multiple notebooks, in addition to my note scraps. I have started using Evernote for some things (mostly for a specific event that happens daily and for which I need notes), and will probably look into their system of integrating hand written notes into my digital file using their scanning function (OCR) and their molskene notebooks.
The idea of having everything neatly organized and tagged in the cloud sounds great, but just doesn't work in practice sometimes. I find that no matter how much I love typing on my laptop, certain types of writing are easier for me to do with a pen and paper. I wouldn't hand write anything for my job, but can't start a piece of fiction electronically. And that's ok for me - the act of hand writing something is better for committing it to my memory, and I'm very good about visualizing what I've hand written so I don't have a problem finding a particular item again without tags and a search function. It's very ok for you to choose not to use all of the digital note taking technology, even if it is good and useful for many others.
posted by youngergirl44 at 6:14 AM on July 3, 2013
I know that's just procrastination/laziness talking
To the contrary, I'm of the belief that a lot of writing done using word processors is basically lazy, bad writing, in the "that's not writing, that's typing" vein (Capote's criticism of Kerouac, IIRC). I think a great deal of the decline in writing quality over recent years can be attributed to this.
So personally, I still write my things (presently book reviews) out in longhand and then type them up and edit them using a computer.
The faster you can go from what you are thinking to what you are writing, the more writing becomes just thought, or speech. And it will have accordingly the same shelf life, i.e. not much.
posted by seemoreglass at 6:32 AM on July 3, 2013
To the contrary, I'm of the belief that a lot of writing done using word processors is basically lazy, bad writing, in the "that's not writing, that's typing" vein (Capote's criticism of Kerouac, IIRC). I think a great deal of the decline in writing quality over recent years can be attributed to this.
So personally, I still write my things (presently book reviews) out in longhand and then type them up and edit them using a computer.
The faster you can go from what you are thinking to what you are writing, the more writing becomes just thought, or speech. And it will have accordingly the same shelf life, i.e. not much.
posted by seemoreglass at 6:32 AM on July 3, 2013
I haven't been able to successfully understand digital list-making, note-taking, etc. It's like some kind of "out of sight, out of mind" thing; when I use my laptop or tablet for that kind of thing, I might as well have tossed it in the ocean. These days I have little notebooks (usually Field Notes, I like that the pages don't come out, actually). I write all my stuff down in there, carry it with me everywhere. I have a large journal for creative writing, but all the little stuff, lists, notes, ideas, all go in the little ones and my current one is always with me, so I don't end up with bits of random paper.
posted by upatree at 8:48 AM on July 3, 2013
posted by upatree at 8:48 AM on July 3, 2013
If you're going to use the paper-then-scan method, there are scanning apps for iphone/android that will do the OCR and store the electronic file. This means that you don't have to wait until to get to a specific location with a scanner.
posted by CathyG at 9:58 AM on July 3, 2013
posted by CathyG at 9:58 AM on July 3, 2013
Like others here, I'd recommend something in between. Use a small notebook that you can always have with you. Once it's filled, scan it and consider running the images through some kind of OCR. A lot of people use Evernote. I know some who like DEVONthink....
What I would recommend, if you go this route, is to use one of the Ecosystem line of personal journals. I believe they are easily available at Barnes & Noble stores.
They look a lot like the famous Moleskine ones. They have a ribbon bookmark, elastic closure, and expandable inner pocket.
BUT:
- Every page is perforated
- The paper is 100% post-consumer recycled and acid-free
- Each journal has a unique ID number. If you register it, and it is found, whoever found it can return it to you.
- It is made entirely in the U.S.A.
It is available in four different styles:
- Advisor (calendar formats)
- Architect (grid paper)
- Author (ruled paper)
- Artist (blank paper)
It is available in six bright colors (as well as black)
It is available in three different bindings:
- Hardcover
- Flexicover
- Paper
It is available in three sizes:
- Large (7-3/8″ x 9-7/8″ inches)
- Medium (5-1/4″ x 8-1/4″ inches)
- Small (3-5/8″ x 5-5/8″ inches)
I would recommend a small, soft-covered notebook (so it can fit easily into a pocket) and the purchase of a scanner with a feeder (they can be expensive but people sure do love the ScanSnap scanners). The most important aspect is bolded above. The pages can be pulled out once you fill the notebook, then scanned into your computer to be digitally stored and organized.
It shouldn't be a lot of extra work and it might just give you the best of both worlds.
posted by diabolik at 1:09 PM on July 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
What I would recommend, if you go this route, is to use one of the Ecosystem line of personal journals. I believe they are easily available at Barnes & Noble stores.
They look a lot like the famous Moleskine ones. They have a ribbon bookmark, elastic closure, and expandable inner pocket.
BUT:
- Every page is perforated
- The paper is 100% post-consumer recycled and acid-free
- Each journal has a unique ID number. If you register it, and it is found, whoever found it can return it to you.
- It is made entirely in the U.S.A.
It is available in four different styles:
- Advisor (calendar formats)
- Architect (grid paper)
- Author (ruled paper)
- Artist (blank paper)
It is available in six bright colors (as well as black)
It is available in three different bindings:
- Hardcover
- Flexicover
- Paper
It is available in three sizes:
- Large (7-3/8″ x 9-7/8″ inches)
- Medium (5-1/4″ x 8-1/4″ inches)
- Small (3-5/8″ x 5-5/8″ inches)
I would recommend a small, soft-covered notebook (so it can fit easily into a pocket) and the purchase of a scanner with a feeder (they can be expensive but people sure do love the ScanSnap scanners). The most important aspect is bolded above. The pages can be pulled out once you fill the notebook, then scanned into your computer to be digitally stored and organized.
It shouldn't be a lot of extra work and it might just give you the best of both worlds.
posted by diabolik at 1:09 PM on July 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by estlin at 8:48 PM on July 2, 2013