I quite like handwriting stories. I will sit with a notebook and pencil (yes, I prefer pencil to pen) and just write.
I’ve realised there is a sensory element to this that you don’t get when typing on a computer.
There is the feel of the paper under your hands, the weight of the pencil (or pen) as you write, the sound of the pencil scratching on the paper, there is also the smell of the paper.
I also find that writing in a notebook is something I can do anywhere, especially at times when my laptop is struggling and has to be plugged in for it to operate!
Another thing that helps is seeing the pages fill up. When I’m handwriting, I can watch the words on the page in a way that doesn’t happen when I’m typing on the computer. I see the lines fill and need to physically turn the page to keep going. Even the act of crossing out a wrong word brings a sensory joy that simply deleting doesn’t have.
Looking around my office to see the box of notebooks I’ve filled with stories is also immensely satisfying. It’s a physical reminder of what I’ve created, what I am created, and the pile keeps growing, even as I type those stories in to my computer to finish them off. They are there in front of me, not hidden somewhere in a file. I can look at them and remember that I write, and yes, my AuDHD brain often forgets without visual reminders.
I don’t even need a special notebook to write. Most of the time, I use old school books left over from when my kids were at school. I have torn out the pages they used so that I can use the rest of the pages. The lovely notebooks I’ve collected over the years remain unused.
When I’m working on a larger project, such as a chapter book, I will write most of it on the computer, but when I’m playing with writing prompts, writing for fun, writing for myself, I prefer writing in a notebook. I find that the sensory element of handwriting with a pencil can help my mind slow down a bit, though it still works faster than I can write sometimes, and helps unlock those creative juices to let them flow.
Next time you want to write for fun, grab a notebook and pen or pencil and see what happens when you handwrite a story. You can always type it up later.
