We all have different writing styles and what works best for us. Some writers have to have complete silence while others work best in a busy cafe. What we use to write our stories is also an individual choice. I often start getting ideas and, without a computer close-by, will jot them down in a notebook. Sometimes I will actually start the story and then when more and more ideas come to me and I have hand-written four or five pages of barely decipherable pages, I will switch to my computer and add the pages. From that moment on, I will continue with the story on the computer. The computer is much neater than my hand writing, particularly once I get moving on the story and then cross out and write a paragraph below and draw an arrow here to there.

Although I do love the creativity coming through the pen onto the paper and can identify with the great writers who wrote with pens before computers became our writing work horses, I can simply write faster on the keyboard. I don't look at keys; actually I can't. I was taught by a man in high school, Mr. Bunker, who I will forever be grateful to for making me learn to type without looking at keys. And because I can't look at keys, I can keep my eye on what I am writing and concentrate on my story. This works best for me and makes the most sense if I want to finish a story at a certain time. And if I want it to be legible.

My suggestion? Use what works best for you. If you have beautiful hand-writing (like my sister-in-law, Kathy which, coincidentally is similar to her mom's), then you would probably do well hand-writing your story. Just realize that it will eventually have to get entered into your computer, particularly if you plan to submit it for publication. If you didn't have a Mr. Bunker in your past, you might take a typing class (do they even offer those anymore?) I know some people who are fast two-finger typists but they have to look at the keyboard. I would find that too distracting.

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