Why I Write Everything by Hand

Yes, it's almost 2022, and I still write (almost) everything by hand.

I write (almost) everything by hand — essays, newsletters, course content, and sometimes even social media posts. For decades it was just me, a pen, and some notebooks. Now, I thankfully have an iPad with an Apple Pencil, making my life so much easier.

I hand-wrote everything in college -- notes, response papers, outlines of everything that needed to get done that semester, drafts of term papers, all of it. And it hasn't changed in the decade+ since graduation.

Here's why:

#1. Writing by hand engages more of your body.

When you're writing things by hand, you're not just tapping words into the computer, you're fully engaged with the words you are putting on the page.

Making the marks of each letter and turning those marks into words helps your brain to process these words, concepts, and ideas in ways that you wouldn't otherwise be doing if you were just typing out your thoughts.

#2. Ideas aren't linear. Word processors are.

The writing process isn't a straight line. Writing your notes and drafts by hand lets you outline, mind map, and organize your writing in whatever way works for you.

When you draft inside a word processor/app, you are stuck writing inside their software guidelines, however rigid those may be.

Being forced to write in paragraphs & sentences (even with an awesome text editor) might be great for a final draft, but it can be totally stifling the brainstorm-to-first-draft journey.

#3. When typing out your draft, you have a built-in editing step.

When you take your notes from hand-written drafts to typed-out and published pieces, there is an automatic editing process that you go through. It's a great place to catch small errors, upgrade word choices, and tighten everything up before sending it into the world.

Hand-writing all of your work is not for everyone.

But, if you find yourself repeatedly stuck in the brainstorming to first-draft mode of your writing, pull out a sheet of paper and see if it helps move things along.