What a great article, Kathleen. I've used all the methods you mention. The Smart Notebook was wonderful because I have literally dozens, probably scores, of notebooks but it's impossible to find anything specific. The Smart Notebook made even my handwritten notes searchable. I'm using the past tense because they "improved" the app, thereby making it unusable. They may have worked on that (I heard they were doing so) but I've gone back to relying on handwritten analogue notetaking and memory. Perhaps I'll move on to one of those Leuchterm (?) notebooks that have a table of contents section.
The most appropriate method for me is the one that accords with either my mood or circumstances. For example, if I'm waiting in the car, where it's too cramped to write, I might dictate into my phone. The marvellous thing about the age we live in is surely that there's so much choice.
Interesting in regards to the updates. I can’t stand the font the iPhone has updated my home screen too but that’s far less consequential.
My husband was gifted an e-moleskin he won’t use, and I haven’t opened it yet as I’m not sure I would use it. (EBay is the alternative!) cool you could save and sort your notes. Maybe this would be useful for some kinds of journaling!
Thanks for an intriguing and detailed comment, Terry!
I write mostly - including this comment - with a stylus on a tablet using the handwriting to text feature. My handwriting is illegible, even to me, but the tablet somehow figures it out. Al you can use! And it's the best of both worlds - handwriting for me, text for you!
That is amazing. I am so curious about these devices because people write SO differently from one another; sometimes cultural differences as well. I had to relearn some handwritten letters and numbers in France for example. What a cool way to make it work for you! Thanks for reading and your interesting comment, John.
Loved this!! So many things come to mind here...as I recently wrote about, I have neglected my handwriting lately in preference for the speed and efficiency of my laptop. But returning to a notebook this week has reminded me how I write differently by hand. I think I'm less self-conscious in a notebook, trying out ideas and finding out what I think as I go. Whereas, I tend to edit as I go on the screen. Like you though, I learned to type in high school, and then worked for several years as a secretary (initially on a typewriter!!!) and so am a fast and accurate typist, which comes in handy when my thoughts overtake the speed of my fingers! I love the idea of having the typewriter sound on a computer! The sound always reminds me of films of a newsroom, which is where I thought I wanted to work when I was on school. I have also been experimenting with voice notes latelt, though am much less confident with speaking than writing!
Yes the newsroom seems so fascinating with all its sounds and busy writers! I’ve visited a few - where my brother worked (now he works from home and says he can barely get anything done on days he’s in the newsroom!) but I digress...
Funny how we pick up skills in different contexts. Your secretary days have helped you think through your writing at lightening speed. Very cool. Thanks for the ideas and your personal story/perspective!
I write mostly using a laptop but I also use a notebook occasionally. I notice someone else has said that hand writing is far slower, and when ideas are in full flow typing is better for throwing it all down on the canvas as it were, before you start to craft it. Although this is the method I habitually use it is very time consuming to get it to the point of publication, sculpting and reworking until I am either satisfied or exhausted! Maybe hand writing is more precise and focused and therefore less liable to rework. I have never tried recording. I think I need to see the words in front of me, but maybe it is something I should try at least once. I guess we all find the way that works for us, but as usual you have set out with great clarity your own journey, which gives us a great deal of food for thought. Thank you very much.
Sculpting!! Yes that’s it! Very good metaphor especially if you consider mixed materials...
Thanks likewise for your personal narrative of how you write. Really enjoying all the variety in comments and feedback. Helps us all consider our own choices.
I used to get so frustrated at handwriting because my hands wouldn’t move as quickly as my thoughts but that’s the whole point. The beauty of handwriting is that there’s one thought meant to land on the page. It streamlines what often feels like madness in the brain.
I never thought of speech to text as a form of writing! I almost never use it but I love that you opened the idea for me.
I love this! I’m currently sat in a cafe with a notebook and pen which I don't do as often as I’d like. I love the freedom of handwriting, the visible deletions that sometimes, when returning to one journal after time flirting with another, become the seed for another piece of writing.
As a yoga teacher, I resonated with your comparison of the flow of typing with the flow of a vinyasa sequence. Words often pour out when I’m sat in front of my Mac, not always legible to anyone else (my typing skills aren't great) but there's enough there to edit at a later date into a more streamlined and understandable piece.
I’m going to have to find that typewriter sound now. It sounds like so much fun 😊
Awesome post, Kate. I have gone on and off keeping notes in a notebook. I love the feel of them, the notion of having them and a nice pen etc, but my writing sucks and feels sluggish and I can't get that flow that you so correctly define by typing. It does make me ponder that I should embrace the slowness of it more, though.
Oh yes, can relate. I guess finding the “right” moment for each is really valuable for me. I don’t always get it right :) but sometimes I make myself do what seems less comfortable and it has benefits.
I do virtually all my writing on my phone. It works for me, etc.
But! I definitely notice how my thinking process is very different when I’m using a piece of paper. It’s even different with a pencil vs. a pen.
Every once in a while, I’m doing something where my note taking app isn’t ideal. Usually this is when I’m doing music analysis.
On top of not being able to write musical notes to indicate rhythm, when I’m observing different layers of thinking in the composer/improvisor’s music, I can capture those intertwined concepts graphically with a pencil in a way that I can’t possibly do with my phone.
All of that is more about the limits of the medium than about the physical process. But I also think the physical experience, the body getting involved with the writing-- I agree with you that it changes the result. I’m not sure I can say exactly how. But I do think you’re onto something interesting here.
Thanks for some great insight, Karl, both related to your own work and musical composition. The phone, wow, I just can’t but I guess it’s also what you choose that works then you find ways to make it work the best way. So probably I could. And I’m on one now.
Agree though about holding a pen/cil and being able to form ideas and moods as you move through the ideas...
some of what Jillian Hess investigates I think on Noted.
Years ago i took a class for using music notation software. My music composition teacher was adamant that we should not compose on computer because the process would affect our creativity. She was right about that, as I discovered when i tried to do it-- but I also think it’s true that you can get used to a tool and change the equation on that. I’m so used to writing and editing on my phone now that it would be awkward to handwrite something. But it did take a while to get used to it.
The main reason I ended up making the phone my office is that it meant that anywhere I was, I could write. I used to carry little notebooks around everywhere, and that created problems sometimes. It wasn’t perfect.
That all makes a lot of sense. What feels natural allows you to create as an extension of the self. And then there can be layers of the creative process too!
As someone who tends to be in the head and has to work towards embodiment, this framing of writing as coming from the body is of interest ... And relates to something I've been exploring lately which is the way that handwriting changes in relation to mental health:
That is a very interesting addition to the discussion. Thanks a lot, Kathryn.
I even notice it with mood -- the way my writing changes shape and size. Sometimes after a short while it changes as I work through something. It makes a lot of sense and you have some fantastic investigations on your newsletter. Thanks for sharing the link, too.
What a great article, Kathleen. I've used all the methods you mention. The Smart Notebook was wonderful because I have literally dozens, probably scores, of notebooks but it's impossible to find anything specific. The Smart Notebook made even my handwritten notes searchable. I'm using the past tense because they "improved" the app, thereby making it unusable. They may have worked on that (I heard they were doing so) but I've gone back to relying on handwritten analogue notetaking and memory. Perhaps I'll move on to one of those Leuchterm (?) notebooks that have a table of contents section.
The most appropriate method for me is the one that accords with either my mood or circumstances. For example, if I'm waiting in the car, where it's too cramped to write, I might dictate into my phone. The marvellous thing about the age we live in is surely that there's so much choice.
So much choice for sure!!
Interesting in regards to the updates. I can’t stand the font the iPhone has updated my home screen too but that’s far less consequential.
My husband was gifted an e-moleskin he won’t use, and I haven’t opened it yet as I’m not sure I would use it. (EBay is the alternative!) cool you could save and sort your notes. Maybe this would be useful for some kinds of journaling!
Thanks for an intriguing and detailed comment, Terry!
You're welcome, Kathleen. I'm an intriguing kind of guy! But it was your lovely detailed post that inspired me :-)
I write mostly - including this comment - with a stylus on a tablet using the handwriting to text feature. My handwriting is illegible, even to me, but the tablet somehow figures it out. Al you can use! And it's the best of both worlds - handwriting for me, text for you!
That is amazing. I am so curious about these devices because people write SO differently from one another; sometimes cultural differences as well. I had to relearn some handwritten letters and numbers in France for example. What a cool way to make it work for you! Thanks for reading and your interesting comment, John.
This is the issue I've always had with handwriting. I want to write by hand. But my handwriting is awful and it puts me off.
Good to know a tablet can interpret yours. Perhaps it would do mine too.
Loved this!! So many things come to mind here...as I recently wrote about, I have neglected my handwriting lately in preference for the speed and efficiency of my laptop. But returning to a notebook this week has reminded me how I write differently by hand. I think I'm less self-conscious in a notebook, trying out ideas and finding out what I think as I go. Whereas, I tend to edit as I go on the screen. Like you though, I learned to type in high school, and then worked for several years as a secretary (initially on a typewriter!!!) and so am a fast and accurate typist, which comes in handy when my thoughts overtake the speed of my fingers! I love the idea of having the typewriter sound on a computer! The sound always reminds me of films of a newsroom, which is where I thought I wanted to work when I was on school. I have also been experimenting with voice notes latelt, though am much less confident with speaking than writing!
Yes the newsroom seems so fascinating with all its sounds and busy writers! I’ve visited a few - where my brother worked (now he works from home and says he can barely get anything done on days he’s in the newsroom!) but I digress...
Funny how we pick up skills in different contexts. Your secretary days have helped you think through your writing at lightening speed. Very cool. Thanks for the ideas and your personal story/perspective!
Thanks also for the mention! :)
I write mostly using a laptop but I also use a notebook occasionally. I notice someone else has said that hand writing is far slower, and when ideas are in full flow typing is better for throwing it all down on the canvas as it were, before you start to craft it. Although this is the method I habitually use it is very time consuming to get it to the point of publication, sculpting and reworking until I am either satisfied or exhausted! Maybe hand writing is more precise and focused and therefore less liable to rework. I have never tried recording. I think I need to see the words in front of me, but maybe it is something I should try at least once. I guess we all find the way that works for us, but as usual you have set out with great clarity your own journey, which gives us a great deal of food for thought. Thank you very much.
Sculpting!! Yes that’s it! Very good metaphor especially if you consider mixed materials...
Thanks likewise for your personal narrative of how you write. Really enjoying all the variety in comments and feedback. Helps us all consider our own choices.
I used to get so frustrated at handwriting because my hands wouldn’t move as quickly as my thoughts but that’s the whole point. The beauty of handwriting is that there’s one thought meant to land on the page. It streamlines what often feels like madness in the brain.
I never thought of speech to text as a form of writing! I almost never use it but I love that you opened the idea for me.
Love these ideas about handwriting. Yes, it feels less mad on paper!
And that’s great; it’s fun to experiment and I think there are maybe times when different styles or tools can be useful.
Thanks for reading and a great comment, Stephanie.
I love this! I’m currently sat in a cafe with a notebook and pen which I don't do as often as I’d like. I love the freedom of handwriting, the visible deletions that sometimes, when returning to one journal after time flirting with another, become the seed for another piece of writing.
As a yoga teacher, I resonated with your comparison of the flow of typing with the flow of a vinyasa sequence. Words often pour out when I’m sat in front of my Mac, not always legible to anyone else (my typing skills aren't great) but there's enough there to edit at a later date into a more streamlined and understandable piece.
I’m going to have to find that typewriter sound now. It sounds like so much fun 😊
Thanks Ryan! I’m also in a handwritten freedom sort of July :)
I think there are a few apps...lemme know if you have trouble finding them. So fun.
Awesome post, Kate. I have gone on and off keeping notes in a notebook. I love the feel of them, the notion of having them and a nice pen etc, but my writing sucks and feels sluggish and I can't get that flow that you so correctly define by typing. It does make me ponder that I should embrace the slowness of it more, though.
Oh yes, can relate. I guess finding the “right” moment for each is really valuable for me. I don’t always get it right :) but sometimes I make myself do what seems less comfortable and it has benefits.
Thanks, Nathan!
I'm going to try and lean into that mindset. :)
I do virtually all my writing on my phone. It works for me, etc.
But! I definitely notice how my thinking process is very different when I’m using a piece of paper. It’s even different with a pencil vs. a pen.
Every once in a while, I’m doing something where my note taking app isn’t ideal. Usually this is when I’m doing music analysis.
On top of not being able to write musical notes to indicate rhythm, when I’m observing different layers of thinking in the composer/improvisor’s music, I can capture those intertwined concepts graphically with a pencil in a way that I can’t possibly do with my phone.
All of that is more about the limits of the medium than about the physical process. But I also think the physical experience, the body getting involved with the writing-- I agree with you that it changes the result. I’m not sure I can say exactly how. But I do think you’re onto something interesting here.
Thanks for some great insight, Karl, both related to your own work and musical composition. The phone, wow, I just can’t but I guess it’s also what you choose that works then you find ways to make it work the best way. So probably I could. And I’m on one now.
Agree though about holding a pen/cil and being able to form ideas and moods as you move through the ideas...
some of what Jillian Hess investigates I think on Noted.
Years ago i took a class for using music notation software. My music composition teacher was adamant that we should not compose on computer because the process would affect our creativity. She was right about that, as I discovered when i tried to do it-- but I also think it’s true that you can get used to a tool and change the equation on that. I’m so used to writing and editing on my phone now that it would be awkward to handwrite something. But it did take a while to get used to it.
The main reason I ended up making the phone my office is that it meant that anywhere I was, I could write. I used to carry little notebooks around everywhere, and that created problems sometimes. It wasn’t perfect.
That all makes a lot of sense. What feels natural allows you to create as an extension of the self. And then there can be layers of the creative process too!
As someone who tends to be in the head and has to work towards embodiment, this framing of writing as coming from the body is of interest ... And relates to something I've been exploring lately which is the way that handwriting changes in relation to mental health:
https://createmefree.substack.com/p/handwriting-hypergraphia-hypographia
That is a very interesting addition to the discussion. Thanks a lot, Kathryn.
I even notice it with mood -- the way my writing changes shape and size. Sometimes after a short while it changes as I work through something. It makes a lot of sense and you have some fantastic investigations on your newsletter. Thanks for sharing the link, too.
It has been interesting to look back at my old journals with that lens.