Curiosity and Experimentation in a Writing Practice

 

Experimentation is a big part of my life. When I work on my visual art, I always strive to find new techniques to improve my work and make it more interesting. When I cook, I try new recipes, tweak old ones, and use new ingredients. The list of experiments goes on and on. Now I try to bring that same air of curiosity to my writing practice.

My Writing History

When I first started writing, many years ago (before computers! gasp!) I wrote my first drafts in longhand, in journals then they would get typed up. Eventually, I moved to a word processor, which allowed for some editing on screens but I usually stuck to handwriting to start.

Computers came along and it took me awhile to write directly into a Word document. I think I finally crossed over into writing my drafts electronically around the time my blogging began in earnest.

But now, as I’ve begun my journey to take my writing more seriously, and am working on writing an actual book, I’ve found that I have gone back to handwriting my first draft.

I do see a difference in my writing when I write by hand first. I think my writing is more personal and contains more emotion than when I write directly into my computer. 

Experiments in Writing

But writing by hand meant typing it into the computer became an onerous task. Until the day I discovered the “Dictate” button. I handwrite the first draft, hit dictate, and then I just read the draft out loud and the computer does the typing for me! Not only does it save me time, but I also find it’s a great editing tool. As I’m reading my work out loud, I find awkward phrases or missing words that I can fix on the fly during the dictation.

I know a few authors who say that dictating their writing is yet another way to write. They don’t write a first draft at all, rather, they dictate their story into software (both use Dragon), upload it into their computer and begin the editing processes. I haven’t tried this out yet. I have to admit I’m not sure if I will be able to organize my thoughts between my brain and mouth that quickly, but I am eager to try. If nothing else, I’ve found that these experiments in HOW I write makes a difference in my results.

Where else can I experiment with my writing?

Aside from trying dictation during my writing sessions, I also want to pull out my daughter’s typewriter to see what happens. I might imagine myself as Dorothy Parker, drink in hand, banging away my thoughts on a typewriter. How would that affect my writing?

A few years ago, I watched a great documentary (California Typewriter) about using typewriters and singer-songwriter, John Mayer, talked about how he writes song lyrics on a typewriter and has found that the practice helps him turn off his inner editor.

Beyond typing, I think there are experiments to be had within my handwriting explorations as well. I wonder if different pens and papers make a difference? What if I strove to improve my handwriting? What if I wrote as quickly and messy as possible? Does where I write make a difference? Time of day? Length of time?

Bringing curiosity to my writing practice has made a difference in my writing and makes my writing time pretty fun too.

Tell Me About Your Writing Practice

How do you write? Which of these ideas will you explore? If you aren’t a writer, can you bring this same air of curiosity and experimentation to other areas of your life? Leave a comment and let me know what comes up for you.

Read More About Handwriting versus Typing

·        Vanilla Papers writes about the benefits of handwriting.

·        Read this study showing that children learn better when writing by hand.