Typing vs Writing

When I was younger (the pre-laptop days), I wrote all my stories by hand. But when I got 'Sheila Toshiba' - what I named my old laptop - I wrote it all on my Microsoft Word free trial. It was quick and easy and I could make a really cool cover for all my stories in next to no time.

Since I've been on holiday here in Trinidad, I haven't been writing on Microsoft Word at all, or any sort of typing program on the computer. I've just been scribbling away in my notebook diary and I've noticed several huge differences in the two methods of writing.

With typing a story, the words flow like an email. By that I mean: I know what I want to write and it just sort of happens on the screen. Also, in the corner there's all sorts of helpful numbers that tell me what page I'm on and how many words I've written. Which is handy. I can scroll to whatever page I need to in order to refresh my memory about what I've already written and I can do a few bullet points at the bottom so I know what to write if I'm stuck.

Writing in a notebook is a whole other bowl of porridge. I never have any idea how much I've written, or what page I'm on. I can't even make a cool cover (*wails*). There's always the danger of my pen running out or the spine of the notebook leaving lines on my bare leg in a very unattractive manner. It totally sucks out all the glamour of being a writer!

Obviously, that last line was a joke because everyone knows being a writer is anything but glamorous. We all live in garden sheds with spiders building webs on our glasses, etching our masterpieces in the wood grain with our fingernails.

In all honesty, I do like writing in my notebook because it is a serious time-killer. Last week I was so caught up in it that before I knew what had happened, I had been writing for five hours. I couldn't do that on my laptop for one main reason: eyes.

My eyes are dry as it is (just ask my optician) and can't really withstand long hours staring at a screen. I'll usually take a break a couple of hours in for a snack and then just... Forget to go back to my room. This is such a regular occurrence that my brother is no longer surprised that one of my catch phrases as we're playing PS3 is "Oh yeah, I left my laptop on".

Perhaps when I return to bonny ol' London things will be different. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there - and you'll cross it with me!