Inspiration and Life

Find Freedom and Joy in Writing

Embrace your creativity the old-fashioned way

Let’s travel to the time before keyboards and computers. You may think it was long, long ago, but it was not.

The invention of the first word processor happened in 1971. For many baby boomers, that was yesterday! Those were the analog days when all most people had was pen and paper and maybe a manual typewriter, if you were fortunate

Could there be a tradeoff between the old analog ways and modern technology? Let’s do a little exploration to find out.

The analog age

There was something special about writing in the days before computers. The difference in speed is one of the more notable things, as is the ability to change and correct what you have written easily. In the old days, you could erase and perhaps use whiteout, but neither of these was helpful in editing. What you wrote often had to be rewritten or retyped to make it look decent.

I came upon the idea for this article when thinking about how technology has changed writing while journaling one morning. Using Wordstar, one of the first word processing programs in the early 80s, I saw my productivity go through the roof. Never before or since have I seen anything like it. I managed a technical department and laboratory at the time, which required generating plenty of reports, submittals, and other written materials.

Moving from a typewriter to a computer where you could quickly correct and print a perfect copy of a report or submittal was mind-blowing at the time.

Yet, with the increased productivity possible today, I have felt like something was missing. I first noticed it when I was journaling one morning. I love a nice journal in which I can write my thoughts. Slowing down and writing by hand helps me think more deeply and somehow adds a bit of calm to my world.

Instead of sitting down and typing another article, I felt I needed to change my routine. I had gotten into a rut and realized I should mix things up a bit. Even small changes can break the monotony and bring new life to whatever you are doing. More on this in a minute.

The digital age

We live in a vastly different era than before computers and word processors existed. But I wouldn’t want it any other way!

The digital age has changed how people work worldwide and is making headway in developing countries. Having lived from the purely analog days of the twentieth century to fully embrace the modern digital age, I want to share some firsthand experiences on how it has affected me. You will find many others have had similar experiences.

When writing at a computer, I push myself harder than when I am not at a keyboard. Software, MS Word, in my case, will catch and correct some mistakes, yet I tend to write more haphazardly in my hurriedness. I can even get downright sloppy. When I read what I have written, I sometimes ask — “What the heck was I trying to say?” and make quite a few adjustments and corrections to make it more succinct and readable. Just another day at the old keyboard. Why not take a break and use pen and paper for a day to see what happens?

Pen and paper

Imagine forgoing the start button, bootup, software, screen, mouse, and keyboard. The wonderful thing about a pen is no batteries are required! You don’t have to turn on or boot up anything other than yourself. At the click of a pen, you are ready to write.

As an author who writes hundreds of thousands of words a year (no exaggeration), there’s something incredibly satisfying about writing on paper with a nice pen now and then.

You may think, “If I could only write as fast as I type.” but that may not be so good. While you can quickly transfer your handwriting to digital form, the pen forces you to slow down. This can be very helpful in today’s hurried world. It helps you think more deeply, which in my mind, is an advantage. Slowing down also tends to surface more ideas.

Another advantage of pen and paper is you can write anywhere. All you need are your thoughts and to be able to write legibly. Yes, legibly! What good does it do to write something you can’t read? I run everything together when I attempt to write too fast and have difficulty reading it. Since I already have terrible writing, slowing down helps me improve this skill.

Instead of a torrent of thoughts flowing from my mind through my fingers onto the keyboard captured in MS Word, I find myself thinking more deeply about what I am putting on paper. I wish this happened when dictating to the computer, but it doesn’t slow me down enough.

You know most word processing programs write the words for you if you have a microphone, don’t you? You’d be surprised how many people are unaware of this feature and how helpful it is. This is especially true when transferring handwritten papers to a word processing program.

Ink

The physicality of writing by hand gives you a special feeling. I have always loved the feel and seeing ink flowing from a fine pen to paper, forming a creation I can see and touch.

I should tell you I used to be somewhat of a pen snob — no regular, cheap pens for me. Now, however, I find there is no need to pay hundreds of dollars for an expensive pen when we have such a variety of reasonably priced, great pens available. While I love a beautiful fountain pen, I mostly write with a gel pen. Using it to lay ink on paper is such a satisfying, effortless feeling.

Did you know the hundreds of different pens and pencils available provide a vast array of sensory input through your hand, fingers, and eyes? If you ever have the opportunity to sample some high-quality pens, please do so. The way it feels in your hand, the silky-smooth flow of the ink onto paper. It is exquisite!

So, why would anyone pay $100, $200, or heaven forbid, $1,000 for a pen? You will never understand until you experience using a fine, high-quality writing instrument. It’s much like wearing a tailor-made suit using the finest fabric with custom-made, perfect-fitting comfortable shoes. Or anything else that exudes pure quality in fit and finish. Once you experience a beautiful writing instrument, you will never want to use a cheap pen again. Fortunately, today, you can get some great high-quality pens very inexpensively.

Then there is the type of paper used. When you use a beautiful writing instrument with the right paper, you experience pure luxury! The way the ink flows from the pen onto the surface of a quality writing paper is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime.

Rather than write 10,000 words about various pens and paper, I will leave the research to you. I hope you find it as much fun as I did! However, I will mention some of my favorites.

Which pen

Owning some expensive pens over the years, I recently purchased a variety of pens from Amazon to find a decent writing instrument. I wanted something for everyday use that I would not cry over if I lost it because of its cost.

For now, I find one of the smoothest, best writing pens available is the Pentel EnerGel RTX retractable .5mm and .7mm needle tip with blue gel ink. They fit my hand and fingers perfectly, feel nice, and lay ink down on paper oh so smoothly. I don’t know how they do it, but at just over $2 each, this pen never skips and dries quickly for lefties.

I also like the .3mm pen version for writing super-sharp small print in book margins. While not as silky smooth as the .5mm and .7mm pens, its razor-sharp lines are very satisfying.

I occasionally enjoy laying a lot of ink down on holiday cards and quick notes using the 1.0mm version of this pen. Each size pen comes with several colors of ink, which are fun to write with at times, although I prefer blue, green, orange, or red ink, as they stand out well when marking up a document.

If I could change one thing about the Pentel EnerGel, I’d make it a bit heavier in weight, but for only two bucks, it is one great pen! And if you want additional weight, buy their alloy version and swap out the cartridges for an excellent writing experience.

Pentel has some stiff competition, as many competitors’ pens write equally well, but this is my current favorite.

Isn’t it funny how some people gladly pay several dollars for a cup of coffee at Starbucks yet will not spend a few dollars for a decent pen?

What paper?

When it comes to paper, I usually write in a notebook or journal. While the type of paper is important, it matters less to me than the pen, with one exception. There is little else like writing in a fine journal. Such a journal can easily cost as much or more than a decent hardcover book.

When people ask, “Why would you pay so much for a blank book?” I respond, “Because this journal will be something created by my own hand and will have some of my life written in it!” Isn’t it worth it to indulge in the hope that a son, daughter, or distant relative will read and cherish it many years from now?

Final thoughts

Using pen and paper to slow down, giving you more time to think while bolstering your creativity, can make it more than worth it. It never ceases to amaze me how many ideas I get when using a pen. I usually use a separate page or a different color pen to capture these ideas to preserve them for future use.

There is a certain freedom in using a pen and paper. Handwriting produces a sense of calm that is difficult to get when pounding away on a keyboard.

The tactile feedback of pen and paper adds another dimension to writing, helping you feel closer to it while appreciating your creation more.

Why not grab a pen and paper now and give it a try? Like many of us, you may be wonderfully surprised by what it does for your writing!

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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