Why You Should Write By Hand Instead of Type
Writer’s Log #5: If I could go back in time, I’d do it all differently.
I’ve been posting stories online for over a decade. One of the worst parts about writing on the internet is that if that platform goes down your stories go with it.
For example, I posted fanfiction on the website Polyvore for about three years. In that time, I posted dozens of fanfiction chapters and one-shots. In 2018 the site shut down, and my stories were lost forever.
If I could go back, I’d save everything — even if most of it is fluff pieces about how much I adored Justin Bieber and Diggy Simmons.
My true history lies in physical notebooks. I have ten of them, the earliest stemming from middle school (the late 2000s). There are so many memories within those pages, whether it was a one-off idea I ran with for a day or a story I dove into for an entire summer.
There’s also something special about physically seeing your writing. Seeing the Google doc say “200 pages” is one thing. But, flipping through those 200 pages one by one is completely different.
I am amazed I had so much determination as a child, had so much belief in my ideas, and couldn’t stop creating.
One of my favorite childhood stories was structured like a TV show. It was about a group of kids in a psychiatric ward (I think I saw It’s Kind of a Funny Story and just ran with it).
In that story, I had written where I’d want voice-overs and commercial breaks to be. It’s awesome to see that even as a kid I’ve always had this vision for how I wanted to tell stories. My biggest dream is to bring one of my stories to fruition in film or television. And, you know what? I think it will happen one day.
I still love (most of) my ideas like I wrote them yesterday. I wish I could high-five my younger self, tell her she’s moving in the right direction. It was all building the foundation of who I am.
Today, I still make time to write in notebooks. 35-year-old Nia would get her life from the things I’m writing about now. And — who knows how long these platforms will last? Medium’s poppin’ now, but years from now it may just be a memory.
But now, I save everything. I email everything to myself. I always keep a paper trail, just in case everything explodes tomorrow.
Writer’s Log shares a behind-the-scenes look at my creative process. This Writer’s Log was previously published on Issue #15 of Oh, Write’s newsletter.
Nia Simone McLeod is a writer, content creator, and pop culture enthusiast from Richmond, Virginia. She’s the creator and editor of the Medium publications oh, write and coiled. In her newsletter, she shares a behind-the-scenes look at her creative process.
