Handwriting a Novel WRITING EXPERIMENT + 60 handwritten pages = ??? words

Handwriting a Novel WRITING EXPERIMENT + 60 handwritten pages = ??? words
Why do I write so many novels by hand?
If you’re new, HEY! If you’re coming back, HEY! On this channel we take a relaxed look at the writing process through my own foibles and follies, and analyze story from a growing writer’s perspective.
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[@paulavivian421]

Loved the video! For me is the opposite, I feel like I need to get it right on the first try when I'm handwritring while on the computer I feel like I get to make as many mistakes as I need because it's easier to erase the words and just retype them. Also, handwritring slows me down a little because I can never put the words on paper as fast as they come to my mind. But I loved watching a little bit of your process. And there's nothing like a handwritten page, right? There's that magical and romantic feeling to it.

[@therealannataylor]

THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE INTERNET. Meeting so many people who are so similar, yet so different in so many ways. See, logically, it makes perfect sense that the computer would be easier, but I just can't get into the flow with it. And it IS romantic, isn't it? Letters, notes posted everywhere, journals. Somebody's handwriting says so much about them. Thanks so much for joining today!

[@heathermattern]

I love handwriting the majority of my books. There’s just something so intimate about it.

[@therealannataylor]

Agreed. The flow of ink, the scratch of paper. It’s all so satisfying 🖊

[@jmcmontanheiro]

I feel the EXACT same way about writing on a computer. Have recently started handwriting the first draft and then typing it out a few days later, and it has really helped me with creativity and quality of writing. I edit as I type and insert things I had already noted needed to be added to certain parts. Then later I polish it a few more times. It doesn't take me long to polish, it's not a huge effort, not an uphill battle, and I don't feel the pressure and anxiety I used to. Plus I'm much more objective! I know it's not the most optimized way to write, but it's certainly the more enjoyable to me.

[@therealannataylor]

It's optimized if it works for you! Tons of people are going to say what does and doesn't work for them, but what works for them doesn't matter when it comes to YOU (unless you're trying to find a new system). I'm glad it's working for you!

[@busayhomilawal907]

I am so glad,I am not the only one writing by hand. The feeling of creativity I get is so awesome

[@therealannataylor]

Definitely not the only one! It’s just a different sort of experience.

[@jazmingalloway3172]

I've plotted out a novel to handwrite using journals that I make and sell. I wanted to test handwriting again since I used to do it when I was so young. I'm going to take part in this challenge since it's basically filling up half of my journal in a day. (That's going to be awesome, if I can do it) Thank you so much for the inspiration and good luck on your writing journey!

[@therealannataylor]

Thank you! And do iiiit! I love handwriting. I’m currently writing out the outline for my next novel and it’s so relaxing to just think about telling myself the story rather than making it pretty.

[@ankkaah1809]

Wow so cool to see I'm not the only one writing by hand! And I must say the process is so much more unique and somehow personal compared to writing on a laptop for example. Also, it's super fun to read back and see what you kept and what not, how your handwriting has improved, and so on. Thanks for the amazing video, nice to see there are people like me :D

[@therealannataylor]

Definitely not the only one! It is different from writing on the computer. I love the feel of the pen and the flow with handwritten works. I’ve noticed that with myself I tend to feel more flowery with my words. I want to be more poetic and I like the prose the first time around.

[@t0dd000]

I have over 100,000 words in notebooks for my WIP. Not transcribed any of it to digital yet. Don't do this. Write, transcribe, write, transcribe. Don't get behind. The first edit/transcribing process for me for this WIP is now incredibly daunting. It's also discouraging because I haven't even gotten to the midpoint yet. I.e. I'm going to be transcribing only to be editing out at least 25,000 words at some point. Anyway. I prefer to write by hand. It's more creatively fulfilling, portable, and if you write in cursive, you can write faster than you type and your hand is more tightly connected to your brain.

[@therealannataylor]

Ooh, yeah. I can see how that would be pretty daunting. Thankfully I’ve always been an underwriter for my first draft, so it probably won’t take too long. Good luck transcribing yours!

[@poms_beats]

You can do it! Just a little bit at a time and it'll get done

[@t0dd000]

8 months later ... I finally transcribed all that. Actually, it became a rewrite with the longhand being a narrative guideline. NaNo this year: finish the last of it all.

[@therealannataylor]

Ooooooh, that’s pretty intense! That’s sort of how mine has turned out too. A very deep outline. Good luck in NaNo this year!

[@poms_beats]

@@t0dd000 omg congrats! And good luck with Nano!

[@nohea_robertson]

Oh my gosh I can relate so much to writing with a pen versus the computer. It felt so weird the first time I sat down at the computer. I used my husband’s computer at first and in the middle of typing out my ideas for a new story the computer crashed. I lost everything and my anxiety took over. I think I need to go back to handwriting my first drafts again. 😊 Great video!

[@therealannataylor]

Oh no!!! I have only lost little snippets of stories, but I’m TERRIFIED of losing whole manuscripts. Now I use Google Docs for when I’m done with a first draft. I’ll write it out, and then edit and revise it into a google doc. It’s not without error. I recently discovered one of my IG friends lost a manuscript off of it, BUT i think it’s far more reliable than having it on the computer. If you do draft by hand let me know how it goes!

[@nohea_robertson]

@@therealannataylor yep I use Google Docs for everything now. I sometimes email drafts to myself too AND upload it on a USB. Might be overkill, but after losing manuscripts, poems, and other writings I'm paranoid lol.

[@therealannataylor]

BE PARANOID 😂 seriously, there’s not much more heart-wrenching than losing something you’ve worked so hard on.

[@pinkbagels1]

100% on the notebook love, LOL. Also...Pens. Pretty, funky, happy, weird pens. Including gel pens. Some of them sparkle.

[@therealannataylor]

Right?!

[@lauragarrett9752]

Yes!! I did national novel writing month in 2019 by hand. It was awesome!! It absolutely flowed, and was so enjoyable. (Plus fun pen colors!) Maybe I’ll type it up one day

[@adamhughes4442]

After 8 months "one day" is finally here - did you type your 100.00 words?

[@pinkbagels1]

Thanks to this video, I decided to try writing chapters in sprints in longhand since I was experiencing block. OMG. I had calculated it out at about 3, 000 words but using this method I was able to edit chapters as I type them up and the final word count was well over 4,000! In one day! Yaaaaay!

[@therealannataylor]

That's wonderful! I did the same thing when I hit a block (before I decided to do this experiment) and it worked so well! I love that when you transcribed it, you were able to edit and add as you went. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I look forward to it!

[@Annie-uq7sp]

I feel the same anxiety with writing on the computer! Sometimes it's worse than other times. Right now writing on the computer is working okay for me, but I love drafting by hand! What a cool challenge. And I can't imagine counting that many words by hand haha

[@therealannataylor]

It took more than an hour 😂 if it works go with the flow!

[@Fromtheforgottengardens]

I feel ideas flow with writing it on paper better than typing it, atleast for me. P.s. i just discovered your channel. Glad you keep up the work despite of kids around, or maybe because of kids(they are inspiration) 😀.

[@therealannataylor]

I'm glad you found me! I hope you stick around a while. It's a whole mood and vibe change from handwriting to typing. I love it. And I definitely write really well when I'm trying to ignore kids haha

[@adamhughes4442]

I've always start by hand, until I know it's time to open WORD. There I will complete the project, barely able to eat sleep and drink! One ream of white A4 paper balled up on the floor, will eqaul 30 pages of finished copy. I lean towards Short Stories and Scripts. Not sure if I'm capable of writing a novel; plots generallly elude me. Plus not sure if can focus that long a project that will take months to finish. I normally write myself into a state of exhaustion - then calapse! Steady progress, bit by bit and day by day...can't work that way. Write write write until I'm done! ..

[@georgelogreco8810]

I prefer writing by hand too.

[@Duvrangrgata97]

This was very cool! I love handwriting but I've never done an entire manuscript like that

[@therealannataylor]

It was definitely an interesting experience! I’ll probably continue to draft by hand just because I felt like the words flowed so much easier this way. And even if YOU don’t draft that way, I think it’s a valuable thing to try!

[@oldtimegamer2.098]

Sometimes I do like the look of a hand written book even if it is just a journal being through out history way back before press printing type writers and computers but also I do think with how some hand writings does look good where sometimes computers can't replicate like aged books and papers

[@therealannataylor]

I love old handwritten notebooks! If I could get my hands on some famous person’s old tattered book I’d be a happy camper!

[@TheSnakeh]

I used to handwrite a lot of notes, but have gone 100% digital. That's mainly because I feel that I can make mistakes and shift things around more easily on the computer. On top of that, I love statistics, so I keep track of how much I'm writing in a day and I don't think that this would be possible by hand. I am thinking about handwriting a smaller story (maybe a short story?) just for a change of pace, but I'm really curious about the full process of writing goes after that. Would be great if you made a video about what you do after you finish the first draft! Also, I'm surprised this channel is so small! Definitely subscribing and keeping an eye out.

[@therealannataylor]

I appreciate that, thank you! Also, I will be starting a rewrite after I finish the draft of project DW, so those videos will be close behind! I think the numbers part of it is interesting for other people. I love watching those videos where people get loads done, but not for me! It makes me feel like I’m not doing enough. Whereas, handwriting is satisfying for me so I get happier the more I fill my excessive amounts of notebooks 🫣

[@Spiritedalphawoman]

lol, thats a writers day for you! we have a plan but that plan always has hiccupps. Same happens to me.

[@Snow-rr7nj]

I can totally relate!😅

[@nildam.bonilla5849]

I am writing my novel by hand, figured it would be easier to do if I needed to write in the car or some other place while dealing with "kid stuff" and if the power decides to go out as it's been happening lately where I live. Been working great as I've managed 8,000 in 8 days❤

[@therealannataylor]

That’s awesome! It’s definitely easier to pull out a notebook and pen than and entire computer. I find I can do a first draft really fast by hand because I always have a notebook on me.

[@Beanjast]

I usually write on the computer but I feel like you might be into something that would work for me. I shoot film photographs because I can’t check it after, in the same way there’s no pressure to get a better photo, when it’s written there’s no niggling feeling to go back and change things and improve whilst writing that first draft.

[@therealannataylor]

Right! I’ve had people say that they feel this need for perfectionism when they hand write stuff, but it’s the opposite for me. I feel like I can be more creative and think through the problems thoroughly. On a computer i feel like I have to get it right the first time and I overanalyze the small stuff instead of what’s really important. Let me know if you try it out and how you like it!

[@magali19]

I've written books by hand. The shortest was 34,000 words and the longest was 80,000 words. It takes me much longer to write a book by hand than to type it. I can type 1,000 words in an hour. By hand? 2 and 1/2 hours. Don't know why. The only good thing about writing by hand is that my eyes don't get tired like they do when I type.

[@therealannataylor]

That is a bonus! Being able to get away from screens is a nice benefit. I write slower by hand too. Which helps me thing more about word choice in the end.

[@Moepowerplant]

Apparently someone on Reddit handwrote 240k+ words. I have seen digital fanfics go in the millions, but.... yeah, it's doable, at least on paper (pun intended). Our forebears did it, so why not? Edit: Something like that could only have taken *years....*

[@therealannataylor]

Yeah. I don’t think I have the stamina to hand write THAT much at one time. Maybe over my entire lifetime, but my hand was aching by the end of this challenge 😂

[@john94949]

I have a tight and firm grip to my handwriting. Sure, it may look neater, bolder. But the truth is I've lost much of my writer's callouses over the years. My fingers would be sore af

[@therealannataylor]

Never too late to get back to it!

[@BettyBonkers]

My first thought: "Oh no, your wrist!"

[@therealannataylor]

hahaha on the contrary. My wrists were fine. It was my finger tips that suffered the most.

[@hannahkennelly6961]

Im working on a first story, I write on paper in cursive for brainstorm, then rewrite/edit in regular for my first draft.

[@therealannataylor]

Your first story ever?! That’s very much how the handwritten draft is for me. I get to experiment with tone/voice/POV/style and it’s very stress free and plain old fun!

[@hannahkennelly6961]

@@therealannataylor its not my first story per se since my first story was never written as a novel, I tried to do my first story as manga but was never happy with my art, so this is my shortest story and its my first time writing in novel form. I want to try my 1st story as a novel eventually... but its supposed to be at least 15 manga long sooooo. XD So turning it into a novel im not sure the length.

[@therealannataylor]

@hannahkennelly6961 manga is fun! My husband tested it out for a while and said that the art was the hardest part! But you may never be satisfied with your own work, unfortunately ☹️ good luck writing the novel! I’d love to hear how it’s going!

[@hannahkennelly6961]

@@therealannataylor its been really slow for me! Im only 8ish pages in and trying not to focus on perfectionism. It was meant to be a short story anyway but.... Im really not sure! I started last May, my first goal was to try to finish the first draft by this may XD

[@purposebehindthepen]

All fifteen of my novels were handwritten first and then I type them for the final draft. Currently working on my sixteenth novel.

[@therealannataylor]

Very cool! At this point, I do a very large amount of brainstorming and drafting manually, but there are a few novels I have that I feel like they need a little extra care, so they get the full treatment. Needless to say, none of them are complete yet 🫣

[@CharlieeWriter]

I could never hand write a novel. I mean it sounds cool, though I type as fast as I think which is rly fast haha. omg you have a snowmobile! woah!

[@therealannataylor]

We do! It is pretty fun. I haven’t been on it yet, but the kids LOVE it. I WISH I could type a mile a minute, but I’ve discovered that I’m an editor, not a writer. I have to get the basics down and revision is where my brain really starts to work.

[@ghostsofsociety]

Hey Anna, I just found your channel. I'm writing my first Novel since Sept. '20 and I'm writing the 1st draft on PC, at first my goal was 87k words but now I decided to write at least 100k words. Last week I sent a Chapter to my sister because I wanted her opinion and she told me that I need to improve the dialogues to look like more appealing and interesting but my question is: how do I write interesting dialogues specially when there are children talking? Take care and keep writing.

[@therealannataylor]

Hey Ghostsofsociety! Dialogue is a tricky one, something that I'm still working on making better. I have a few things that might help, but I'll try to go in more depth on a later video (its just a lot to type). My first idea for you is to go to a coffee shop and listen to other people. It'll probably feel like eavesdropping at first, but we want our dialogue to be natural and there's no better way to learn than listening to it without interruption. My second is that while we do want it to sound natural, we also don't want useless clutter in our dialogue. Watch one of your favorite movies. See how they remove all of the random "Hi, how are ya's?" That's because unless its important to the story, scene, character development, or setting, its not necessary to have in there. If you have small talk that doesn't benefit the story, its useless and stilted. My third one is for the kids. Having children speak in stories is difficult because often the writer/storyteller tries to age up or down the kid and they don't realize that that's not actually how kids talk, and the kid in question often seems unrealistic as a result. We try to make these kids fit into the mold of what we're writing, instead of doing exactly what we should be doing with every other character, and that is making them a multi-dimensional character on their own. Kids (like any other character) should only be used if they have a specific purpose within the story, and as such should be given quirks (and not just stereotypical fiction kids quirks), and traits that are uniquely them. Not every kid likes to play in the sand and make messes, and not every kid talks with a speech impediment for the first eight years of their life. So, I think that for the kids it really comes down to actually making them a character, and not just a prop. I hope that helps! Sorry I didn't respond sooner! My KZbin game has been slow in recent months, but I'll be back soon! I promise!

[@ghostsofsociety]

@@therealannataylor Hey Anna, thank you for your reply, I'm still writing the 1st draft and I'm having a very hard time writing the dialogue. I decided to include children talking because in the beginning the main character is a child and I don't know what to say/write, a few weeks ago I sent a Chapter to my sister because I wanted a second opinion and she told me that I need to improve at least the dialogue and making it sound like more appealing. The Novel I'm writing is a Drama and it is a very slow paced (it has a few fast paced scenes here and there). Send Chapters to Publishers is not a priority at least for now, in early April I bought 3 small Notebooks to write the 2nd draft but I haven't started yet. I've been super lazy without any ideas what to write next, I'm stuck at Chapter 45 with around 66 thousand words. I started writing this Novel in September '20 and I really want to finish everything this Summer, I will try to follow your tips, next time I will listen other people talking in the Coffee shop, is it normal that I think that my writing is terrible? I mean, normally when I start writing a story I end up destroying everything without showing it to anyone because I think it's not good enough, like I don't enough talent or something. Wishing you all the best. :)

[@billiedaddario2432]

Wow, I am so impressed that you write your novels longhand I couldn't do that I need my laptop, or I couldn't write. What a process for you. How long does it take you? In a perfect world.

[@therealannataylor]

10 pages equaled about 1,700 words, and I was able to write it in about 2 hours, so it tracked relatively the same as when I type. In a perfect world, I could do this every day at the same speed and it would take me about 3 months to finish a novel. You know. In a perfect world 😂

[@julesm9081]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@IlliteratelyYours]

I am actually kinda surprised at the comments section. I can't relate at all. I don't have the dexterity or attention span to use anything except for a computer lol

[@therealannataylor]

Hey, whatever works 😂 the important thing is that you know how you work and what makes you most productive.

[@strawberrymilk2987]

I hand write novels because I don't have a computer😅😂

[@therealannataylor]

That’s how it all started for me!

[@user-zf3lv3ke8v]

Do you add dialogues or you just write your story

[@therealannataylor]

I write dialogue with it! So it’s as if I’m writing the story on a computer, drafting it out just on a notebook instead. So it’s all dramatized. Definitely bare bones, but still a story. I’ll be doing a video soon about how I transcribe it if you want to stick around and see what it looks like!

[@user-zf3lv3ke8v]

@@therealannataylor sure

[@philipdouglas842]

It’s nice to see a mature person do author tube instead of people that are old enough to be my child, giving advice on writing.

[@lilpebbles4059]

Hey if you make a lot of mistakes then you can try Google docs