Don’t get me wrong. I WANT to use pen and paper, but it is a waste of time. My limit seems to be a 3x5 with a phrase or snippet of an idea. Anything the is more than a sentence will take quite a bit of time to decode.
The ONLY exception I have to this is music or lyrics for music. I think there are two things going on there.
The thought that goes into it really slows down the process. Write a phrase, think then write the next. Prose for me is more like a stream of thought.
I tend to do it lefty. I am a righty. I think the use of the other hand forces me to really consider what I am doing. I tried it for prose before I bought scriv, but it is just too slow.
Anyway, I envy you Mr P and Mr. Bywater for your handwriting abilities.
Blimey, I wish my handwriting was that pretty. I resorted to writing in mixed big- and small-caps at school because the teachers couldn’t read my work to mark it…
And I thought I was the only one that printed everything.
The beatings I used to take for printing and then for bad handwriting.
I must have been a sadists dream as no matter what I did it was wrong.
With you on that. I was the only person in 5th grade whose parents had to go buy a typewriter so their son could pass. Too bad no one ever taught me to type.
Have any of you tried lefty? I do that when I am being “artistic”. It comes out quite legible, but it is so difficult that it is not practical for more than occasional use.
I must be missing something. The Pulse computer/pen http://www.livescribe.com/ includes an infrared camera, LED display, dual microphones, playback speaker, ink cartridge, USB port, and a hundred sheets of microdot encrusted paper. (There may also be a built-in pipe wrench, but I’m not sure.)
With this package of goodies, the manufacturer says, you can record audio while you write (or while installing a new water heater, if that really was a wrench).
Okay, if you’re a student taking notes in a class, or a reporter covering a council meeting. (Or a plumber.) But what good does it do if you’re (cough, cough) a writer? I sometimes talk to myself, but haven’t yet declined to the level of speaking aloud every word as I write it.
I think you missed the part where the pen uses the camera in the tip to record the notes/words you write or pictures/sketches you draw, which you can then upload to your computer as files. Except I think you would still need a program that can translate handwriting into a computer font and save as a text file. But I haven’t bothered looking through all the tech specs.
The original issue was illegible handwriting. If it can’t be read on the paper, what’s the point of transferring it to a computer screen? It’s still illegible.
My own work-around has been to learn fairly rapid lower-case printing. Almost as fast as the cursive, and far more legible – even for other people.
Well, I think the original issue of the post was productive writing and being able to track your writing time. Which then evolve into a subplot regarding handwriting, etc., etc., but I agree with your point. If handwriting is illegible on paper, it will be illegible when transferred to computer. Like you, I’ve developed a printed letter style of writing to make sure mine is readable, though I often consider trying to relearn reputable cursive.