A few years back, I took a writing class with a journalist in Nashville named Gloria Ballard. Most of the students, including me, brought notebooks and pens. I believe only two students brought a laptop on which to compose.
I remember her being genuinely shocked by this. While she said she was encouraged by us all to start writing with pen and paper again, I was beside myself with envy. I knew I could get a lot more writing done if I could exercise some self-control and write directly to the screen.
After that class, I started building up my “compose on computer” muscles. At first, I had to turn off the WIFI and uninstall my video games (I’m a child). Now, I do discovery writing on paper and write for publication on the computer.
If you are curious about discovery writing and just writing in general, please visit notnowimwriting.com where I talk all about the craft and business of writing.
