: Re: Maybe it *is* better to write rough drafts longhand? I read a forward by Piers Anthony in the midst of his bestselling Incarnations series about how he used two drafts on paper then one on

@Deb2945533

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The easy answer is: Do what works for you. The computer is a marvelous tool, but that doesn't mean it's the best way to do every possible job.

Personally, when I'm working on a book or an article, I always write on the computer. It's easy to back up and rewrite a sentence, re-arrange text, etc. I often change my mind as I go along, so I like the way on the computer I can delete a few words or a sentence, type the new thing, and it's all clean and neat.

But there are many tasks that I COULD do on a computer but which I find easier to do on paper. For example, for my job I have to keep track of how many hours I spend on each project each day. I used to do this with a piece of software that includes a feature designed for this. But then I noticed: On the computer: Start up the program. Navigate through the menus to the place where you enter hours. Select the appropriate project. Set the status to "in work". Set several other irrelevant fields that are required by the software. Scroll down to where I can enter the number of hours. Type in the hours. Click OK. Click Save. Shut down the program. On paper: I keep a piece of paper on the corner of my desk. When I finish working on a task, I grab the piece of paper, scribble an abbreviation of the project name and the number of hours. Done.

If you're spending a lot of time wrestling with the mechanics of doing things on the computer, or if you're not a very fast or accurate typist, the computer may be more trouble than it's worth.

It is often more difficult to go back and forth between things on a computer than on paper. On the computer, you may have to scroll around, search, and generally press a bunch of keys. On paper, you pick up the pen and put it down in the new place.

While computers are getting lighter and more compact, if you want to sit back on the sofa and write it's more comfortable to hold a pad and pen than a laptop. Or to put a desktop on your lap.

Et cetera.

As I say, it's what works for you.

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