The Creative Benefits of Writing on Paper

Why going analog will help you bring the best from your writing

The Creative Benefits of Writing on Paper

We’re going old school today, but don’t worry. I won’t ask you to dump your laptop and go live in the woods without electricity. There are big creative benefits to writing on actual paper and I’d like you to consider them for your writing arsenal.

Let’s set the stage a little. I’m a digital writer. Not only do I use my laptop, but I do the majority of my writing on my phone. I’m always carrying this little tool in my pocket and I’ve found my phone has massively increased my writing output without taking more time from my life.

I write about my wild, mobile writing here:

Writers: How to Boost Your Daily Word Count with One Simple Tweak

and here:

What I Learned Writing an Entire Novel on My Phone

So, how does paper fit into all this digital business? Well, it’s an integral part, but maybe not what you’d expect. There are analog writers out there who swear by hand-writing everything and later re-typing the finished work into the computer.

I find this analog to digital terribly inefficient.

But there are a few key places I use paper and they’ve increased my creativity by adding the physical activity to the process. When we hand-write we activate the brain in more places than we would had we typed the same passage.

When we add a physical element to a creative process, there’s movement. Our creative minds thrive on movement. If our work (i.e. writing) hinges on our ability to come up with novel ideas, wouldn’t it be best to put ourselves in the most creative situation possible?

Where I use paper for writing

• Quick, first-pass outline (I’m a hybrid panster. I use a rough framework for my books) — This is the most-valuable creative use by far