I think the technology is a wonderful thing. I couldn't imagine having to keep retyping entire pages because I messed up the formatting or made a spelling error. Not to mention the computer probably save a ton of paper that would be crumpled up and throw in the trash...

However, I can't just use the computer by itself. I like to do a handwritten journal as I gather my thoughts. I draw. Make diagrams. Whatever seems to relate to the the story. After I have somewhat of an outline going; I'll transfer my notebook to a Word Doc and manipulate it there until I feel like I have it fleshed out.

When I start writing, I'll print out the outline and cross off scene as I handwrite them. After a couple of days of handwriting, I'll take a day and transfer it all into Final Draft and rewrite as I see fit. Rinse and repeat until the draft is finished.

For rewriting, I'll print the draft and pour over it by hand and then make corrections to the computer draft every 20 or so pages.

I find writing by hand much more involving. I feel like my thoughts flow at the speed of my handwriting. The computer really is just to save copies and format it.

Makes mine better. There's no way I could write on anything other than a computer. I tend to jump around a lot, and take notes on the page.

But I also write in waves.

I tend to write my impressions of a scene in a very rough way on a first pass -- John August actually does something similar -- and then work the scene out on the page. I build and revisit scenes as I am writing.

I do see a lot of amateur scripts though, that feel less like a first draft and more like they were generating ideas as they went, which doesn't work. Scenes need to have a purpose. The story needs to come together as a whole.

Kinda agree with both arguments, lol.

I start with hand written notes from my research. Then I use pencil and paper for the first draft. Typing it into my computer acts as a second draft and comes a long way into the process.

Maybe I'm a little old and new school at the same time?

My first computer is still in the basement, on a shelf: The KayPro 2000. Had to take a loan out from my mother-in-law to buy the thing -- a forerunner to the laptop, it was the size of today's typical desktop tower, and the keyboard clipped into the top. Little 4 x 4 monochrome screen, with green letters...ah, the good old days.

I'm with Chris - handwriting the first draft seems to just "fit" the flow and speed of writing-think... Papermate Silk pen, 1.68 point, black, 0.0 Ghz and even less VRAM... Then I transpose scenes into individual .fdx files, and assemble sequences, acts and complete drafts from there.

Still nostalgic for the smell of mimeograph ink, too!

My weapon of choice is the Pilot G2 07 :)

First draft?

Black Penway composition book: $0.99

#2 Pencils: $1.49

Typed into Final Draft afterwards.

I can't key in a first draft. Too much "pressure," if that makes any sense.

anyone who would argue that writing is lower quality today than in the past due to computers is nuts. Maybe there are a few more people "writing" because the computer takes some of the work out of the process, but writers are still going to stress out over every word and type sentences over and over vs handwriting them over and over first.
I think someone was a little bitter about the younger generation's influence on hollywood

You gotta do what works for you.

I work on a PC normally. I don't have a laptop, so when I'm traveling, I take a notebook and a nice pen.

Mr. Gottlieb sounds a bit like a curmudgeon romanticizing the past.

I go for something like the Tarantino way of doing it ahah

"I can't key in a first draft. Too much "pressure," if that makes any sense."

@ Jeffrey -- I actually know exactly what you mean.

Having a single document feels like it is the final product already, when you are still only halfway through it. That does create an unnecessary and often debilitating pressure to not eff up what is already there. I know this feeling well!

What helps, is breaking your scenes out of the "main document."

Any scenes I'm somewhat stuck on or need a lot of attention, I will generally create a new, separate document for. I will work on them by themselves. No idea why, but this simply act takes so much pressure off the screw-up factor.

In addition to "breaking scenes out" into their own documents --

Having the discipline to DELETE entire scenes that aren't working is a must have when working purely digitally.

I don't know how other writers work, but I literally save every time I sit down at the computer as a separate dated file (Sometimes as many as 6 or 7 new files are generated in a single day).

This is a freedom and advantage of the computer that is heads and tails above a typewriter. And I don't think many people take advantage of it.

It gives the freedom to completely toss out scenes to try and find a better solution, but also provides a safety net.

I guess, it's like the example Scott linked -- with the type writer the hassle of physically rewriting could often be greater than the benefit of trying out something new -- and what if that didn't work out?

With everything saved, I feel there's much more flexibility than there ever was.

Jeffrey's comment resonated with me as well.

I've recently moved away from the computer in my initial writing. It didn't feel hands-on enough. Too mechanical, distant. (And I'm on a computer all friggin day at my paycheck job.)

So I'm trying something new: index carded the hell out of my stories. Writing snippets and ideas by hand using pen has somehow made me feel closer to the story, if that makes sense. And something about index cards laid out makes them feel more like storyboards, key frames, and thus more like a movie.

Then when I'm somewhat satisfied (not there yet), I'll plunk away on my laptop.