Something Old, Something New

So I tried something new, which just happens to be something old, I tried writing in longhand. I've done this before and become so frustrated with how s  l  o  w the writing was I soon went running back to my ergonomic keyboard. I can type pretty fast and find that, when I'm really into the story, the words can fly pretty fast onto the page. Not to mention the minute to minute changes are like lightening and well, there's the many, many benefits of spellchecker---I love you spellchecker.

But something was different this time. I had just finished up a chapter that morning (on my computer) so I knew exactly where I was in the MS and also what needed to start off the next one. The kids and I were at the pool, they were playing and I was just sitting under the umbrella reading. I rummaged through the pool bag looking for food--me hungry--and pulled out the notebook I take with me everywhere with all my notes for the current WIP.

The pen was right there, shoved into the spiral coils.

Hmmm? Before I knew it, I had added an additional 500 words while my kids had their swim lesson without a computer in sight. It was like a ridiculous, backhanded epiphany. "You mean, I can like write, without a computer? Like, the way people have been doing for hundreds of years?"

See, as a stay at home during the summer mom, there are tons of times throughout the day when I'm just a nonparticipating supervisor: swim lessons, roller skating rinks, playgrounds, etc, etc. Usually, I just read. But now, thanks to the marvels of PEN and PAPER, I can write anywhere. The possibilities are endless.

Pen and paper people *shakes head in wondrous amazement*

It's slower, true. But my pad of paper is also not hooked up to the internet (that cunning marvel of distraction) and it was pretty interesting to see how quickly I filled up those sheets without informing twitter, not even once, that I was #amwriting.