Writing Mediums

In all honesty, how much thought do you put in to the tools with which you write? Have you ever switched around with the different types there are out there?

I have actually tried most of them, and I put them into three categories:

- Pen and Paper

- Computer

- Specialty Mediums ( Typewriters, Alphasmart Word Processors etc. )

 

Now, depending on your preference, some of these will not be to your liking, and I have found that when you are dissatisfied with your materials your creativity can sometimes be stunted. That’s why it is best to try as many as you can until you find one that works best with your needs. In some cases, you may be able to switch from one to the other with not much change but you may also find that switching can lead to a much more productive result, and that’s what we want. We want a productive medium!

Let’s start off with the traditional pen and paper (I am biased since this is my choice medium, but I will do my best to keep it fair):

Pros

Cheap
Customizable
Portable
Little Distractions
No Upgrading Required (Unless you upgrade paper quality or writing utensil, i.e. pencil to pen or vice versa)
Simple
No Power Source

Cons

Handwriting/Utensil Issues
Hard to Edit
Not Easily Transferable
No Word Count
Limited Storage
Multiple Notebooks for Extra Storage
Non-Environmental
Limited Formatting

Computers:

Pros

Quick Editing
Proofreader
Word Count
Large Amount of Storage
Formatting
Easily Transferable
Can be Portable
Environmentally Friendly

Cons

Distracting
Expensive
Requires Power Source
May Require Upgrading
May Not be Portable

Special Medium ( I will focus on Alphasmart, as typewriters tend to be a mix of computers and traditional, and not many people know about the Alphasmart products ):

Pros

Cheap
No Distraction
Word Count
Lengthy Battery Power
Portable
Proofreader
Transferable

Cons

Requires Upgrading
Hard to Transfer
Still Requires Power Source
No Formatting
Limited Memory
Very Old Technology

Now, some of this was apparent from the beginning but I wanted to prepare a list to compare with the Alphasmart since not many know about them. They really are quite useful, but they weren’t my favorite.

The materials used are major to the result of the product, and you want to make sure you have the right tools, but that’s not to say you can only use one. In some cases, it’s best to use multiple ones for editing. A new medium tends to help you notice things you wouldn’t have in your choice medium. I hope I have helped or interested someone. If you have anything to add or perhaps you have another medium you think should be added, feel free to let me know.

Thank you for reading!

-Lissy