Hand me a (poetic) pencil

I love pencils.

I always have a good supply of 2B pencils on my desk, and a back up supply in the drawer of my desk. I love the feel of a pencil in my hand as I write. This is especially so when writing poetry.

I almost always use a 2B pencil when composing poems. The sensuality of holding a pencil generates a creativity I rarely get using a pen or a keyboard. After the poem is crafted and has morphed through several drafts, a final copy is then typed up on my computer. Very little changes once I’ve typed it, perhaps only a little formatting and minimal changes to punctuation.

For most of other writing I now use the computer keyboard exclusively. This includes stories, novels, essays, articles and blog posts. I just do not have the time (or the patience) to compose in pencil or pen first. I may occasionally jot down notes or an outline in pen or pencil, but I’ve also done that on the computer. It’s a necessary part of being productive.

What do my readers use when writing?

I’d be interested in hearing your comments.

Good writing.

 

4 Responses to “Hand me a (poetic) pencil”

  1. Sarah Andrae says:

    I’m new school, I do all my writing on my laptop or iPod, only because I type quicker than I write so I can get my ideas out faster and don’t lose track as easily 🙂

  2. Trevor says:

    Hi Sarah – it is a great pleasure to welcome you to my site.

    I agree that it is quicker typing on a laptop etc. I normally use my laptop when writing stories, novels, articles and posts on my three blogs. In this way I can frequently create up to about 3000 words in a day, but that is only when doing a first draft. Editing and proofreading slow me down because I have to check everything carefully before publishing on my sites, or sending off to publishers.

    Poetry writing is a very different animal. I need time to think of the words, rolling them around in my mind and then committing them to paper. It slows down my thinking and brings sharp focus on the words, which is an essential element of good poetry.

    And I just love holding a pencil.

    • Sarah Andrae says:

      Replying years later! My style of poetry is different (although back I school I would write it down) I can’t think to long on a poem and the words otherwise I ruin it with over thinking, my best work is when I’ve taken 5-10 minutes to write it out, it’s more from my open heart then and less from my organised mind 🙂

  3. my handwriting is terrible, so I only use pen or pencil for short things – lists, poetry. I use the computer for most of my other writing. The idea of retyping a hand written novel is awful.