Understand Your Tool – Writing and Editing Advice by Greg Luti
- Greg Luti
- Jul 3
- 5 min read
A writing and editing advice post that explores the practical side of the creative process. In “Understand Your Tool,” Greg Luti discusses how choosing between typing and handwriting can affect both your creative flow and your ability to edit effectively.
The Handwriting vs. Typing Debate
There is a lot being said about the use of handwritten words that go on a piece of paper compared to typed words that go on a computer. The normal conclusion is that when you write with a pen, the words you write are, in fact, better. The process you have to use to get those words out of your head is more effective in creating smoother prose for people to read. You will then have someone ask how young people can’t know how to write, as though that person wrote a classic novel by hand, which they didn’t, by the way. Being a man who has experience with both the pen and the laptop, I thought I would shed some light on this topic.
Most Writers Use Technology
Let’s get a few things out of the way here. The writers you read, the creative people you know, probably wrote up their stories on a laptop or a typewriter. Yeah, I hate to break it to you, but the idea that the modern novel is for some reason written on a notebook and then given to the printer as though everyone is Charles Dickens is just not how writing works today. These words I am writing for this post were not written down on a piece of paper and then put on the screen. Sorry, they weren’t. Most writers have adapted this style of writing. (There are a few writers today, I am sure, who write by pen still, but I will explain how and why that is as popular as you may think)
Throughout history, there were a few notable writers who used typewriters and laptops as their main tools for their stories. I am talking about Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and Stephen King. They did not sit all day with a pen and paper. So, the idea that the quality of the work is worse when you type up the words is not the case. I don’t think that the classic writers who used typewriters were any less great because of the typewriter. There is a practical reason they typed their words, too.
The Real Advantage of Typing
When you type up words on a laptop or a computer, the editing process is ten times faster. Yeah, you try writing out a thousand words, and then edit it over and then edit it over again, and then again. It will take forever. I actually did this for a novel I started years ago, and my biggest problem was that I got to the fourth edit of the page, and I could barely read anything. That is why you see professional writers type up their words, because they are more about the production of the words than anything else.
Handwriting Still Has a Place
Does this mean that there is no usefulness for a person to write with a pen? I do believe that is where this conversation gets mixed up. If you are talking about the average person who will never write a novel in their life, then they should be able to write legibly a few words and not only focus on the typing of it all, but if you are talking about writers who create books for a living, then frankly, why the hell do you care how they write their books? Hey, if writers want to be like Jack Kerouac with their books, then go right ahead.
The reason people feel the need to have the youth literate with a pen is that there are many cases where a kid will not know how to do something a senior does, in this case, signing their signature. I think that is where this discussion gets confused, though, since that has nothing to do with the productivity of a professional writer.
The Confusion in This Conversation
What are we talking about here? Are we talking about literary history involving technology, the ability for a youth’s brain to develop creatively, or a certain skill to be fostered in our kids? Those are different questions, but when this is brought up, we make it one conversation.
Understand Your Tools
Now, let’s bring this to you, the reader, and what you can do about this issue. I say the best thing to do is to understand the tools you have. Believe it or not, you are able to write down words in a notebook and then later on write down other words on your laptop. Yeah, you don’t have to be exclusive with your use of the language.
The Pros and Cons of Each Tool
The use of the laptop makes it easier for you to edit whatever it is you are doing. That is the best advantage you have. You should also know that too much screen time may give you headaches, and there is a possibility your work may not be as good as if it were written out. Although that last point may not even be true, I would not worry all that much about that one. Do you really think that when Mark Twain wrote out Huckleberry Finn on his typewriter, he was concerned his overall writing quality would go down?
The use of the pen helps you develop more of an artistic flow with your motion. You behave more like a painter with words than when you type them up. This can help you develop that way of writing, which for some can bolster their overall creative ability. You should know that the editing process for this is a pain and can get so bad for you that you may even give this part up so you can complete the material you are working on. Writing with a pen is good for an exercise, but I wouldn’t use it for a novel, since that would take you ten times as long to complete.
Don’t Write a Whole Novel by Hand
There are many times I have heard from clients that they want me to help them edit their books, and the original copy is… in a notebook somewhere. Now, the process has nothing to do with writing or editing, but transcribing the words to a place where they can be edited. That is a hole no writer wants to find themselves in.
Focus on the Creative Mindset
If you are a writer and you value stories or the written word, then the tool you use should never be as important as the creative mindset you bring to the table. I don’t care if you are typing up something on the laptop or writing something in your notebook; you have to be creative either way, and if you can recognize that mentality as part of being a writer, then don’t worry about the rest of the conversation.
People will say a lot about this topic, since it is a very trendy thing to talk about, but know there are many different sub-topics here, and the one that matters most to writers is the tools they use. Know when you are to type up things so that it can be easier to edit them right away. Know when you want to write up some things, and accept the longer editing process involved with it. Both ways work.
You have multiple tools to help you complete your story. I say find the tool you are most comfortable with and develop that method until it is second nature. Let everyone else answer the question about what is better: a pen or a laptop. You have a book to complete anyway.
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