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The Pen versus the computer

Day 3: January 3, 2012 ~ 30-day Blog Challenge prompt is “When you are writing, do you prefer to use a pen or a computer?”

Choosing which implement I prefer isn’t easy. Sometimes I prefer a pen and sometimes a computer. The advantage to using a pen is feeling the instrument in your hands while it dances across the page. The disadvantage is that I think faster then I write and my handwriting gets sloppy or unreadable when I attempt to write as fast as I think. Then there is the issue of misspelled words; at times, my spelling is so bad that I don’t know what I meant when I read the word again.

One of the advantages to using a computer is a spell checker, as long as I spell the word phonically the spell checker can find it if the word is in its memory. If the word isn’t in the spell checker then phonic spelling helps when me look the word up in the dictionary. The other advantage to using a computer is that I don’t have to worry about whether or not my hand writing is legible. Since the document is typed, I can always read what I have written.

The main disadvantage to using a computer is rewriting on the screen. When rewriting or proof reading a document it’s a good idea to use a hardcopy. Editing a hardcopy helps me see missing words. There are other advantages, but for me this is the most important.

I carry a pen and paper with me so that when I’m away from the computer, I can write down ideas or lines. I also write down interesting bumper stickers, phrases, or personalized plates that I see. Little things like this can generate poems or stories. So which one do I prefer, the depends on how I feel and what I am writing.

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