Which Is Better: Pen or Keyboard?

I sit at a desk for eight to ten hours a day, typing emails and instant messages, documents and presentations. Some days the last thing I want to do is sit in front of my personal computer to work on my novels or blog posts. However, writing by hand is slower and my hand cramps. Plus, I'll have to type it all up anyway, so what's the point? Which brings me to one of my most frequent internal debates. Which is better? Writing by hand with a pen or typing with a keyboard? 

The answer is not so simple, and usually by the time I've thought through all the pros and cons of each, I've used up so much brain power and mental energy that I feel too exhausted to write by either method and choose to read a book instead of writing one.

Okay, that only happens some of the time. Most of the time, I can quickly assess what my immediate writing goal is and choose the method that will help me accomplish that goal the best. 

My default method for writing is to type because of several main reasons:

1. Typing is faster. Although my words per minute rate is not super stellar, I can still type faster than I can write. And when I consider that I need to type up everything I write, even if I am pretty fast at handwriting, typing something one time will always be faster than writing something by hand and then typing it up.
2. Typing is more comfortable. Now that my hand is not used to filling notebooks with class notes, it does not take long for my hand to tire and start to cramp when I write. My body and hands are conditioned to type, so I find it pretty comfortable to curl up in a cozy chair or couch with my computer on my lap as I type away. Writing requires me to also have a lap desk or write at a table. Even my back can get sore hunched over a notebook.
3. It is easier to edit, revise, and share typewritten text. If I think ahead to what I want to do with my writing, typing just makes sense. I can use spellcheck, I can easily move paragraphs around, I can send my work to friends or post to online critiquing groups. My writing program on my computer keeps all of my story notes one click away for me to refer to at any moment, which is much easier to locate and read than a folder full of paper notes. (Although imagining me at a table or desk covered in character mood boards and story and plot lines is quite appealing.)
4. It is easier to track word counts. Many of my goals revolve around word counts either by day or week or month. It is time consuming to try to count words written in a notebook. 

While typing is more convenient and a time saver, there is just something about writing by hand that keeps me coming back to it every now and again. My main reasons for choosing to write by hand include:

1. I am more focused. With a keyboard beneath my hands, it can be tempting to navigate to another site (usually social media) when I'm trying to think of where to go next. Or if I have a question about something, off to a search engine I go. But when I am writing by hand, it is easier for me to keep my focus on what I'm writing. When my mind wanders, my pen pauses, and I stare off into my surroundings, deep in thought until I'm ready to return to my work. 
2. My imagination feels more vivid. It's not that I think my imagination is not strong or that I'm not fully immersed in a story as I type, but I definitely feel that when I am writing by hand, it's like what I'm seeing is filling more of my mind. I think that's because as I type, I'm paying attention to what I am typing and correcting mistakes, so it's like my concentration is split between what I'm seeing in my head and what I am putting on the screen. When I write, my hand knows how to spell, and if I make a mistake, there isn't a red squiggly line to suddenly interrupt my flow. It's muscle memory for my hand to carry the pen across the page, allowing me to focus more completely on the images in my head I'm trying to write down.
3. I can take my pen and paper everywhere. A laptop can be cumbersome when I want to write on the go. Notebooks come in all sizes, and it is easy for me to always have one with me no matter my purse size and no matter where I'm going. On nice days when I want to spend time outdoors, I don't have to worry about my notebook overheating in the sun or being hidden by a glare or my own reflection. I need the internet to use my Chromebook and my writing app, but I can write in the middle of nowhere with just my paper and pen.
4. I use more senses. I love that when I write on paper, I use almost all of my senses. Beyond the obvious sense of sight, I hear the scratch of my pen as it scribbles across the page and the crinkle of paper covered in ink as I flip it over. I feel the smooth paper beneath my wrist as I write and take time to run my fingers over the ridges formed by the pressure of my pen once the page is filled. The smell of the paper slowly filling with ink floats into my nostrils. The smell of a blank page is different than one covered in ink.

When it comes time for me to sit down and write, the things I consider most in order to choose between the two methods are:

1. What is my writing goal? Is my goal to write a certain amount of words or write for a certain amount of time? 
2. Where am I going to write? How much space will I have?
3. What am I going to write? Do I need access to the internet or my current draft?

And there you have it. A sneak peek into the inner workings of my brain. Maybe it's curiosity or maybe it's subconscious procrastination that leads me to have these mental meanderings. Or maybe it's proof that there's always some idea or question churning in a writer's mind. Sometimes it just takes a little time to find the best way to get to the writing part.