I’m a simple guy, and as such I like to keep things as simple as possible. In fact, those things that are complicated, those messy and tangled details, complications that limit more than help, or at least amass undue expectations, usually suck away hope of creativity or productivity I may entertain. So, when it comes to writing, I personally prefer to stick to something simple—long hand on yellow legal pads.
Like most writers, I’ve allowed a long-lived love affair with fancy notebooks and diaries. But, even without setting up a poll or scientific study, I can say with reasonable certainty that most writers that enjoy fancy notebooks also share a fear of dirtying them with their writing.
I have discovered that something similar happens to me when I write even on the computer. The complications of a word processor affect me just the same as a leather-bound journal. I lock up, unable to face the pressure of such a medium. Such a fear accounts for most of my writer’s block. What do I do about it?
I use yellow legal pads for the majority of my prewriting and drafting. The legal pad, to me, is so simple and unintimidating compared to other notebooks or a computer.
So, I can say that, as far as my writing goes, yellow legal pads have saved my life. I wonder, digital world, how to do you prefer to write?
