Viewpoint Writing replies by hand, then typing?

[monxmiracle]

I find lately I spend lots of time online, which is both a good and a bad thing. Most of my time is either spent writing for roleplays or reading. Though lately, I wonder does anyone actually write their replies on pen and paper then type them? In my opinion, this would definitely help cut away from the screen time, and you actually would write better. As it is shown writing helps enforce memory. Plus, it leaves less room for mistake. That and I love to write, but when I type on a screen, I am spending too much time on tech. Which I hate and my goal for 2020 is to cut down on tech.

 

[still watching fma]

This is definitely better for studying something that requires retention, like an exam. But it doesn't seem to apply to rping. Unless you're actually taking notes on the rp, I don't see the benefit of writing something on paper first. That being said, writing rough outlines, diagrams, and quick notes when you at work is easier on a pocket notepad. But I find with tech, writing is actually easier.

 

[monxmiracle]

This is definitely better for studying something that requires retention, like an exam. But it doesn't seem to apply to rping. Unless you're actually taking notes on the rp, I don't see the benefit of writing something on paper first. That being said, writing rough outlines, diagrams, and quick notes when you at work is easier on a pocket notepad. But I find with tech, writing is actually easier.

I agree writing on tech is easier, but for me I find that I consume too much time on tech, so I think that writing by hand would help me detox a bit. If you know what I mean?

 

[still watching fma]

I agree writing on tech is easier, but for me I find that I consume too much time on tech, so I think that writing by hand would help me detox a bit. If you know what I mean?

I get ya. If you're feeling stuck on tech you can also try using your tech on battery only or disconnecting the internet too(in your case this is just unplugging the ethernet cord lol). I find every device I have is 1000 times less engaging without it. The only time I spent less than 5 hours on my computer in the last 5 years, is when I was broke and had no money to pay the comcast bill.

 

[rae2nerdy]

So I tried this when my computer broke. 10/10 would not recommend as it actually makes things more difficult and time consuming.

If your worried you are spending too much time online I would just take a hiatus. People do it all time and it’s better to make a clean break to reset.

You can always just tell your partners that you need to take a break. People are pretty understanding.

 

[monxmiracle]

I get ya. If you're feeling stuck on tech you can also try using your tech on battery only or disconnecting the internet too. I find every device I have is 1000 times less engaging without it. The only time I spent less than 5 hours on my computer in the last 5 years, is when I was broke and had no money to pay the comcast bill.

That does sound helpful, I may try that. Lol, yes I find that a lot of people jn this day and age spend way more than five hours online it is a normalcy. Though for me a lot of it is spent consuming media, rather than using social media. I just have social media for a quick dopamine kick, but other than that I use the internet to read, write, and learn. But I don’t really like the feeling of relying on it too much.

 

[monxmiracle]

So I tried this when my computer broke. 10/10 would not recommend as it actually makes things more difficult and time consuming.

If your worried you are spending too much time online I would just take a hiatus. People do it all time and it’s better to make a clean break to reset.

You can always just tell your partners that you need to take a break. People are pretty understanding.

Yeh, it does. But I do find my best ideas come when I write them down, and brainstorm.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Yeh, it does. But I do find my best ideas come when I write them down, and brainstorm.

I mean you can do that if you want but it won’t help the problem that you are trying to address.

The problem appears to be a time management issue. So creating more activities is counter intuitive.

Your better off reading a book, watching a tv show/movie, hanging out with friends IRL, etc.

You can still get ideas for your roleplay and inspiration for brainstorming later but you are at least taking a legitimate break.

As just writing things down by hand isn’t going to change anything. You will spend the exact same amount of time online since you will still have to write up the reply. The way it would lessen your time is if you just had your replies be screenshots of the written responsesz

 

[monxmiracle]

I mean you can do that if you want but it won’t help the problem that you are trying to address.

The problem appears to be a time management issue. So creating more activities is counter intuitive.

Your better off reading a book, watching a tv show/movie, hanging out with friends IRL, etc.

You can still get ideas for your roleplay and inspiration for brainstorming later but you are at least taking a legitimate break.

As just writing things down by hand isn’t going to change anything. You will spend the exact same amount of time online since you will still have to write up the reply. The way it would lessen your time is if you just had your replies be screenshots of the written responsesz

True, actually. Taking screenshots and pictures of the written responses, doesn’t sound so bad. Cause I just find when writing on a computer I do pay less attention, make grammar and spelling errors and such. Also yes, I do think it’s a time management issue. Though my problem is I’m an introverted person, so a lot of my social interaction comes from online, and I can’t drive or have much money to commute places. So I’m just stuck at home, using technology, and not being entirely productive. Though reading, a book sounds like a good plan, or just brainstorming, I may try that.

 

[Malozing]

I do this when the ideas I have in my head are all jumbled. Or I am away from tech.

 

[Onmyoji]

I never write full reply by hand and then type, but I might write a plan of the reply that I'll use later. That's mostly because writing it twice would be time-consuming and useless because there is a high chance I'll change a lot while typing.

I've done it for fanfics and it is one of the reasons I have five unfinished fanfics currently. I wrote them by hand and can't find time and (mostly) will to type them. So I definitely wouldn't do that to rp replies, otherwise I'd never reply!

As people above suggested, cutting down on tech can be achieved by other means. What did it for me was finding a new hobby that requires literally no tech XD So I'm not doing double work on writing and still having fun.

 

[monxmiracle]

I never write full reply by hand and then type, but I might write a plan of the reply that I'll use later. That's mostly because writing it twice would be time-consuming and useless because there is a high chance I'll change a lot while typing.

I've done it for fanfics and it is one of the reasons I have five unfinished fanfics currently. I wrote them by hand and can't find time and (mostly) will to type them. So I definitely wouldn't do that to rp replies, otherwise I'd never reply!

As people above suggested, cutting down on tech can be achieved by other means. What did it for me was finding a new hobby that requires literally no tech XD So I'm not doing double work on writing and still having fun.

ope hope you can finish those fanfics and yes, I think I do need a hobby that requires no tech. Writing requires too much tech, so I need to find something low tech.

 

[rae2nerdy]

True, actually. Taking screenshots and pictures of the written responses, doesn’t sound so bad. Cause I just find when writing on a computer I do pay less attention, make grammar and spelling errors and such. Also yes, I do think it’s a time management issue. Though my problem is I’m an introverted person, so a lot of my social interaction comes from online, and I can’t drive or have much money to commute places. So I’m just stuck at home, using technology, and not being entirely productive. Though reading, a book sounds like a good plan, or just brainstorming, I may try that.

I would make sure your phone can take good enough images to be legible to your partner. As that was one of the problems when I attempted the same. The writing wasn’t readable.

And you don’t have to leave the house to take a break from the internet. As I said reading books or watching tv/movies.

You can get them free from the local library and if you are unable to go to the library yourself you can apply for outreach program and they will bring the items to you.

 

[monxmiracle]

I would make sure your phone can take good enough images to be legible to your partner. As that was one of the problems when I attempted the same. The writing wasn’t readable.

And you don’t have to leave the house to take a break from the internet. As I said reading books or watching tv/movies.

You can get them free from the local library and if you are unable to go to the library yourself you can apply for outreach program and they will bring the items to you.

Yeah, I may just watch some tv, or movies it’s less challenging mentally

 

[Crayons]

I used to do this when I travelled around more and spent more time out of the house. Not for every post, but I'd definitely write a ton of notes and background details for the RP, sketch maps, etc. etc. Typing it up afterwards does not require the same amount of screen time as typing as you go along, sorry to contradict posters above. The reason is, because you are not spending time thinking about what you are writing while staring at the screen. Also, if you touch type, you can look away from the screen (usually at your notebook) while you type instead of looking at the screen itself.

Often I find I have my most creative thoughts when I am away from the computer so I can definitely recommend doing the bulk of your thinking/writing before getting onto your screen.

I was thinking of buying one of those portable keyboard devices that only have a small LCD screen to cut down on my screen usage while writing. If I get one I'll let you know how that goes.

 

[monxmiracle]

I used to do this when I travelled around more and spent more time out of the house. Not for every post, but I'd definitely write a ton of notes and background details for the RP, sketch maps, etc. etc. Typing it up afterwards does not require the same amount of screen time as typing as you go along, sorry to contradict posters above. The reason is, because you are not spending time thinking about what you are writing while staring at the screen. Also, if you touch type, you can look away from the screen (usually at your notebook) while you type instead of looking at the screen itself.

Often I find I have my most creative thoughts when I am away from the computer so I can definitely recommend doing the bulk of your thinking/writing before getting onto your screen.

I was thinking of buying one of those portable keyboard devices that only have a small LCD screen to cut down on my screen usage while writing. If I get one I'll let you know how that goes.

Yes I agree, typing after writing definitely takes less time and effort. Cause for me it takes away the time I just stare at the screen and ponder. I find when I type on a computer or mobile, I'm easily distracted and tempted to open new tabs.

 

[Julian Spooner]

This sounds like a great idea to try. I do this with other sorts of writing to minimize my screen time, take advantage of a creative mood, do some writing in a different setting without having to take my laptop, or just get in a different mindset... so I don't see why it couldn't work for roleplays.

I often type roleplay stuff up on a document when I'm working on it. Sometimes I'll write intros for roleplays to use later, sometimes if I'm waiting for a reply from a partner I'll start drafting stuff for my next reply. Sometimes I'd write replies in a doc before copy and pasting them when I was RPing at work, so that it wasn't obvious I was doing something I wasn't meant to be

Anyway, I could see myself writing some roleplay stuff by hand in similar circumstances. Plus I'd be able to doodle, so that's an advantage.