Should you write about your life and memories on paper or on an electronic device? Handwriting, as in pen/pencil and paper, has many benefits which don’t immediately come to mind. Check out this page by Epica. They sell leather journals but this part of their site is fascinating:
https://epica.com/blogs/articles-by-epica/benefits-handwriting-10-amazing-truths
(The link will open in a new tab. Close it to come back here. And you don’t need an expensive leather journal, a dollar store notebook will do just as well.)
After you’ve finished reading about why handwriting might be better, let’s think about the analog or digital debate. Analog is linear, it’s real, you can see and touch something that is analog. Think of a book or your own notes, a vinyl record or a piece of photographic film. Those are all analog. They exist in the 3D world but not in the digital world. Yet.
You can’t see digital creations except on an electronic device of some kind. Digital is real, yes but can only be seen through the magic of electronics. But something that is digital can be shared, moved, and easily edited. Getting your analog notes to digital form is possible but it takes a few steps. If you’re writing for yourself and your family, paper is just fine. As the highlighted article says, handwriting will benefit you in ways that typing on a keyboard won’t. Besides that, think of all the great and wonderful masterpieces that have been handwritten. All of the classic works, that includes books as well as paintings and art, were done by hand. But if you want to share or publish your work, consider the digital benefits before you spend a large amount of time writing things out by hand.
So, you decide. I do both, by the way. When I’m cooking or watching NHK with my morning coffee and inspiration strikes, I grab the pen and dollar store notebook beside me to get the thought down on paper. You’d laugh at my fridge because it’s usually covered in Post-It notes; things the came to mind while I was doing something else or didn’t have time to write it out in full. Sometimes it’s a word, often it’s lyrics or a full sentence but whatever it is, it’s there for me to flesh out later on. If you continue on this journey, I’m sure your fridge and coffee table will look a bit like mine.
I’ll keep the posts short here. If there’s something you want to ask or comment on, feel free to drop me a note at the bottom of this page.
Cheers!
Brian Mahoney
December 11, 2024