It's similar for me (also an experienced editor who knows her way around MS Word). When I try and write on the PC, my temptation is to edit as I go along, and that always spoils my flow. With a piece of paper in front of me, I can keep writing for so much longer.
I have an alternate explanation for your paper-based epiphany, Carol. Brain research says that when you're stuck in a thought loop, the best thing you can do is to change your physical environment. You went from a process that is purely cerebral (those of us who have been typing our whole lives don't have to think about the typing) to one that is probably (if you're like me) physically awkward at this point. Just making that physical change pulled your brain out of the cycling it was doing. I tell my students when they feel stuck to make sensory changes. At the very least, take their hands off the keyboard and gaze out a window into the distance. Much better, run up and down stairs. The best, go outside without a device and just let their brain relax. All that said, yes, there is research about handwriting vs. typing, but it was done on adults who had grown up handwriting. I wonder what that research would look like done on digital natives!
It's similar for me (also an experienced editor who knows her way around MS Word). When I try and write on the PC, my temptation is to edit as I go along, and that always spoils my flow. With a piece of paper in front of me, I can keep writing for so much longer.
You're lucky! My wrist gives out after about 90 seconds of handwriting.
Oh, I'm sorry. That sounds rough.
I have an alternate explanation for your paper-based epiphany, Carol. Brain research says that when you're stuck in a thought loop, the best thing you can do is to change your physical environment. You went from a process that is purely cerebral (those of us who have been typing our whole lives don't have to think about the typing) to one that is probably (if you're like me) physically awkward at this point. Just making that physical change pulled your brain out of the cycling it was doing. I tell my students when they feel stuck to make sensory changes. At the very least, take their hands off the keyboard and gaze out a window into the distance. Much better, run up and down stairs. The best, go outside without a device and just let their brain relax. All that said, yes, there is research about handwriting vs. typing, but it was done on adults who had grown up handwriting. I wonder what that research would look like done on digital natives!
Your recommendation fits better with my usual tactics of working out or taking a walk when I need inspiration!