“My aim is to put down what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way I can tell it.”
Ernest Hemingway
I recently lost my access to a computer. When I had my second child it became increasingly difficult to sit down at a computer and write – I quite frankly didn’t have the time, space or ability to get to my desktop computer and write. And, as a result, I ended up selling my computer. However, I spent quite a bit of time not using my desktop and not having a laptop, which made writing very difficult.
We live in a technological world, and not having access to a computer has been hard. I finally have a laptop now which means I can write in Word again and rejoin the world of the internet browser. However, I learnt a lot over the past few months about getting back to my original roots and writing on paper, or branching out at times and writing on my phone. It’s been a difficult but enlightening few months.
The ideas in my mind swirl around a lot, and I definitely have a need to get them out. Usually, I would write in a Word document, but I haven’t had that ability. Instead, I’ve picked up a notebook and jotted down my ideas. I’ve found it somewhat liberating to pick up a pen and write on paper again. I haven’t properly written in a notebook for years. Access to a computer and digital modes has been easier and a more effective way of writing down ideas, and novels. However, I found it enjoyable to fish out a notebook and pen and write ‘old school’.
It is still hard to write with two children around, but when the toddler is napping I’ve been able to pull out the trusty pen and paper and write while looking after the baby. It’s not as fast or as easy as typing, but it gets the job done. I’ve enjoyed being able to sit at a table and bring that pen to paper and jot down my ideas. I haven’t been able to write properly, as transcribing pen to computer is a pain, but I’ve been able to write enough to get ideas out of my mind and hit some personal writing goals.
There’s a lot I now need to transcribe over to a word document, but getting that notebook out and sitting without technology for some time every day has rejuvenated me and helped clear my mind. I’m happy to have technology back, and I’m so excited to get all my ideas into the digital realm and resume work on my novel. I will still bring out that trusty notebook each day, but I’m going to reserve it for small ideas I need to jot down rather than writing paragraphs.
I’m looking forward to cracking back into the writing world again! I can finally get back to blogging properly (it has been a nightmare on my phone) and editing my novel once again! University doesn’t resume until March so I’ve got some goals I’d like to kick until then!
Emilie Turner 