Writing Experience

I can't sit down and write an essay. My thoughts are scattered, and linking an introductory sentence to my conclusion through several yet-to-be-thought-of body paragraphs is overwhelming enough to often leave me constantly rewriting or questioning every sentence. If I try to write all my ideas at once, it becomes a jumbled mess, exaggerated by my terrible printing and impatience with handwriting. Idea's remain half formed, if even legible, and by the end, I find myself almost rewriting the piece in its entirety when I do finally type it.

Write a bit, make a mistake, erase. Write a bit, notice a spelling error, erase. Write a bit, realize it's an irrelevant thought, erase. Notice the entire paper is covered in gray smudges or crossed out sentences and start fresh.

With a computer, it is so much easier. Especially when it comes to correcting my work. I can build several paragraphs almost simultaneously, moving them with the click of a mouse, deleted or adding to segments without compromising the flow of the work or disrupting the overall appearance. I can remove unnecessary information and polish each sentence to portray exactly what I want it to. If something is out of place, it's as easy as simply highlighting and moving it. I can't do any of that with a pencil, and the idea of multiple drafts and rough copies frightens me in my Microsoft Word dependent mentality of writing.

Despite the inconvenience and difficulty I associate with handwriting, at leas I can SEE the paper. I can notice a mistake, I can take the couple seconds to alter a sentence or correct something that doesn't quite feel right. I can't imagine how frustrating it must have been for Helen Keller to write her book. Every sentence would have taken time and deliberation, and even the slightest miscommunication could change the writing entirely. So despite the hardship I see handwriting as being, I can't help but feel guilty for complaining and taking something for granted that could very easily be taken away.