I hope I'm putting this in the right place...

I was wondering, what do you all use for writing your first drafts? Paper, Word, Typewriter? Have you tried more than one? What works best for you?

Personally, I always write my first drafts by hand (sometimes parts of second, third, and fourth drafts too, depending on how many times I rewrite the beginning! ). I use paper and a dark, black pen. I've tried to write using the computer in Word and I simply couldn't think while I looked at that little blinking line.

[Edited when my brain remembered the rest of what I planned to post. ]

I always use a WP for my story writing. That way I can search things in case I need to look something up anywhere quickly.

I write every draft from the first to last on the computer, using Microsoft Word. It's much cleaner and easier to edit, and I'm not particularly fast when writing by hand.

I used to use WORD until I got introduced to Scrivener, and then I never went back... When I was young, I'd write it out by hand, but then re-writing stuff was a pain, and then I had to deal with my bad hand-writing, and so writing it out on the computer saved me from having to focus on neat handwriting. course, I learned soon afterwards that I still had to have good handwriting, even if I wanted to type out all my work on the computer. ;P

I always hand write mine in writing books; I use a black or blue pen. As I write each chapter, I then usually type it into my Word program, so I'm not left at the end with doing it all at once. I also make edits, and add bits in as I type the chapters up.

I write everything down on the computer. That way, if I need to find something, it is easy. If I need to edit, I edit right into the text and don't have to scribble stuff out. If I want to add a whole other paragraph, I can. And, I've even needed to move entire scenes before. That's easy to do on the computer.

Plus, I type really fast, but do not write quickly. When I really get into writing, sometimes my hands can't keep up, even when I'm typing, so writing things down wouldn't be good, because I'd lose so much.

Computer. Usually, Google Docs (now Drive) so I can access them anywhere.

I usually write first chapters on a special set aside notebook for stories, using a black pen. Then the rest of the first draft is written in Google Drive/Docs. My hand tends to ache more if I write, rather than type. Oh, but if inspiration strikes at a time when a computer is not in my reach, I'll definitely resolve to write it down.

But now that we have Scrivener, I think I'm permanently moving all my writings there.

That. ^ Except I don't necessarily type very fast...and adding that my handwriting is illegible.
I use Scrivener (awesomest writing app ever), Gdrive (for when I need/want something where I can get it from anywhere, or just to back up stuff), IA Writer (a minimalist writing app for when all you want to do is get some words in). *hugs favorite writing apps*

So, does Scrivener help a lot? I've heard about it and I actually downloaded a trial (which I haven't used much of yet), but I haven't been able to determine if it will be really helpful, or not.

I should type mine out at the end of each chapter... It would make things less overwhelming in the end.

I think it depends on how much backstory/plotting/character development/world-building you do/want to write down on the computer. I have found Scrivener extremely useful for organizing those things. But if you tend to write books straight through without much of the above things, it might not be worth the $40 to get Scrivener... But I'd definitely use the free trial a lot to see how useful it is to you.

If you buy it you should do it with the 50% off code you can get by winning nano.
It's also useful for keeping reference material (an article, photo, or sound...) right where you can see it with your writing, looking back at your writing (in two places at once to check for differences/consistency), and a lot of other things.

Maybe I should see how I like outlining first then? My NaNo book is going to be my first outlined book I've written. I usually just start with a general idea of what I'm going for and figure it out as I go along.

Heehee Maybe I should try using the trial during November then... That way if I like it, I get a fresh incentive to finish my word count.

As an aside, I've heard that Scrivener is a great program, and I'm thinking of giving it a try.

One other thing to consider. If you have a lot of worldbuilding, planning, and developing, it's probably better to use the computer because you can keep track of everything easier, having it all neatly organized in one place. And as I'm learning, the more outlining and scene planning you do beforehand, the stronger your book will be and the faster you'll be able to write (type ) it.

I use Word, for almost everything, bubbl.us (kudos to Jay for discovering it) for brainstorming and for outlining anything that is super complex, and Paint (yes, Microsoft Paint, you read correctly) to illustrate any complex physical things (like my tidal system).

I don't have much use for scrivener because I don't write down outlines and I don't really need all the organizational tools. I only write down narrative, some character sketches, and worldbuilding posts for my sub-forum. Beyond that, I just remember everything (including outlines, complex characters, and entire cultures that I haven't bothered to write down).

I don't write things down for two reasons. Generally, unless it's poetry or lyrics, I don't forget anything I make up. Also, once I write something down, I feel pretty committed to the written form. When I store stuff in my head, I'm constantly improving, tweaking, reshaping, and personalizing everything. Eventually, something reaches a shape (metaphorically) that I like, and at that point a write it down, at which point it become permanent.

I find that I keep track of everything better mentally than visually. So, no scrivener.

(The simple, short truth of the matter is that I'm too much of miser to spend money on scrivener. Therefore, I create complex and intelligent reasons for not doing so.)

Yeah, you might. It takes a bit to get used to, but you could PM me for help if you need/want.

@Neil - You forgot to make a reason you don't need all the awesomeness it has to do with editing.

And I rarely edit things beyond making grammatical corrections and changing a word or two to improve the prose.

That's exactly what Scrivener is good for.

Yes! I do think it can be hard to type it all in at once. But I dislike typing it straight in, at least on pen and paper it can't be lost. I don't trust my computer with my writing. Haha! Like my laptop suddenly packed in, I can't turn it back on, but I know that I have most of the short stories I typed in etc, on paper so I'm not too worried.

I use Word, for every draft. I find it easier because of several reasons.

1. I have a stupid disease thingy called childhood arthritis, and I personally find it easier to type instead of write by hand.

2. I find it easier to edit for some reason, because I can copy-and-paste problem sections and paste them into a different Word Document.

One of my big brothers introduced me to Scrivener, but I have yet to try it...

I fall back on my argument about being a miser.

Yes, computers can be finicky things. I experienced a disaster when the harddrive on our last desktop crashed unexpectedly. We hadn't backed it up, and I lost everything but the documents I had on the laptop. 3 days away from finishing a book, and suddenly I lost 200 pages of it.

That was pretty rotten, but I'd still type over write. We do disk backups now, and having everything stored on the computer is easier and more orderly.



I just downloaded a trial version of Scrivener tonight, and after going through the tutorial, I'm stoked!!! I love the program already, and I haven't even started using it. Best writing tool I've found.

That's great! Welcome to the Club of Scriveners!

Do you mind if I borrow your excuse? I have a feeling I may need it sometime...

*high-fives fellow Club members*

You may borrow my excuse, keep my excuse, drown my excuse, and do whatever else you like with it!

When I'm writing poetry I generally do my first draft(s) in paper and pencil before typing it up. For most all other writing, my first (and all subsequent) drafts are typed up in Microsoft Word.