How do you write?

I bet you didn’t know today was National Handwriting Day—and to be fair, I didn’t either until I stumbled upon the Twitter hashtag.

Although I do a plethora of writing by hand—journaling, letter-writing, list-making, scheduling—it struck me that I don’t write most of my prose by hand anymore. I believe the last story I wrote completely by hand was five years ago. Technology has consumed that part of my life. I used to carry a notebook for ideas; now I simply jot them in the “notes” section of my iPhone. When I’m interviewing someone for an article, my laptop comes along. While I usually still have a notebook and pen on me, what could be deemed my most important writing is almost exclusively written and saved electronically.

According to Forbes, National Handwriting Day was established in 1977 by Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA). Forbes quotes WIMA saying, “Handwriting allows us to be artists and individuals during a time when we often use computers, faxes and email to communicate. Fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it and they lack a personal touch. Handwriting can add intimacy to a letter and reveal details about the writer’s personality. Throughout history, handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and declared independence.”

Perhaps the next time I write a story, I’ll sit down with a pen and paper. Hopefully by the the time it’s complete, I’ll be able to decipher my chicken scratch and find the words in the scribbles.

What’s your favorite way to write? Leave a note in the comments below. Let’s discuss!

-hrg