Hello, friends! Welcome to this month’s meeting of the Insecure Writers’ Support Group, a blog hop created by Alex J. Cavanaugh and co-hosted this month by Tara Tyler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Liza, and Natalie Aguirre. Are you a writer? Do you feel insecure? Well, then this is the support group for you! Click here to learn more and to see a list of participating blogs.
As you know, I love space, and I love science. It may surprise you to learn, though, that I do not love technology. I’ve never felt comfortable sitting in front of a computer, especially when I’m trying to do something creative. I do all of my writing by hand, with pen and paper, then mindlessly transcribe whatever I’ve written into the computer when I’m done. Some people call me old-school for that, or they say I’m a Luddite, or they tell me to get with the times and stop wasting paper.
But recently, I saw a popular science video on YouTube that said writing by hand increases connectivity in the brain, promotes creativity, and improves your overall neurological health. The YouTuber in this video said all writers should do basically what I do: limit your time on the computer and do as much writing by hand as possible. I was excited to share that video with you today. I was excited to write a whole blog post based on that video, saying: “See? My way of writing is better than yours!”
However, I don’t share things on the Internet without fact checking them first. So I read the research paper that that YouTube video was referencing (the paper in the links below), and I found that it did not say what that YouTuber said it says. What it says is that writing by hand activates different parts of the brain than typing on a keyboard or touchscreen. It also says that the brain is more active when you’re writing by hand compared to using a keyboard or touchscreen. But that doesn’t necessarily mean writing by hand is better.
In fact, I think the correct interpretation of that research paper is that we all should do a little of both. According to the paper, writing by hand slows down the writing process, which promotes problem solving and “fosters deeper thought and creativity.” So if you’re someone who writes exclusively on the computer, writing by hand might help you problem solve your way out of writer’s block. Meanwhile, writing on a computer or tablet “may favour brainstorming and fast generation of ideas […].”
Personally, I’m going to keep doing most of my writing by hand, because that’s what I’m used to and it’s what I enjoy most. However, as of right now, I’m at the very beginning of a brand new writing project (think Harry Potter, but on the Moon, with magical spaceships and magical extraterrestrials). I have a lot of stuff I need to figure out for this new project. As someone who does all his writing by hand, maybe a few brainstorming sessions on the computer would do me some good right now.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Here’s a link to the paper I read. It’s titled “The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing—Who Wins the Battle?” I didn’t cover everything that that paper says in this blog post, so it is worth your while to check it out.
If you’re not up for reading a neuroscience paper, here’s a popular science article that (in my judgment) covers a lot of the same material well.
As for the original YouTube video that inspired this post, I debated whether or not I should include a link, and ended up deciding not to. That video is spreading misinformation, and I don’t want it getting any more views than it already got.
i-love-space.com 
The paper did not say what that YouTuber said it says. Arghh! I don’t always check references, so you have provided a service and a warning – don’t become a conduit for misinformation. More importantly… I hope you’ll share you new writing project soon 🙂
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It may be a while. It’s going to be a big project, but I’ll tell you this: it started with the thought that if wizards exist, they could probably solve the ideal rocket equation for us.
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That they both provide something beneficial makes sense. I used to write everything by hand but NaNo got me into the habit of computer only. I’m a slow typer, but then again, I also have horrible handwriting.
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My handwriting is also pretty bad, but I’m the only one who has to read it, so it’s fine.
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I’ve reached the point where when some random internet person asserts, “Science says….,” my skeptic reflex kicks in. And there are endless articles and videos asserting that doing things the old way is always better.
When I was young, comfortable writing was definitely by hand. But that was when I did a lot of writing on paper for school. Decades of programming and doing various work on computers, plus the availability of light laptops, changed that. I never write by hand anymore, and now find it difficult to do so, some of which is related to being an old fart with associated eyesight limitations, but mostly because I just haven’t done it to any significant degree in decades.
My attitude is that you should write in whatever way you’re most comfortable, that allows you to think. But keep in mind that can change over time.
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Same. Those “science says” articles and videos sometimes point to worthwhile research, at least. Even in this case, I did end up discovering a cool research paper.
And I also think you should write in whatever way feels comfortable. I know lots of people who write on the computer, and I know lots of people who write by hand, and most writers I know have a hard time switching from one method to the other.
That being said, I kind of need to shake up my writing routine right now. The suggestion from that paper to brainstorm ideas on a computer makes sense to me, and I’m going to give it a try.
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Hi,
I have read that article and have also been considering writing something by hand.
All the best.
Shalom shalom
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It’s worth giving it a try. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s fine, but it’s worth trying.
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I would speculate writing cursive may even get more parts of the brain involved.
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You’d be correct. There’s a section in the paper about that!
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Hi, JS. I enjoyed your post. I think whatever works best for you is what you should do. I write a lot on my computer, but I write in my journal by hand every day. It helps my aging brain. 😂 I taught third grade children to write cursive for many years, and writing by hand was important for their hand eye coordination, fine motor control, brain connectivity, learning and memory. It was really helpful for children with learning issues, especially those who had difficulty moving their hand across the imaginary midline in their bodies. Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy 2026.
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I really appreciate this comment. What you’re saying corroborates a large portion of what that paper says. For children, yes, learning to write by hand is very important, for all the reasons you mentioned, and children should probably learn to write by hand before learning to type on a computer or tablet.
The YouTube video I watched took that information and applied it, inappropriately, to writers of all ages.
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I’ve seen a tablet like device where one could write with a “pen” and the words were then turned to type on the screen. I suppose handwriting is a factor in accuracy, and I’m not sure if spellcheck gets involved or any of that. I saw it very briefly, in Philadelphia, once. (I didn’t get to ask the user about it.)Don’t miss an opportunity to write why you like (or dislike) a book!Have a wonderful holiday season. ⭐
J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) @JLenniDorner ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge
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The paper mentioned “pens” like that as a possible way to bridge the gap. I tried using a stylus like that once a long time ago, and I found it to be imprecise and kind of annoying. But that was a long time ago, and I’m sure the technology has improved.
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I really hate it when people (or machines, and that includes virtual like AI), write and publish misleading information. I think it’s really wise that you fact check things. I do that with almost all non-fiction material I read or watch.
I prefer writing by hand, at least the first draft, too. There is a better connection between your mind and the act of writing itself which I believe is what energises the creative act more, which kind of goes along what you’re saying. Also, when you write by hand, you put your own unique self on the paper more because everybody has their own unique style of handwriting. So, the handwritten characters are art themselves and so are like a naturally (human-produced) calligraphy.
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I couldn’t have said it better myself. This is exactly how I feel about writing by hand.
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Late, after a week with no laptop, accidently left behind, staying not far from the house of that legendary writer Jebediah Cleishbotham. Instead of the popular bankruptcy route -, debtors get out of jail, creditors, only if very lucky, next to nothing, Jebediah wrote himself out of debt and probably into his quite early grave at 61. £14m in debt, probably a poor guesstimate, by now, might come to much more. .
What would he make of my no laptop, nothing written excuse ? Interesting question. All my school life, detentions, punishments and lost marks for poor handwriting*- until the magic of a keyboard, choice of fonts, and – this is the crucial point – could sometimes believe in what I’d written.
Discovering that useful word dysgraphia came much later, years after degrees, If there is a brain area reached only through writing by hand, perhaps mine’s missing.
Writing by hand made me miserable, because no matter how hard I tried, the result was a mess.
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