I had a reputation back in medical school. Before you jump to conclusions, that reputation was based on my note-taking abilities. I may not have flaunted a pink pompom pen like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, but I probably would have if I came across one. Maybe not the heart-shaped notebook though.

Back in Medical School

The sheer amount of information you take in during the first two years of medical school can be daunting. Thankfully, some of the professors give you syllabi for their courses. Even then, it can be a challenge to learn it all. What could I do to really wrap my head around all that material?

I attended all of my lectures, followed along with the professor’s syllabus, and added notes in the margins. Later, I went home and condensed all that information into handwritten tables. I then typed up the final drafts into Microsoft Word, to not only make it pretty but to be able to save backup copies. How terrible would it be to spill coffee all over my work during a night-before-the-test study frenzy?

The process may have been arduous, but it was worth it. Writing everything out pushed the material into my brain. After I shared these notes with my colleagues, the medical school gave me a teaching award, and my class even got together to thank me with a DVD player (a big deal for this movie buff back then). It felt good to be of service to my peers. More importantly, it taught me the value of writing things out.

The Advantages of Handwriting

When it comes to learning, research shows that handwriting has a leg up on typing. Because most people tend to write slower than they type, handwriters tend to listen more closely and rephrase what they hear into their own words. This allows them to engage more with the material. Those who type, on the other hand, are more likely to take notes verbatim. They are not necessarily processing the information in a meaningful way. When tested head to head, handwriters perform better because they are better able to conceptualize and retain information than those who type.

Some writers like Neil Gaiman and Tess Gerritsen have taken that research to heart and write their first drafts by hand. They may edit their work when they type it into the computer or may never lay their hands on a keyboard at all, doing all their edits on paper just the same. Some people may think of this as being “old school” but really it is about sparking creativity.

Handwriting literally fires off more neurons in the brain’s cerebral cortex than typing. Not only are more motor functions activated (writing longhand requires more subtle and complicated motion from the fingers than typing), but handwriting also stimulates the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and reticulating activating center (RAS). Think of the RAS as the messenger between your conscious and your unconscious mind. It is needed to regulate your attention, consciousness, and sleep-wake cycles. This area of the brain is also activated during meditation.

Is it any wonder you get more out of handwriting than typing?

The Advantages of Typing

I know many of you are shaking your head as you read this. Handwriting may seem a romanticised notion and not very practical, especially if your penmanship is about as neat as a pig rolling in the mud.

Typing has its advantages. For one, it is fast. Even a two-fingered typist like myself (don’t judge me!) can put more words down in a shorter amount of time than she could writing them out by hand. If you want to get your ideas down before they fly off to Neverland, it may be more effective to type them up and quick!

Typing, in many cases, is also neater. You could write your ideas down frantically on paper, but if you cannot read your notes afterward, you’re out of luck. Also, typing allows you to edit and delete as you go. You can even create backups and, with the right tools, you can access your work from anywhere.

It’s not all rainbows and unicorns though. Typing can leave you primed for distraction if you are not careful. How easy is it to check your email, click over to social media, or get caught up in “research” when you work on your computer? Personally, I get hung up on editing one page before I can move on to the second. It’s my Achilles heel, and one that handwriting helps me to curb.

What You Should Do?

Obviously, writing a novel is different than taking notes in class. You are generating new content, not trying to make heads or tails of something that already exists. Still, you are conceptualizing new information. You are developing new ideas and stories. The research on handwriting may hold up.

That said, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to writing a novel. Hell, there are no rules at all.

If you want to spark your creativity, you may want to give handwriting a try. If you have absolutely illegible handwriting, typing may be the path for you. I prefer to take the path of Elle Woods. Even though most people around her are typing away, she follows her instincts and does so with style. In the end, she ends up being the class speaker and wins the day.