Thanks for this. I always wanted a rough guide to how many handwritten pages are equal to one typed page...and bonus for knowing for a pocket notebook! No excuse to not finish a project!
Hello Perry! In my informal investigation of plucking random literary fiction off my shelves—most novels and short story collections are formatted with about 300-350 words per page, typed. On average it seems thirty lines, with twelve words per line. With dialogue mixed in you get less words per line usually.
A handwritten notebook-thing, horizontal, like the post shows (or two sides of a lined index card) gets me somewhere in the ballpark of one typed page. Which in the long run doesn’t really matter at all, of course. But it does give me a better sense generally if I am going on for TOO LONG in a scene that I want to have some speed to it.
And i can semi-reliably figure out, okay I’ve handwritten 20 pages like this this week and it’s something like 7000 words, if for some reason I wanted to keep myself ‘accountable’ (I don’t ever) or just to have a sense of what I’m building as I build it. Like … does this chapter really feel worthy of 7000 words? And then later when I retype it I’ll have a better idea of what to summarize in it to get the feeling I think it most likely deserves in brevity.
Those blank page notebooks work okay for me, except I can’t really ‘standardize’ the amount of words/lines per page nor write neat enough to make the re-typing its easiest
Nice one. I just got a new job which is pretty restrictive time wise. I'm hoping to use my lunch break to do some writing, I'm going to try it in these little notebooks. I'm a terrible writer, in that I have terrible handwriting, so I'll have to slow right down, but I really don't want to spend time on my phone
Thanks for this. I always wanted a rough guide to how many handwritten pages are equal to one typed page...and bonus for knowing for a pocket notebook! No excuse to not finish a project!
Hello Perry! In my informal investigation of plucking random literary fiction off my shelves—most novels and short story collections are formatted with about 300-350 words per page, typed. On average it seems thirty lines, with twelve words per line. With dialogue mixed in you get less words per line usually.
A handwritten notebook-thing, horizontal, like the post shows (or two sides of a lined index card) gets me somewhere in the ballpark of one typed page. Which in the long run doesn’t really matter at all, of course. But it does give me a better sense generally if I am going on for TOO LONG in a scene that I want to have some speed to it.
And i can semi-reliably figure out, okay I’ve handwritten 20 pages like this this week and it’s something like 7000 words, if for some reason I wanted to keep myself ‘accountable’ (I don’t ever) or just to have a sense of what I’m building as I build it. Like … does this chapter really feel worthy of 7000 words? And then later when I retype it I’ll have a better idea of what to summarize in it to get the feeling I think it most likely deserves in brevity.
Mmmm.... Binder clips. Note to self: buy more binder clips...
I just usually steal them off my wife’s potato chip/Cheetos bags
A very interesting post, I write all my initial scribing with hand, its blank pages for me. I can't write on ruled or dotted. Tried, didn't work.
Those blank page notebooks work okay for me, except I can’t really ‘standardize’ the amount of words/lines per page nor write neat enough to make the re-typing its easiest
Really good piece, Bud. Practical advice triumphs--always.
Fascinating, as I love to write by hand. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I love all the photos too. Genius.
Nice one. I just got a new job which is pretty restrictive time wise. I'm hoping to use my lunch break to do some writing, I'm going to try it in these little notebooks. I'm a terrible writer, in that I have terrible handwriting, so I'll have to slow right down, but I really don't want to spend time on my phone
Great to find you again!!🌺🥳☝️Aloha