I generally compose on the computer because my advisor for my dissertation program strongly encouraged this. I like composing on the computer because of my anal-retentive tendencies which get riled up by editing on paper. I hate scribbles. I hate white-out. I hate crossing things out neatly. And forget about pencils, because they smear. I want a pristine page with pretty handwriting, and I will tear out a page and rewrite if that's what it takes. I waste a lot of time and a lot of paper.
Hence, my consumer experiment. I have a Moleskine+ pen I bought with a settlement from Barnes and Noble a few years ago. The original pen didn't function well, so I just got a replacement that does work. This pen, plus a proprietary marked notebook from Moleskine, allows one to write while the camera in the pen records keystrokes, and these pages can be digitized through OCR and sent to Dropbox (or other places) to be repaired as needed -- the OCR is not perfect, but it handles my idiosyncratic writing well.
So let me lay out the advantages and disadvantages of this:
Advantages:
- The pen writes smooth as butter
- The notebook is pretty
- Will digitize several pages at a time.
- Decent handwriting recognition
- Relatively robust iPhone app
Disadvantages:
- The pen requires charging
- The notebooks cost $27 apiece; there are no cheaper options
- Scribbles -- even more disconcerting because they're in a pretty notebook
I'm trying an alternative which is known as a Rocketbook, which set me back about $30. The notebook is also proprietary; but it is made of material that can be reused by either wiping or putting in the microwave (I've heard both). You write using an ordinary Flexion pen (An erasable/washable pen made by Pilot in many colors); other pens will become permanent. The magic is in the iPhone/Android app which does screen capture and digitizing.
The advantages and disadvantages (ahead of my trial) look like this:
Advantages (perceived):
- Reusable, and therefore less expensive
- Better designed for use as a tool and not a permanent record
- Can use with more than one pen as long as it's Flexion
- Could make mistakes and erase using liquid
Disadvantages (perceived):
- Flexion pens don't write as solidly as other pens
- Flexion pens can feel scratchy (at least on paper)
- Scanning must be done one page at a time.
So I will be comparing both methods to see which works the best for my drafting on paper, and furthermore, to see if there's advantages to drafting on paper such as enhanced creativity or the ability to jot random notes down.
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