Analog manuscript

Found these again while straightening out the office bookshelf:

That’s the handwritten manuscript for LINES OF DEPARTURE. The finished version filled two 192-page large (A4) sized Piccadilly notebooks. And because I am a pen nerd, I remember which pens I used (Pelikan 205 and Lamy 2000, both with EF nibs), and the ink (Noodler’s Bulletproof Black).

The first drafts of TERMS OF ENLISTMENT and LINES OF DEPARTURE were written by hand and then typed into Scrivener. I like doing that because what ends up on the computer is a word-for-word revision that has been edited on the fly. And because I am a pen nerd, I like the tactile feeling of nib on paper. It’s also immensely satisfying to have an original handwritten manuscript on the shelf when you’re done.

These days, I still use longhand for world-building, notes, and shorter fiction, but the novels are going straight into the computer (still via Scrivener) because it saves time and doesn’t hold up the schedule. I’ll go back to longhand-first for the military fantasy novel I am planning to write later this year because it seems appropriate (it’s the Ink and Blood world from my short story in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, only rolled out onto a much larger canvas).

If you want to keep your handwritten stuff around, don’t skimp on the notebook. The Piccadillys I used were Moleskine knock-offs (bought at Borders on the cheap at the time because I was poor), and their binding and cover lamination didn’t hold up well over the years. Then again, those went with me everywhere for over a year, so maybe the Moleskine wouldn’t have fared any better.