Nowadays most of us are typing more than writing.
What is the difference?
Typing is what I am doing now on a blank pages (nasıl yazılır? ) document. Making my thoughts seen to you through a keyword buttons. On the other hand writing is what I did 5 minutes ago to find some references with a pen and notebook. Before making it too complex, the main difference is clicking on a button and drawing a letter therefore a word.
Why it is important to write ? Can’t we still create similar things through typing ?
Yes we can, but how we create it matters for our brains. Yes, I said “brain”. Brain is an essential organ for all of us. It helps us to live and organize our lives. If we were computers, it is the control room. Our emotions, memories, thoughts, and many more things that makes us are there. Even the things that we didn’t do yet. As a professional coach, I’ve researched writing and mind maps in the past. Actually, it is the main reason I started to draw. Drawing and using pen and paper opened a way to more colorful ways of expressing myself. During doing research I read Tony Buzan and learned some tricks. He has many books but I will focus on mind maps.
He says that there is a language that we all share, every human on this planet; imagination association. It is the human language and it is egalitarian. When we draw and use our hands we use multiple intelligences at the same time. Therefore we become more creative. Ideas and thoughts bloom like a flower. This way we remember things easier and organize our lives better. (1)
What are the benefits of writing by hand?
- When you write by hand, you avoid distractions. You reduce the probability of seeing other digital notifications on your device.
- You remember the things you write better because you both see what you write and feel it. It is a good cognitive exercise.
- Relatively, it also helps to shape new ideas and thoughts. (2)
Looking from a different perspective, there are some artists that I enjoy their work that especially use doodles. Shantell Martin is one of them. She only uses a pen and some spaces to draw. In her video she tells that pen knows where it is going and shows what is there. This builds new patterns and awarenesses. (3)
In conclusion, writing by hand has many benefits. There are many perspectives that support those benefits and possible new ones. I could only shared some of them with you. A pen/ pencil is not only a pen but also a magic wand that creates things beyond we can imagine. Plus they come in every shape and color. You can always choose your favorite. Mine is always a black pilot pen. Which is yours?
(1) “The Power of a Mind to Map: Tony Buzan at TEDxSquareMile”, YouTube Video, 19:35, “ TEDx Talks ” , Dec 18, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMZCghZ1hB4&t=922s
(2) Charlotte Hu, Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning, February 21, 2024, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/
(3)Martin, Shantell. “How drawing can set you free” Filmed 2020. TED video, 07:47. https://www.ted.com/talks/shantell_martin_how_drawing_can_set_you_free
Thingsbyserra 