I’ve just finished printing out the first, raw draft, version of Gordian Knot. It’s actually the first time I’ve printed the whole thing, since Ive been reading it from screen for the edit so far. But now I’ve decided I want to give the whole thing another read through, and this time I don’t much feel like doing it from screen.
So I’ve just finished printing some 60 double sided, single spaced A4 pages – containing a total of 92,340 words in 10 point Arial – punching holes in them, and putting them in a two ring binder. All in all I’m pretty happy with it, except for one thing. It’s a blue ring binder. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with blue, but so far it’s been my custom to use white ones for first drafts.
Unfortunately I’m currently out of white two ring binders. So I’ll have to make do with the blue one for now. I may well try to fit a shopping trip to go get another white one into tomorrow’s schedule though.
May I call you soulmate? I have this type of compulsive behavior too from time to time.
Though I myself can’t read long documents on screen. I am too old fashioned, I guess, I need some paper between my hands, especially when it comes to correct drafts (final thesis, for example). I miss many mistakes when working on screen. Don’t know why that is.
The similarities between the two of us are starting to get just a little bit uncanny aren’t they? Soulmate certainly seems like a good way to describe it. I’ve taught myself to read from screen as easily as from paper in most circumstances (how I have no idea) but sometimes paper does feel better. Even with my PDA to fulfill the role lying in bed and reading from a screen at night just isn’t quite the same as having to turn pages (even though the down button is in may cases more practical).
For the first part, I will only say quote JMS “Synchronicities.” (If that doesn’t mean anything to you, let me know and I’ll explain in more detail.) But soulmates came to my mind as well as I was reading your post
As for the preference for paper or screen … I think I’d prefer the screen for when I am “on the road” – traveling on public transportation or maybe catching a flight. Then a small device like for example the iPod touch (size-wise) would be very practical because you could store lots of books on it without actually having them take up valuable physical space in your luggage. But when I am at home … I don’t know. I have actually consciously tried to get myself to read from the screen, especially during my college time. I have also tried to read book, but for me it’s just not the same. Lying in bed, turning the pages, smelling the paper (especially new books have a wonderful smell to them) … that just draws me into the story. And my cat pulls me out when she gets bored with me doing seemingly nothing, padding over the book and lying down on top of it.
Sorry for the many tying errors above *embarrassed* I will proof read next time before hitting “Submit”.
At this time of night I often have the same sort of trouble. I don’t know about you but I’m in more trouble with typing around this time, when I’m sort of a halfway between wide awake and tired than I do later when I’m just about ready to fall asleep at the keyboard. Weird, but true.
… and it’s just a mark of how happily I am forgetting what I learned in college that I can’t come up with the appropriate psychological term for that phenomenon. *sigh* … another reason to go off to bed. At least I got my word count for today done before 8 pm when I was still reasonably conscious.