On Handwriting Stories: an interview with Cara Peregrino

Hello, everyone! And welcome to today’s post. Cara Peregrino was kind enough to answer some questions I had about the practice of writing stories by hand, and I’m excited to share those with you all below:

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing!

I was raised in a house full of books, so it never occurred to me not to tell stories. At least… not until later. You know how it is. Making up stories is such a childish thing and you should really consider having a proper career. Don’t waste perfectly good brains on fairytales when you could be a doctor or a lawyer, or something.

Thankfully I didn’t listen to that terrible advice. God doesn’t give us useless gifts, he gives us the ones he wants us to use. So after a couple of false starts with other things, I’m a writer.

I grew up exploring the wilds of my native Scotland—a place that certainly makes it easy to believe in magic. Having never lost my sense of curiosity or my delight in middle-grade stories, I love to write about the places where magic meets the real world.

How did you start handwriting your stories? 

There’s no exciting reason why I write by hand. The truth is that I’m just old. I’m 28 (at the time of writing) so I grew up without constant access to computers and even had to learn to type. 

Notebooks were all I had up until I was maybe thirteen or fourteen. I used my computer for a while, then figured maybe if I wrote a book by hand I could actually finish a first draft instead of abandoning it partway through. It took me four years, but I did it.

I used to only have time to write while I was commuting or travelling, and a notebook is much easier to carry around than laptops and chargers and all of that.

What does your typical writing process look like- is it exclusively handwriting, does it depend on each project, is it hybrid, etc?

Honestly it depends on the project and the deadline. I know I said I wrote my first draft of my first book in four years. The second book I completed took me five months (by hand). I’d learned a lot in those years and the process was much faster. 

Almost all of my full length books have been written by hand for the first draft. I wrote two novellas (one in a thirty day challenge) and a novelette on the computer because of deadlines. And the book I’m working on at the moment was 75% typed because I had to write 40,000 words in a month then immediately hand it over to my critique partner, so I didn’t have time to handwrite then type.

Normally I write the first draft by hand then use typing it up as an opportunity to fix any glaring problems and tidy up the draft a little bit before looking for feedback. 

What do you think handwriting stories does to the writer’s headspace when drafting?

I think it eliminates a lot of distraction. As I said, I didn’t grow up with the internet being so easily accessible and was twenty before I succumbed to a smartphone. Research has been done confirming that social media, games, and algorithms are designed to pull you in and keep you there. That said, I do sometimes have my phone nearby either for music as I write or for access to a thesaurus.

I’ve noticed that spending too much time on the internet or social media really dulls my creativity. All I know is that I’m always more refreshed and creative the more time I spend offline.

What do you think handwriting does to the story itself that might not happen if it was typed?

Personally, I find that handwriting forces you to let go of perfectionism. The trouble is that you can’t go back and revise your story to death. Sure, you can cross out the occasional paragraph or tear out a page and restart, but it’s much harder. Writing by hand almost forces you to keep moving. 

I see a lot of writers never finish anything because they constantly want to go back and edit. Stop it. Just finish the book. Finishing the first draft is the hardest part. Handwriting may not be the way you make yourself do that, but it’s one helpful way. Once you have that draft, you can play with it to your heart’s content, you’ve just got to get it out on paper first.

Do you see any notable differences in the stories you handwrite vs. the ones you type?

I think I enjoy them more and I give myself more space to play. No one is ever going to see those notebooks, so it really doesn’t matter and that’s very freeing. 

A difference that the reader may not notice, but I do, is that it feels like it doesn’t take nearly as long on paper (even though it’s comparable). I’m not sure why this is – perhaps not constantly being able to see/check the wordcount easily? I know you can hide the wordcount in word processors, but then you have to have the discipline not to look at it. It takes away the stress of meeting or exceeding your wordcount and helps the story flow better because you end up telling it in the space you need for that draft rather than worrying about whether it meets certain requirements that don’t actually matter this early on.

Do you have any encouragement or practical tips for writers wanting to try handwriting?

My encouragement is that it’s definitely worth trying but it’s not for everyone and that’s ok. You’re not a better or worse person as a writer because you do things one way and not another. You have to find what works for you.

If you do want to give it a try I have two main pieces of advice:

1. Pick the right notebook and pen. This sounds silly, but a notebook and pen that make it easier and more pleasant to write and look at makes a difference to your motivation (I’ll talk about that more in a second!). It’s a very personal choice, so don’t feel you have to do it one way or another to do it ‘properly’.
2. It takes time, so be patient with yourself. If you’re not used to writing by hand much, then your writing will probably be a bit messy and your hand will definitely cramp much sooner. That’s ok. If you aren’t writing by hand regularly, you haven’t developed the stamina and muscles yet. That just takes time. 
3. Actually, a bonus on a related note: you don’t need to have neat writing. It can be absolute chicken scratch, as long as you can figure out what it says in order to type it up later. 

What are your favorite notebooks, pens, or any other must-haves for a writing session?

I use a Lamy Al-star fountainpen. I chose it after trying a ton of different pens. It’s comfortable to hold for long periods and the wetter ink makes the writing much smoother. I don’t have to apply as much pressure to the page to write, which keeps my hand from getting quite so tired as fast. If you don’t want to invest in that sort of thing (mine was only about £20), then inkjoys write very smoothly. It’s good to get the smoothest-writing pen you can. You don’t tire as quickly and you can write faster.

Notebooks are also a very personal choice. I like things with a durable binding so I don’t have to worry about it falling apart in my bag. I also like paper with a smoother finish because it’s less effort to write on (similar idea to choosing a smoother pen). I also go for slightly thicker paper because I use a fountain pen and if the paper is too thin, it will bleed through to the other side.

And, of course, pretty notebooks and nice pens are nice, but they’re a bonus, not an essential. Remember, it’s about productivity, not so much the instagram aesthetic! Try a few different things and see what works for you. I’m currently writing in purple ink because it’s more interesting to look at.

How can people best support you and your writing right now?

The best way is probably through my monthly email newsletter. If you want all the up-to-date happenings and more personal things, that’s the place to go. I like that because it’s more personal. I always read any emails my subscribers send and do my best to respond fairly quickly. It’s a great way to get to know new people.

If you like social media, you can follow me at @caraperegrinowrites on instagram.

I also have a short story called The Penny Dragon published in an anthology. If you would like to read that, you can get it as a signed paperback or if you prefer, as an ebook. The best part about the Anthology is that first, you can request it at your local library if you want to read it for free, and secondly, all of the profits go to helping young writers attend writing conferences where they can develop their craft and pitch to agents and editors.

I love how well your outfit matches the book cover, btw!

Now It’s Your Turn!

Thank you, Cara, for taking the time to chat about your process and handwriting stories! I especially loved your thought on letting the story flow better when word count and number goals aren’t constantly on the mind.

On another note, I highly recommend you all go and read Cara’s story, The Penny Dragon if you haven’t already. I’m not kidding when I tell you it made me come quite close to crying – something that rarely happens in shorter fiction! Needless to say, I’m super excited to see Cara’s writing career move forward 🙂

For you, readers, I’m super curious! Have you tried your hand and handwriting stories before? What was the process like? Do you have any thoughts on what handwriting does to the story and to the writer? Is this something you’d like to try out?