I read once that writing on paper instead of a computer is better for creativity, latter on I read that it was the opposite. So which is it? Which is better for creativity? That’s what I’m going to find out.

I am going to go through two rounds. For the first round, I will pick a random prompt and write on paper for twenty minutes and then pick another prompt and do the same using my laptop.

For the second round, I will work on the same project for twenty minutes like before.

I will be judging this by word count and creativity and how comfortable I felt while writing.

Round One: Random prompt

Computer

Word Count: 134

The Creativity in this story: Ok, so when I picked this prompt I was like “eh, I’m not sure about this” But this has got to be one of my most favorite things I have ever written. I love the characters and the descriptions!

I do wish I could have fit a bit more ‘deep POV’ stuff, but only having twenty minutes to write a well-structured story makes that a bit difficult…

How comfortable I felt: I felt very comfortable. This is my environment. I feel like it’s almost cheating in a way…

Paper

Word count: 129

The Creativity in this story: I honestly had no idea what I was writing I just went with it. So the story really has no point and it’s kind of all over the place. I do feel like the main character was alright but the secondary character is just confusing.

It might have been my prompt. I did pick these completely at random and didn’t care much for this one.

How comfortable I felt: I can honestly say, I didn’t feel as comfortable as I hoped. I used to carry a notebook and write all the time when I was younger so I thought it would feel like going home, but I just felt really out of place.

On the other hand, I also felt more laid back. Apart from the pressure of only having a few minutes to write as much as I could, it did feel less stressed but just awkward at the same time.

Round Two: Same project

Computer

Word count: 144

The Creativity in this story: This is a little project I like to play around with when I feel drained. And as far as things go I think it’s ok. I mean this is a story I don’t usually try very hard with, so considering that it’s pretty good. But comparing it to more ‘readable novel standard’ it could use some work.

But overall, the writing part went quickly and I didn’t run out of ideas so I would say my creativity was really good.

How comfortable I felt: Again I felt really comfortable. This is my environment and working on a project I was familiar with really helped.

Paper

Word count: 114

The Creativity in this story: It was ok. I prefer the middle of the story over the rest but I think it was alright. I only wish my word count was more.

How comfortable I felt: I felt way more confident than before. Even though I didn’t write as many words I felt like this went way smoother than the first round.

The Results:

The computer clearly won for word count.

But I can see how writing one paper can work for some people. By round two I was feeling a lot more comfortable. I think (for me anyhow) that writing on paper doesn’t feel as official as writing on my laptop. Like it feels almost like playing so I can see how that would make your writing less stressful.

I just haven’t written a story on paper for a long time I’m kind of out of practice. I do think I’m gonna write in a notebook more often after this.

Of course, this is different for everyone. If you would like to know which is best for you, go ahead and give this a try! Let me know how it turns out!