Simply Wonderful

Are you waiting for computer technology to help you finish that novel of yours?

For instance, do you pine for speech recognition software?

Or —

Are you holding out for some fabulous thought recognition software?

Well, it’s time to rethink those thoughts of yours.

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote each of her Little House books using a number 2 pencil and nickel tablets. Forever the frugal pioneer girl, she used both sides of each page and filled in all of the margins.

Novelist Truman Capote used a similar process — although his also involved chain smoking, which I don’t recommend.

Joyce Carol Oates writes in longhand for up to eight hours a day.

Amy Tan does the same for all of her early drafts.

Quentin Tarantino pens his screenplays with actual pens.

And the infamous Jack-of-all-genres Neil Gaiman balances the old and the new beautifully. He writes his screenplays on a computer, but prefers to draft his novels by hand.

So, forget the latest and greatest —

Infuse some new life into your writing by going old-school this week.

And for inspiration —

Check out this clip of Jimmy Fallon, Idina Menzel, and The Roots performing “Let It Go” with some simply fabulous, truly “old-school” musical instruments.

Play on!

PROMPT: Get off the technology train — Let It Go by embracing the power of the pencil for just one week. See what a little old-school can do for you.