Robert Caro works on a Smith Corona Electra 210 (and lots of notepads) in his office in New York City. (Photo from Writers and their Typewriters, http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/typers.html)
I’ve always been fascinated by how writers write. Robert Caro, the author of the great series of books about Lyndon Johnson, still writes exclusively on a typewriter as does David McCullough, another favorite writer of mine. Some write in longhand on legal pads, others use a desktop computer without an Internet connection to avoid distractions, and many write on laptops in coffeeshops. It took some time to figure out what worked for me. (I did know that it wasn’t going to be a typewriter.) I found that I liked sketching out ideas and chapter outlines by hand because if you cross something out, it’s easily salvageable, unlike on a computer. I did all of the heavy-duty writing on our aging iMac in our bedroom where I had access to all of my books and research materials. (I’ve never had a laptop and I don’t think I’d feel comfortable writing on one.) I need quiet when writing, but background noise or music is welcome if I’m doing something that requires less focus. I did all of my editing on paper and kept hard copies of drafts. One my biggest fears was losing my work to a sudden computer meltdown, so I kept multiple electronic copies as backups. I’m interested in hearing about your writing process, so please share!