I started printing out the 1st version of the novel as I go along working over the written pages and continuing writing at the same time. Printed means printed for me, it has a different feel to it, and I believe my attitude toward it is also different. It almost means the novel only become reality then—when I can hold it.
Tweaking digitally only last that long with me, then I need the paper, the pencil, the organized chaos of just knowing by the look of a page layout where to find a certain moment in the story to change it, and I can do this faster than in my Open Office file. We haven't talked about my tools yet, right?!
Number of novels I wrote the 1st version in Windows Word : 0.
Number of novels I wrote the 1st version in Open Office : 3.
Number of novels I wrote the 1st version in Papyrus (now also available in English I heard) : 11.
Why? Word costed money, it crashed and I couldn't convert into PDF back then, so I started with Open Office. Papyrus was a big game changer, but I can only speak for the German version, a novel writing software comparable to Scrivener. Maybe I check the English version of Papyrus later. If so, I'd let you know here.
2 first versions of novels I wrote long hand. It just felt more appropriate at the time: GROLAR - HALF GRIZZLY, HALF POLAR BEAR I wrote it during a paid author's residency in Denmark (H.A.L.D.) in an old hunting castle, where I had a room with an old oak table the size of the the hood of a Cadillac Eldorado. You don't open a boring laptop in that environment.
BUSTER, KING OF THE SUNSHINE COAST (not available in English yet) I wrote during a 5 weeks backpacking trip in 1998 along the West coast of Canada: 260 pages I xeroxed and mailed home, I am paranoid when it comes to losing genius work...
Thank you for your time, any questions you can ask in the comments, I will answer either there or in the next blog post.