Writing by computer or by hand?

Note from Phyllis:

I’m often asked if I’d be willing to read someone’s manuscript. I truly wish I had time to do that, and to give what advice I can, but there are never enough hours in the day to accomplish all I need to do. Perhaps one way we could use this blog, though, is to explore various aspects of the writing process. One of the questions I’m frequently asked is whether it’s better to write a novel or story on the computer or by hand. I know wonderful writers who swear by one or the other. My answer is whatever seems more comfortable. I used to write each book, chapter by chapter, three times—trying to perfect it with each rewrite—before I typed it up. Because once it is set in print, it looks so nice on the screen that it doesn’t seem to need as much work. But if I have to write the whole thing over, word by word, it makes me think about each one: Is there a better choice? How does it sound when I read it aloud? Is the rhythm right? Have I already used it in a preceding sentence?   But now that my writing hand gets cramped from all this work, I’m experimenting with writing my chapters only once by hand, then typing them up and trying to think through each word as I go. Perhaps someone has a better idea….