Fun fact, this is one of the most Googled questions including the word writing.
It’s not the most commonly searched question about writing, but it’s been search enough times for it to rank in the top 500 search terms including the word writing.
So, let’s dive in. Is writing more of a physical or mental process? Is it strictly one but not the other? Personally, I don’t think so.
Whether you use a computer or good old pen and paper, writing has its elements of being both a physical and mental process.
There are physical constraints when it comes to writing.
It becomes something we get used to, but when in a creative fervor, it’s impossible for the hands to keep up with the mind.
Ideas, stories, dialogue, everything comes rushing in and even if you have lightning fast typing speed, it’s impossible to keep up.
For artists, they say that the hand is generally five years behind the mind.
It almost stings to acknowledge such a thing, but this concept resonates for writers as well.
Aside from the speed constraints, the reality that we just can’t type as quickly as we imagine, putting our ideas into words can often be more challenging than we initially expect. You might have an incredible idea for a book but no idea how to execute it.
I would describe writing as roughly 90% mental and 10% physical.
Of course, depending on your writing environment and your tools, these percentages could change a little.
If you’re just typing away at a computer comfortably seated in a chair that’s hopefully ergonomic, that physical element of writing is pretty minimal. Your ideal writing environment might be all about comfort and that’s totally fine.
We’re all different. But if you are doing things the relatively standard way, you’re doing a lot more mental heavy lifting than physical exertion.
Your writing process will slightly impact physical versus mental strain. If you’re a believer in how handwriting can improve your writing, then using good old pen and paper will make writing a fair bit more physical.
The tiny muscle movements used in typing and writing the old fashioned way are relatively small, but your hands will most likely tire out faster from handwriting.
Some will argue that inspiration is 80% mental and 40% physical.
I’m a writer, math is not my strong suit, but I still realized instantaneously that the addition here doesn’t quite work out.
The Atlantic published a piece about how the inspiration for any type of creativity exceeds the typical brackets of 100%.
According to the 120% ethic, inspiration is 80% mental and 40% physical, and it takes every bit of both to see a great idea through.
You can and will be tired after doing a lot of writing.
You’ve got to be alert and performing at a high level when you write. Even if you write so often that it doesn’t feel like you’re putting forth a ton of effort when doing your wordsmith routine, mental activity is taxing.
In a way, if you wanted to get really technical, you could say that writing ultimately is a physical process because the metal process leads to great physical fatigue.
Mental fatigue is nothing to sneeze at. Healthline and various studies have examined physical versus mental exhaustion at length in the past few years. Here’s a quote I pulled from their article on how to treat and prevent mental exhaustion.
“A 2017 review of 11 studies noted that mental exhaustion impairs physical performance and can make even simple tasks or exercise feel considerably more physically taxing and demanding.”
One particularly interesting bit of research I read was that people had higher performance at the same set of activities after an hour of physical activity than a group who did the same activities after an hour of mental activity.
Essentially, mental exertion impacted their performance more than physical exertion.
High levels of mental exhaustion aren’t unusual after you’ve done a lot of writing.
In the end, writing is a lot of work. But is writing more of a physical or mental process?
If you’re using your mind all day to write, problem solve in the literary sense, and edit, you’re using a lot of energy. You’re going to feel tired.
You may have a different idea on how those percentages break down as far as how much of writing is a physical process and how much is a mental process, but however the cookie crumbles, writing is hard work. Whether you use pen and paper, a computer, a tablet, or your smartphone, it is always hard work.
If you’ve been writing a lot today, this week, or this month, give yourself a pat on the back.