When I set out to learn about my mother's bridge club, the Jewish octogenarians behind the matching outfits and accessories, I never expected to fall in love with them. This is the story of the ladies, their game, their gen, and the ragged path that led me back to my mother.
Lohud
Today is Day One of work on my revision and my plan is to report in every day until I finish the fucker. When my friend George read a draft of The Bridge Ladies, he asked me if I had printed it out and read it aloud. I knew what he was getting at and I was ashamed to say I hadn’t. I work too fast and the computer is my ally in that. I’m taking some time off to slow down. This is new for me and I’m filled with excitement, which means dread if you know me at all. I printed it out and wrote some new scenes in long hand in a notebook. Honestly, that felt luxurious. And in between I cleaned the closets within an inch of their lives.
What’s your speed?
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Betsy Lerner 
I write first drafts in longhand, type on typewriter, then type into the computer, print out a hard copy, write comments in longhand. I have read whole novels into a tape recorder. Not sure what I will do now on 8 year old drafts. Revising 2 novels at once per Jennifer Egan’s process. Enjoying it. That’s the key…enjoy the writing. So far, that’s all I’ve got.
first draft on computer. If it’s worth saving…
“What’s your speed?”
Caffeine, in moderate amounts. I’ve composed almost exclusively via computer these past 32 years. It permits me to lay down words faster than longhand, but also offers greater flexibility in editing, in both the major and minor keys.
When I first made the change from writing first drafts in longhand to what I came to think of as composing at computer keyboard, I saw that it changed my writerly voice. I believe it made that voice more natural, for better and worse.
Congratulations on the closets. Tell them to behave themselves or you’ll be back.
Imagine a chaotic sloth.
What’s your speed?
Over the limit.