Very new to LaTeX, bit of a newbie question

dr gonzo

Do people tend to type their documents from the get-go in LaTeX or do they type it out first and then mark it up when finished?

TheBody

For me, if the document is short, I usually go straight to Latex. If it is long, I write it out with pen a paper and then fire it into Latex. Do whatever works for you!!

Tree

I tend to write straight into LaTeX, I have a template that works well for me and I like to plan out the work using headings so the document structure is handy anyway.

Clinker

I nearly always adapt a similar LaTeX document if one is available, otherwise I'll start a new on. In either case it's straight to LaTeX!

djpbarry

I don't really the see the need to type a draft first an then mark it up - Tex files are just text files after all.

Besides, as said above, LateX's structure commands are useful when planning the document - I almost always begin with a skeleton structure (chapters, sections, subsections, etc.) and then flesh it out.

Red Alert

I often start out with the headings, and fill in the rest later on. Often my research latex documents contain tables or figures that are made by other programs, so I'll end up with a load of headings and figures/tables and then start to fill in the text. Same thing for lecture notes really - I just get the headings in to check it all makes sense and go from there.