I'm with Meredith on this one. I prefer to write longhand first and then revise while I type it out on the computer. I never thought about why before but I think Prill has the answer to that within her post. More time to think about what I want to say.
As far as using peoples names, I try to avoid them in my essays. I change them for privacy's sake. I've been becoming concerned with this lately and have decided to concentrate more on my fiction. And have also begun considering using a pen name.