“I write longhand” and other ways going retro helps you focus
Sunday Life: This week I work a little “retro”…and it worked!
via Gala Darling
A week or so ago “#RIPTypewriters” was trending. Which, for those not of The Twitterverse, means a stack of people were commenting on the death of the typewriter following news the last manufacturer in the world had closed shop. I entered the nostalgic Twitter fray to reminisce about work life pre-Ctrl Alt Delete:
Remember Liquid Paper? Remember doing actual research in a library? The metho smell of the stat machine?
The commentary, as with all things particular to Boomers and Gen Xers, was tinged saturated with a certain “see how hard we had it back then?” message to young folk. But there was also a distinct longing to it. Not for the usual “simpler times” (because they weren’t; navigating the Dewey system to check what year Tupperware was invented was not an elegant process). But for…well, this week I tried to capture what it was. And replicate it.
Turns out there’s a community of hipster typewriter fetishists out there. In March the New York Times ran a feature on Brooklyn 20-somethings who hunt down vintage Remingtons at flea markets. “Type-ins” are being held around the world (cool typers hang out in pubs and…hit the keys) and there’s an emerging “typosphere” (a blog scene for typewriter nuts). One Gen Y fan summed the appeal thus: “It’s about permanence, not being able to hit delete”. Another: “On a typewriter, you have to think”, by which she meant, because you have to think ahead (so as to avoid dousing your page in Liquid Paper), it dictates a considered and reflective approach to your work. As opposed to the modern “ready, fire, aim” approach, which we seem to be tiring of (witness Lindsay Tanner’s spray at contemporary politics for being knee-jerkish and ill-considered in his book Sideshow).
Funnily enough, at the Logies the other night I joined Charlie Pickering (the Gen X-er on Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation) in arguing with Josh Thomas (the Gen Y-er) on this very subject. In the “olden days” we had to research and engage with a subject before we opined on it. “That’s what knowledge is,” we told him. Josh adjusted his fringe and said he gets his knowledge as he needs it. He whipped out his phone and hit the Google icon. But that’s not knowledge we said with earnest Gen X exasperation. It’s not rich, original, engaged and fired-up; it’s derived and spurted.
via The Brag
Josh walked off, happy to let us think we’d won.
This is what I think we’re longing:
to get more engaged with what we spurt out and to have some anchored permanence to what we produce.
We all work on computers and type faster than we can reflect, which in turn creates a harried, unfinished flavour to what we do. And how we live.
But does going retro make things better?
Confession: I personally hand-write this column, which is Neanderthal-ically retro. I “draw” my arguments with scribbles and arrows and develop my ideas away from others’ online opinions. Then I turn on my computer. Stephen King wrote Dreamcatcher longhand. “It makes you think about each word as you write it,” he told CBS News. “You see more ahead because you can’t go as fast.”
I agree. Working away from a computer helps me to get a birds’-eye view and structure my thoughts properly. Carefully. Some direction in a directionless world!
On the flipside, the “ready, fire, then work out your direction as you go” approach of computers, does have merit. Diving into your work, looking up facts as you need them, layering bits you like, shuffling the order around – it’s in keeping with how life flows now. Life is so complex and shifts constantly; a stable, bird’s-eye view is often redundant.
Which brings me to index cards. It would appear these daggy secretary staples are also having a nostalgic revival. A wad of them held together with a bulldog clip have been termed “hipster PDAs” and a bunch of writers and CEOs passionately espouse them. Edward de Bono told me a while back he uses them to churn out his 80-plus books.
I tried them this week. The deal is you record your thoughts as they occur (in this ever-shifting world). A card for each idea. You flesh out your original thoughts, adding facts as you go. Then you lay them out and move them around, discarding any that don’t fit, thus creating a coherent structure. Then type up the results.
I used it for my book. I wrote out every idea, anecdote etc on a card and then lay them out using the tongue and groove boarding on my shed.
They kind of bridge both worlds and satisfy the longing for more tangible engagement with our thinking. And are a lot more portable than a Remington.
PS Since writing the post I’ve come across so many people who do old-school stuff to get down into their inspired spot. I’ve just finished reading Alex Miller’s Lovesong. The main character, a writer, writes longhand. A computer screen is a wall between him and his gaze out the window.
Does retro work for you? What do you miss about the old stat copier days?
Great piece Sarah, totally agree. I handwrite all my ideas, scripts and monolouges for radio. All these Gen Y hipsters look and laugh, but I find putting in the time still gets results and the laughs. It may take my 45 minutes to pen out a 3 minute radio spot, but the old school style of thinking ahead, carefully crafting a sentence and not relying on the laptop helps the creativity. FYI Mike Munro the great TV newsman, still writes everything on Typewriter, everyday. If I had half his success I’d be happy, must be doing something write.
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My fellow uni mates laugh at me when they see that I literally fill the pages of my exercise books with writing. I always study for exams this way, and I also draw up lots of diagrams and notes when planning a lab report or essay or any piece of writing. I can develop a clearer picture in my mind of what my argument will be and what will make it stronger or weaker. I find when I type something on the computer I can’t comprehend the whole picture, just the paragraph thats on the screen.
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Sarah, (if I may be so daring as to call you Sarah), I really enjoyed this post. Probably because I’m a boomer and your words cover so many steps from crayons to computers but also due to the way you put your words together. While reading your snapshot of past practices a few memories flashed by. When I started primary school, you wrote with pencils, printing first, then running writing (cursive?). You learned with a slope card placed under the page being used. Briefly, around 5th or 6th class we made our own ink and used pens dipping into ink wells in the desks! I recall my Grandparents farm at Glenthorne (outside Taree) with an old shed (kids treasure-trove) in which were a couple of discarded typewriters; the sort with ribbons and 2 metres of movement before the key actually touched the paper. This led me to remember the typing pools (always females and preferably hot) and those who could achieve typing speeds of 60-120 words per minute (corrected). I enjoy writing with a good fountain pen on quality paper and the smell of the ink seems unchanged. I agree that writing longhand focusses the thought process for various reasons (many practical) but firing up the computer, typing like mad, then correcting, has its advantages. Hand written letters are definitely personal, school assignments/essays were a chore but the art of handwriting/composing continued. This leads to my current non-grip of the situation with my kids. They research by Google and a ‘tough’ job may involve clicking 3-4 times. They didn’t endure the older apprenticeship methods of researching and writing although they still write in their school books. A mixture of retro and todays stuff I think, does it for me. For my kids I’d like to see a bit more retro if only for the alternate discipline it requires.
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When I saw the photo of your index cards, all I could think of was the scene from Love Actually when lovely Colin Firth’s handtyped manuscript blew into the water. All that hard work gone (yes, I know it was only a movie but the scene still tortures me!)Hopefully you wedge your cards securely into the boards.
I love watching repeats of the old 80s shows on the new digital channels. This was obviously the era just before modern technology kicked in – personal computers weren’t around so everyone used typewritters (think Angela Landsbury in Murder She Wrote). No such thing as mobile phones (unless you were Mr or Mrs Hart and being weatlhy, you could afford but it was size of a brick) and people still sent telegrams (no faxes or texting back then).
It all looked so simple back then but also kind of cool.
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Nothing to do with typewriters, but isn’t it funny how life turns out. You came runner up to Kate Fisher many years ago in a modelling competition and look how the tables have turned.
Although real beauty is on the inside.
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Sarah,
I am really enjoying your sunday articles this past month or so and this one is another great read.
I can think in a more measured way and it’s easier to find the rhythm with words using pen (or pencil) on paper. I don’t see it as hard, it’s lot easier than large hands and fingers on tiny buttons or icons. If the notebook or pen is dropped, which happens a lot, it won’t smash or stop functioning properly. I use the ‘net’ when I need it, but don’t miss it when I don’t need it.
My pocket diary, notepad and pen are always in my pockets as I head out the door. The mobile is stuffed in as an after thought and the laptop stays at home.
Retro still rocks!
Mick
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Oh bliss! I am X-gen, cusp Y, owned a canon electronic heat-printing typewriter (use the old fax paper) and kept endless diaries as a kid in long-hand. Even though I blog (not prolifically) I love love love hand writing my thoughts. The guilt of using paper and leaving big carbon footprints erks at me but doing “old-school stuff to get down into their inspired spot” is exactly what this retro form of thought-sorting does for me! Plus, I will always miss the smell and heat of newly copied ‘stencils’ with their purple printing- probably more because if I were to smell it now, I would be instantly transported back to primary school, where in my world, life was so much more simple (because I was just a kid).
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It’s funny – all my writing lately has been longhand/stream of consciousness first … then I type. But the finished (typed) result bears only a passing resemblance to what I written down.
So I think I may actually be sort of the opposite – writing longhand is for my scattered thoughts just to get them down as they come, and then when I start to type, I can be a lot more considered.
I love your shed indexing system though!
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I find I can’t get anything of decent quality done unless I write a longhand draft first. Naturally I then edit and change the order of sentences once I’m typing it up on the computer. But everyone else in the office just writes as they type and make me feel like I’m the weird one!
Thanks for pointing out that it’s not only OK but has its merits too!
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Love the article and remain a wee bit perplexed.
I write for a living. I LOVE cut and paste. Did I mention that I love it?!
I spent too many years writing things long hand, cutting them up, sticking them back together with tape and then typing them out all over again. I honestly don’t think my writing was any better back then. Today, when I want to do things by hand, I do things that can’t be replaced by computer: I crochet (a bit too much), I cycle or I cook. I haven’t found a better system than the hand for doing these things, so these I keep doing ‘longhand’. Much like not understanding why you wouldn’t wear technical fabrics for running, I truly don’t understand why writing by hand would make the final product a better one!
Regardless, I understand that many don’t and I respect the sentiment! Cheers
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I write my haikus in longhand in a Moleskine notebook before posting them to my blog.
I use post-it notes on a whiteboard indoors in a similar way to your index cards & tongue & groove.
Wrote all my art college notes on a portable typewriter in 1973 and “drew” ASCII art before with it long before personal computers were invented. It was challenging and fun.
http://peterbryenton.typepad.com/phi_one/2011/03/typewriter.html
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Hi Sarah – when you mentioned index cards a post or two ago I was intrigued to find out how you were using them. I have recently been introduced to ‘card walls’, which are a agile development practice. (http://www.foxhounddevelopers.com.au/blog/2011/04/15/a-convert-to-the-card-wall).
We are using index cards to plan, prioritise and track the progress of the new online business my partner (he is a developer) and I are in the early stages of developing.
On a card wall you break down any activity you need to do into single tasks and write each task on a card. We have written all our website features on separate cards. As well as all the tasks I am doing, such as blog posts, competitor research, developing website policies etc.
You then prioritise the cards and then progress each card across the “wall” left to right. The wall is broken into columns – ours columns are:
* backlog: all the cards sit until they begin to be progressed.
* analysis: we discuss the card
* in development: working on the card
* testing: this column isn’t really relevant to my cards, but it is when I play with the feature my partner is working on to see if I can break it!
* done: it has a very specific meaning – for us it is after it has passed testing on heroku (our deployment platform) and both of us are happy with it. Obviously for my cards only the second point applies.
It is critical that you limit the amount of cards in progress on the wall. It means you really focus on a task and give it your full attention, rather than procrastinating and starting (but not finishing) every task on your ‘to do’ list. The visual nature of a card wall means that you notice very quickly if you are trying to work on five things at once with none of them actually moving into your done column. Using a card wall also makes your problems and blockers very obvious.
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I always use index cards (I like the aqua shade best) for everything! I do all of my workshop planning with mind maps and longhand ideas in a sketch book and I try to write my thank you cards in fountain pen. I appreciate the great move forward that technology has provided but a trip down memory lane…nothing beats that! I’m glad I have both, the new and the old, running through my blood.
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I often start writing longhand and move it over to the computer once I have a few paragraphs to work with.. I find the handwriting helps to get a bit of flow which can be hard at e start.
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[...] on “I write longhand” and other ways going retro helps you focus 6:47 am I often start writing longhand and move it over to the computer once I have a few [...]
I love the subtle irony of a blog about typewriters!
I am in love with my paper and pens, and being a landscape architect, I find it impossible to design without a pencil in my hand. There is definitely something freer in movement and thought when doing things old school.
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[...] Via Sarah Wilson, the last manufacturer for typewriters had closed its doors.Meaning no more (new) typewriters floating around the world.This got Sarah pondering on different ways to write, and I’ve been pondering on that lately too.The other day in class a teacher made a reference to writing, and when she said the world “writing” she made keyboard movements with her fingers, simulating her tapping away on a keyboard.I thought that was incredibly sad. You’re not writing, I wanted to tell her. You’re typing on a keyboard.The actual form of writing, ie with a paper and a pen, seems to be a lost art.I hardly ever write with a paper and a pen: write stories I mean.I keep a physical diary which I write in all the time, and a co-worker recently actually commented she was a little shocked that I didn’t use an electronic diary.I like having a hard, physical diary: I like making little notes to myself, working out my budget, writing down facts or people’s numbers or addresses. I like being able to flip through the pages, see what’s coming up for the next few weeks. I don’t think I could ever do that electronically.But when it comes to writing, that’s another story all together.I nearly always write stories on the computer.A rare exception would be if I’m out somewhere without access to a computer, and writing a few story idea notes in my diary doesn’t satisfy – then I’ll start the story longhand.I find that my fingers typing on a computer can hardly keep up with the rate that my brain thinks, so I definitely could not write a whole story longhand as that is notoriously slower!Sarah said in her article,‘Confession: I personally hand-write this column, which is Neanderthal-ically retro. I “draw” my arguments with scribbles and arrows and develop my ideas away from others’ online opinions. Then I turn on my computer. Stephen King wrote Dreamcatcher longhand. “It makes you think about each word as you write it,” he told CBS News. “You see more ahead because you can’t go as fast.”I agree. Working away from a computer helps me to get a birds’-eye view and structure my thoughts properly. Carefully. Some direction in a directionless world!’I find that really interesting. She also had a few case studies from other typewriter users who said tapping away on a typewriter made you carefully select words as you can’t just go back and hit delete like on a computer.I think I could benefit greatly from taking time, slowing down, and thinking about each and every word before I commit it to a page.We’re so flippant with computers because it’s so easy to just delete or rearrange a sentence or paragraph.I started and finished a story this weekend of about 3,000 words. It’s for a uni assignment and I can assure you, at this point in time, the story is shit. Just awful. But I’m glad I got it down, because I now have something to work with.But it’s making me wonder that if I had written it longhand or on a typewriter, would it possibly be better? Because I wouldn’t cringing at every word and hating the paragraph I’d just written: I’d be thinking about it thoroughly before writing it.What do you think? Not enough longhanders in the world? [...]