Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Typewriter
Frequently as I write, I wish that I had a typewriter to work with. This is not for reasons of tactility or antiquarianism, though I acknowledge these pleasures have their place. I want a typewriter because of the cobbled-together habits of my composition & editing style, which are an incoherent - though I imagine not unusual - volleying of typing and handwriting. Both methods of getting word down boast their own kinds of speed.
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5 comments:
I've got one, and I use for more or less the reason you cite: because handwriting / typing on a computer is very non-linear, and very fluid, while typewriting gives ideas / words / sentences a rigidity, a sense of construction.
I used to find the sound they made while typing very satisfying. Although I was no fan of having to use tippex to fix mistakes.
For many years I typed my first draft on a typewriter, wrote my revisions with copy editing marks on the page, cut and scotch-taped any paragraph rearrangements, and then re-typed the whole thing (either with a typewriter, or eventually on a computer). I found it a useful way to develop thoughts, re-write and polish language. Now, of course, I don't have the time!
Zach can you ping me with your most recent email address, I'm getting bouncebacks from the one I used to use, thanks! Feel free to delete this comment.
Recently I have started writing by hand, as well as wordprocessing, photographing the fragments and filing them. They are easier to check in a photo program such as Picasa than as text files. Sets can be quickly printed, and cut and pasted by hand.
There was an interview with John le Carre, on UK t.v., in which he showed how he worked longhand, stapling strips of extra text onto the main page in doifferent places. His wife then typed up the results. From there he worked on, cutting the typed pages, and adding strips of handwritten material.
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