I got a typewriter because my, eyes are extremely photo sensitive and word processor programs are very painful to look at for me. I'm enjoying it so far. I feel more inspired to write when I'm sitting in front of it.
Same here. I also have a Free right which is a digital machine that uses a paper white screen. And I use the remarkable with the type folio. The vintage typewriter is my favorite
I turn off all wordprocessor stuff in word processing software to get around that. I basically just want a digital typewriter. If I wanted to use tech I would get scrivener or something. I don't really see myself needing that. I have way too much work to do on the writing part, honestly.
@@A4000 You are stuck on the aesthetic of being a writer. Write however the fuck you can. I use my fountain pen, typewriter, my Freewrite Alpha(holy shit that completely jumpstarted my entire draft process), my phone, my PC, my laptop, EVERYTHING! I don't understand why people get so stuck on how they write. Just fucking write.
It’s a kinesthetic experience. Keys clacking, bell ringing, carriage flying right to left, carriage return buzzing with every new line, paper moving up relentlessly. It’s the Union Pacific 4014 high-balling across the high plains from Denver to Cheyenne at 11:30 at night. And you are at the controls. Enjoy the ride!
For me, typewriters are actually super convenient because I can write basically anywhere without having to be worried about power. This actually saved me in a class where we weren't allowed to bring computers in, so I was able to just simply type up my notes between classes (much faster than writing them manually) and have my notes with me without having to pay the outrageous fees that the other students had to pay at the school's library. Plus you can "print" out the pages and have several pages in front of you at the same time to compare much more easily than with a screen.
Hermes 3000. What a beauty. The typewriter is like an oracle in Matrix. Old machine that was banned by mind-controlling devices. In polish, it's easier to answer the question "Why to use that machine for writing", because it's literally called "machine for writing". Typewriter is a machine to write. It lets you write.
Oh yes. Love the Matrix analogy. Exactly. Were humans reaching heights dangerously high with the sublime art of focus? Thanks for the thoughtful comment
There is an even more mystical element in the older machines, where you can see the inner mechanics working more. I love the Remington Noiseless and others from that era for this reason. Very transparent mechanics. The Hammond and Blickensderfer lay it all bare for all to see.
I wrote my first three novels using my laptop as my primary writing tool. Then, a friend told me how much she was enjoying writing poetry on a manual typewriter. The idea piqued my curiosity, so I went out and purchased a 1961 Olympia SM7. I started using it for typing out scene ideas, character notes, outlines, etc. Soon, I found myself loving the tactile feeling of putting words on paper, and then I found a 1965 Olympia SM9. At some point, I decided that I'd write the rough draft of my fourth novel using only the two typewriters. I'd use the SM7 when I was writing at home and the SM9 when writing at the office (I'd pack my manuscript back and forth in my briefcase). I loved writing the 1st draft so much, that I went on to write the entire second draft with those same two machines. I've since finished the novel, and I discovered that I not only enjoyed the "journey" more, but I was much happier with the end product. I plan to do it this way once again for my fifth. Thanks for this encouraging video!
I agree I like retyping the draft as well it gets you out of the screen space and into a more natural environment. Though some people just want to scan it to text right away I think you then fall into the computer trap again
@@classictypewriter Wow! Thank you for those kind words! As to the novel, I've finished it, but it's not published anywhere yet. Once it is, I'll connect back with you to let you know.
@@classictypewriter That's a good point about falling into the computer trap if you jump right into scanning the second draft. I think that's true for me as well. But I do have a couple of other reasons for retyping a complete second draft using a typewriter, one being that there are so many changes between the first and second draft, that for me, its actually easier to retype the whole thing, using handwritten notes I've scribbled between paragraphs, and on the edges of the margins as guides. The second reason for me typing out more than one draft is that it allows me to keep a chronological record of the early days of the novel's development. I date the header of each new chapter, and keep the typewritten/handwritten pages in a binder. Afterward, it's helpful to know how much time I spent on each phase of the process, i.e. Outlining, character "interview," dust jacket synopsis, etc. Finally, a friend of mine who happens to be a successful novelist, once said that by keeping all the iterations of my manuscript, in such a tangible form is a powerful proof of authorship. All said, I think I'm going to continue doing it this way with future projects.
@@deancummings586 Great thoughts thank you. Yes, we look forward to reading it! Everyone has to work out their own flow, these are just tips. And every process has pros and cons of course. I just notice the joy of typewriting, and once I get into screen drudgery, that joy 'changes'. So while I appreciate the tools of the computer, are the pros worth the cost?
I love my 1948 Royal Quiet De Luxe. Make sure to use cardstock under your printer paper to protect the platten and kinda even out the ink strikes when using a manual typewriter.
I want to thank you for this video. These last four years have seen me go away from writing for the first time in my life, and your passion for writing on the typewriter has inspired me to get back to it. I have three typewriters that I love, including the one I had in high school (Gen X here). Writing on a typewriter connects you to your writing in the most tactile and visceral way next to writing by hand there is. There really is nothing like it. I always liked a manual typewriter because it puts my writing at the tempo of a horse’s trot. Not too fast, not too slow. Flow flow flow. I really want to get back to it. Thank you again for this video. I really appreciate it.
Well said! I recently purchased a nice 1948 Smith… what a joy it is to write on a typewriter, and the real zest for writing being unlocked by the exercise
A year ago I invested in a second hand typewriter for the primer reason is to write. There is a nostalgic angle for me. The great writers are always with a typewriter. I find a laptop distracting. My aim is to complete all my first drafts on a type writers & then move onto a computer for additional drafts.
I love what you had to say about the typewriter experience... I think it really does work in unleashing my creativity in ways I never experienced before. Also I love the idea of just having a stack of papers on my desk, always visible and not letting me procrastinate for long. When I finish a session of writing I always enter the next page into the machine. I find myself writing a whole lot more than what I would normally. When you have a file in a folder inside your computer there is just so much stuff coming between you and the next word written - you have to open the computer, you have to open the folder and the file. Do you have enough battery? Now you need to get a charger. Oh might as well make some coffee, smoke a cigarette and once you are back it's never the same ...
My refurbished 1970 Olympia SM9 is arriving today! As a writer I have experienced many of these difficulties with a computer. Using a typewriter will force me to think ahead about what I want to write since I can't just backspace and rewrite the whole sentence in an instant. If typewriters were good enough for amazing authors like Tolkien, they are good enough for me.
There's something incredibly special about using a typewriter in this day and age. Call it a relic, but a typewriter, for me, is a portal to the days of the likes of James Baldwin, Ernest Hemingway, and Jack Kerouac when they let their keys and ink ribbons channel their imaginations to their pages.
Yes to typewriters. I began writing in 1964 with a Sears portable. I placed a few things, but when the Commodore 64 with Easy Script arrived. Then it was on to DOS and then an iPad. I'm not sure when I realized my creativity was slipping, but I rely totally on a Hermes 3000. I write for my own pleasure.
I love a based argument for typewriters. Recently, I picked up an Underwood Noiseless 77 that needs restoration, but I just ordered my first functional typewriter. Now I just want to get to typing. Thank you for this video.
I was recently blessed with a Royal Aristocrat from a friend of mine. She received the typewriter from a friend of hers who passed away a few years ago. He was a poet and along with the typewriter, he had given her 300 pages of his poems. I've written poetry for the past 37 years and I am so honored to have such a precious gift. There's just something about it.
And then this video with a quote from Kahlil Gibran, my favorite poet?! Man I found the right channel. Haha P.s. I entertained the idea of a typewriter two days ago and ended up getting a Royal Quiet De Luxe from 1951 yesterday. It all works. It might need some rusty parts replaced soon, but I'm really excited especially after seeing these videos. Hoping to be able to find a way to restore this one a bit more too.
Well put, thank you, glad I use a Typewriter. I use several, wish I had a Curvey Hermés. But, lately last few months been favoring my 1964 Smith Corona Galaxie Deluxe. A true friend and workhorse. I find I write better on a typewriter, the connection to the work though through a machine is both more organic and personal and connected than on or with a computer. When ready, I'll hand transfer it to the computer, this adds another level of editing and really understanding my story, the computer is last in my creativity, as I only use the computer as the Editing machine. My first, and sometimes other drafts are always on a typewriter!❤
The typewriter writes at the speed of thought. Been using them all my life. The synergy is magical. Take the time to learn touch typing, it will eventually free your creative flow. And by avoiding computers, I don‘t have to proofread fifteen times to edit out the AI word changes. (Drives me nuts!)
"I sell and refurbish typewriters" he says halfway into the video. Talk about burying the lede. Sure, there can be advantage to some writers to use analog tools. I'm a professional writer, and I do most of my first drafts longhand. Usually with a fountain pen. And I'm GenX so I grew up with typewriters. Even begged for a vintage one as a kid. But I was also an early adopter to computers. Maybe pens, pencils, and typewriters taught me how to write. But wordprocessors taught me how to rewrite. Finally, when you wanted to reach 15,000 people, the typewriter was no longer enough for you. You turned to "evil Google" and its algorithms. Writers should use whatever tools work for them. Pen, pencil, typewriter, computer, or smoke signals. If you get those words out of your head in some form others can read it, it's a the perfect tool for you.
so many good points I never even considered. I've been dead set on getting a typewriter since going to college; I found out im a visual learner with bad handwriting and ADHD, so I'm easily distracted every time I use a word processor. I absolutely HAVE to have something written down to remember it, but I also need to constantly have the thing its written on within my physical view/space just to remember it even exists. So for me, getting a typewriter would be a sort of disability aid, an upgrade from the masses of sticky and iPhone notes.
Beautiful. You're not the only one in that place. A lot of humans are getting lost in the digital overwhelm, and still need the little written tidbits.
@@joaorebochooaw6321 And still most teaching styles don't address that, and the majority seem to do alright. There's degrees of necessity. I'm the type to need subtitles for live lectures and notes for simple instructions; I retain very little oral information.
I love writing on my SC. Only thing is i'm one of those writers that always looks back as they write. So there are often times I'll get ahead, then realize i need to change something. I suppose i could always cut out the useful bits with scissors. Seen it done with screenplay drafts.
Resist! ;) Everyone has a tendency to look back as they write: forcing one to draft 'forward' is a powerful brain training. One could jot notes down about thoughts and keep drafting. Everyone has their own path to productivity.
Thank you for the advice, it is reassuring after I have used this typewriter instead of a computer; and I am about to embark on writing a novel with it (350 pages). It is a little sticky on some keys, and it doesn't quite hit the ribbon hard enough: should I ask for a new one for Christmas? I am but 14 years old (turning 15 in march). I have an "Olivetti Underwood Lettera 31".
bluecreeper.com/ this can loosen up the stuck keys. I don't know about asking for a new one, as there is something special in sticking with one for as long as possible. And a new ribbon an do wonders.
I like using older technology especially dot matrix printers since I don't like using all in one printers. I want to start typing again, and relearn Grammer and punctuation in 2024. I definitely want a manual standard typewriter, no batteries just me powering it
im currently writing a novel, i write by hand, as it takes time to write the sentences,by as i write these sentences, a new sentence pops in my head ,thus i just keep flowing, i want to try the type writer as another level technique, just gotta find one, as a kid my mom had an antique type writer,i was allwed to play aroundwith it, i typed random stuff with it for hours
I agree for the most part with what you said. I'm an independent author/publisher. I write my books and stories using a fountain pen, dip pen, or a pencil. Then I type the text into the computer because everything is digital nowadays and I have to format and upload my fiction digitally. So if I were to use a typewriter, how do I get the text I typed on paper converted to digital format? As I see it, I'd have to type it again into the computer. So even though there is a mystique with the typewriter, does it have an advantage over the pen or pencil? I'm interested in your thoughts on that. Again, a very interesting post.
@@cwhawes Actually, if you have a smartphone, you can take a picture of the page and it will scan it up to digital. I love that you write your stories with a pen. The flow is different and there is the rhythmic element. It is much faster Once you get fast. So it might be worth exploring if those positively impact your writing. But if you already have a good thing going....
Hell yeah, brother. I'm refurbishing a Remington Rand that my partner got me to write my next book on. I've found that computers let me type faster than I think, and that I write fast but clunky, drop transitions, jump ahead and tell myself I can edit later. The best analogy I can come up with is going to a bar, getting drunk, picking someone up, having really awful sex, waking up, feeling shitty about it, and then doing that over and over again.
@@classictypewriter The Rand is taking a bit of time, but I have a portable Smith Corona Super Silent that I cleaned and is rolling! Replaced the ribbon, too.
One of the biggest problems with word processors is processing words 😅 its nice to really write words and sentences before ever getting to the processing stage until later on. I only primarily write with typewriter and only last edit is retyped and finished still need myself a lovely Hermes 3000 ❤
I have 4 Olivetti Lettera (32’s) , 1 Olivetti Lettera 22, 2 Hermes Rockets), 1 Olympia (SM9), 1 Olympia portable (black pearl, different font), 5 Smith Corona's, 2 Remington Noiseless (one was manufactured on December 7, 1941).... more.
A workflow I’ve found effective is 1) Use computer simply for notes, machetes, or rapid ideation. Especially with a phone, you can record thoughts in the moment. 2) Typewrite your computer rough draft and see how much you slow down, and how much it changes. 3) Use a quality pencil you love to notate the page. 4) Repeat these steps several times. You may come up with multiple final drafts! 5) A few weeks later, pull them off the shelf and read what you wrote. If you impress yourself, it’s a Keeper. If not, it’s a Stinker. And that’s the 5-step “Stinker-Keeper” method!
Yep - exactly this. I myself cycle between Scrivener (great for assembly, corkboarding, organizing), Indesign (in final layout you see things you otherwise miss) , iA Writer (focus) ... and my 1970 Hermes 3000 with a LAMY Scribble 0.7 mechanical pencil for annotations. Sounds like a lot, I know, but that's just what I ended up with over the years.
This is interesting. I'm considering getting a typewriter, as with my computer there are many distractions, and with writing longhand I get tired quickly. What is your process for turning a typewritten draft into a finished novel? Do you scan them into a computer and edit them there, or retype it all with the typewriter?
You really have to find a flow that works for you. For me, typing once and then retyping a second time helps. Some people retype into a computer as draft 2. Or you can photograph each page and scan it to text. Etc. Sort of depends on what you want to do with it, and your venues for release. You could release as a serial, scanning the pages and uploading typewritten images to a blog. Just a few ideas... lots of options.
Also what are your thoughts about making a commonplace book and using a voice recorder to take notes using your own voice from what you are reading from? Plus for capturing your thought verbally.
This sounds interesting. Is this a process that you use? I do take notes from books I'm reading, but I'm going to try to record my own voice reading it and listen back to it, especially the more profound things I'm reading.
@@ronmorey3475 I do and you know it helps you to organize thoughts better by transcribing what is important that you have said in verbal form. While helping your creative process for writing with a way for you to practice speaking better.
I do that pretty frequently. I'm not really a snob I just find that my best writing comes from typewriters. I can still write well In other forms. And dictation can help a lot. I also dictate into my notes app frequently. Sometimes I record my voice and have a software translate it into text. The challenge with it... Is that I have a hundred hours of recordings that I need to someday process.
3 місяці тому
I write with pen and paper. And yes, my spelling is terrible, now. Lucky I have so many hard cover dictionaries at hand.
I’m sensitive to light and I use a computer at work and don’t like it but I use it for work but when I get home I’m looking forward to the typewriter to use instead
I have a computer for just other life stuff. But when I write I have the computer disconnected from the internet, spell check turned off and predictive text off. If I need to check a word I have a dictionary (yes an honest-to-god physical dictionary) on my desk.
Does the samething apply for writing on paper and notebooks? Personally i am on the fench of getting a typewriter. The one that is behind you caught my eye and i might buy it because of the size.
I'm a typewriter head but I think stating that you need a typewriter to become a great writer as if it were a fact is ridiculous. That's just your opinion. The problem with the computer is that it can help you (or rather, me, your mileage may vary) develop a few bad habits when writing. I use a typewriter because the computer inevitably leads me to writing too fast and carelessly, but that's not the fault of the computer. Like the typewriter, it's just a tool, so the fault is mine. I just don't have the discipline to take my time on a computer, partially because my job involves fast typing, and sitting in front of it just gets me into that mindset out of habit. If you feel most comfortable writing on a computer and judge your work to be good, then by all means go ahead. I'm not going to think less of you as a writer because of it. Also, the part about voice dictation, that's just you using the wrong tool for the job. Voice dictation inevitably operates over a dictionary or database of words. If you're going to make up words, then you probably shouldn't be using that. Is that the fault of the voice dictation software? No. You just chose the wrong tool for the job. Likewise if I have to write and send an email with image attachments intertwined with the text, the typewriter is probably not the tool I'm looking for. I don't intend for this to sound harsh, because it's not meant to. I guess I feel I have to say something when I hear someone voicing their opinions as iron clad facts EDIT: Also beautiful Hermes. I'm more of a Smith Corona guy
You are merely replacing one opinion with another. Welcome to the world of diverse opinions meeting each other happy to meet in the middle ground and the typewriter land. For me it's a deduction based on personal experience of all of the best quality writing I'm aware of being produced on a typewriter. It also links to current studies.... Of the mind functioning at a lower level if a computer is even in the same room. So it's merely the solution to a problem. I don't think dictation is the wrong tool. I think it's just not refined enough to be useful for delving into the unconscious mind. Which is the power and beauty of the typewriter because the rhythm unlocks the unconscious impulse.
@@classictypewriter I use both dictation and the typewriter for writing. Sometimes dictation is the wrong tool for the job. When I need to explore an idea with more focus and slowly, then the typewriter is the tool needed. Dictation helps get words out quicker, but it doesn't always help with flow not with helping me realize when I've gone into a circle instead of the solution I need. Dictation is useful on days when my carpal tunnel syndrome is acting up because I don't have the strength to handwrite not type or if I need to talk out a solution and am unable to find someone willing to listen to me talk out a problem. Neither tool replaces the other. I use a Hermes Rocket, a Smith-Corona Corsair, and a Smith-Corona Portable 5 typewriter. Still mastering getting even margins on the Corsair as I type from time to time. :)
Question here, (because I am drifting away from the mind controlling technologies) When you write your novel manuscript, it will need edited, what will be the most proficient way to your manuscript to reduce re-typing your manuscript? I don’t know so can you please lead me in the right direction? By the way, I have an Olympia De Luxe 70’s model 70’s model, I used to love it but haven’t used it in years due to life. Now, I’m more subtle these days reading more and trying to write 😂. I love your video, thank you so much for sharing. I will look at my of your videos thank you so much!
I wish there was a simple answer for this. People have to find their individual flow. It depends on how much you want to avoid the computer. For instance, some people write longhand and then type in the middle draft on typewriter, editing as they go. Some just quickly draft on the typewriter, and then re-type a more finalized draft, and probably type again a third time. Thomas Mann wrote out 1 page of finished prose per day, edited and finalized. You can also type the draft on a typewriter, and then scan the pages in a program that converts them to digital, and edit there. You could also just scan the typewritten pages and publish that as your manuscript, if self publishing; facsimile. The possibilities quite endless. Though you'll need to see what works best. I go with outlining with a pen, translating chapters to note cards, drafting on the typewriter, pen correcting first draft, re-typing second draft. Would take a third to finalize. Not there yet on my longest typewritten novel.
@@classictypewriter Thank you so much for the advice and I’m loving the way you do yours which sounds the best for me as well. I’m not scared of the work load, I feel as though it will make me be more involved with my entire process. Second goal, self-publishing. I have a long way to go but you placed me on a road to success. Thank you very very much!
@@veeisher Beautiful thank you. As for self publishing, I recommend print on demand these days. 0 bar to entry. Can test marketplace via blogs (photos of typewritten pages even), or pre-order options. Etc. Lulu or the Amazon version, though I try to support the littler companies.
For some odd reason, people come onto this forum and say 'I like computers better'. In either case, go write instead of pondering workflows and scrolling youtube. Recommended.
I want the softest keyboard possible because my hands are weak and hurt after typing very little amount. So for me these mechanical typewriters would not he the best option, though they're better for the eyes because you're not straining them by staring at a screen.
I could just lock myself in vim, and unplug the ethernet cord (my desktop does not have a wifi card). You don't inherently give up anything for convenience, but that requires actually understanding how your devices work/having respect for them (and yourself), rather than how companies like Google and Apple tell you it's 'supposed to' work (by their rules? and why should you? You bought it with the understanding that you *own* it!). Like how automobile or tech companies say the 'proper way' to use what they sell you (that you're supposed to be the *owner* of) is not for you to be allowed to repair/tinker with: - There's no reason for that (in fact in the past, this wasn't the case at all), - and there'd also be no reason to say cars/computers inherently encroach on your freedom - (they don't, these companies add in boobytraps after the fact. Buy from a company like framework laptops that lets you tinker their devices, i.e. *properly* owning them, in the sense that *most* people define 'ownership'). Last point: it's fine if you also just happen to like the aesthetic of a typewriter, but just be honest about that.
It sounds like you're already a productive writer, which us fine, link to your books. If not, you might consider something else. I have friends try to defend the ipad as the ultimate writing tool. Books completed, generally zero. It's true that you can hack a computer to make it better for writing. You can also write on a typewriter and scan pages convert to text. Or a digital astrohaus freewrite. Etc. Also, the book 'Deep Work' will offer counter arguments to most of your arguments.
If you send me a good typewriter, I’ll use one. Otherwise, I already own a laptop and I have the self-control to turn everything off and only use a basic spellcheck during my editing process.
I write my poems on a typewriter. Its too easy to over edit on a computer and because of backdpace, those fragments are lost for ever...thats why i use my typewriter
It's a different experience on so many levels. Not only that, few humans can resist temptation that is only a button click away. Most people just end up getting more distraction done than work. If that's not you, that's of course fine, and we'd already know your name by all of the books you've published.
@@classictypewriter Touched a nerve? My point is that one might suffer from the false impression that they have more freedom when using a typewriter, but really they are offloading their problems to yet another machine. It's like believing that you are hygienic by having a butler wipe your ass.
@@classictypewriter At first I used a pen with my reMarkable but then switched to using the reMarkable keyboard. With a pen I was instantly in flow state and highly creative. WIth the keyboard, it took longer to get into flow state but I ended up writing more. Both are good and I'll probably switch between them depending on what is required. I can take my remarkable to a cafe and not disturb people with my typing, so that's handy. I don't take my phone so I have no internet distractions.
Can we still purchase typewriter ribbons nowadays? Man, the thought of changing those ribbons again leaves me with a bad taste. I've lived long enough to have written with the manual machine (Underwood or whathaveyou), then the electric, and so forth. Frankly I believe that if someone is meant/called to write fiction then they can do it any way they like, on a laptop or PC ... or even longhand to be sent out for typing-- whatever they prefer. It does not need to be one particular venue or tool. If a person is a writer then they will create fiction, and not be distracted by other stuff on the PC or tablet. To say "You've got to write your book this way" seems weird to me.
This is ridiculous. Just because this guy has trouble focusing doesn't mean anyone else would ever need to follow his thoughts. I wrote for years on a typewriter, and sure it is great for short poetry, but bringing the breadth of a work together and the ability to look at it all at once and work on it in more ways then back and forth on a piece of paper is something magical that a typewriter could never do. If you have trouble focusing or sticking to your writing plan, this could be a good idea though.
A writer writes regardless of the tools available. Been wring professionally for almost 50 years. Started out with pen and paper, then typewriters and then computers. Just a normal progression to take advantage of new technology as it appears.
Somewhat. 'Normal' now though is to eat fast food and spend hours on tik tok. We need to eschew normal for high-performance. Compare your typewriter to computer writing and see if there's a difference.
I got a typewriter because my, eyes are extremely photo sensitive and word processor programs are very painful to look at for me. I'm enjoying it so far. I feel more inspired to write when I'm sitting in front of it.
Same. I was a graphic designer, tired of digital screens at day's end.
Same here. I also have a Free right which is a digital machine that uses a paper white screen. And I use the remarkable with the type folio. The vintage typewriter is my favorite
Yes. Typewriter lets your soul write the words. Computer lets your spellchecker write. I'll take the typewriter!!!!
Truly
I turn off all wordprocessor stuff in word processing software to get around that. I basically just want a digital typewriter. If I wanted to use tech I would get scrivener or something. I don't really see myself needing that. I have way too much work to do on the writing part, honestly.
So write with a 🖊️ like a real scribe.
@@A4000 You are stuck on the aesthetic of being a writer.
Write however the fuck you can. I use my fountain pen, typewriter, my Freewrite Alpha(holy shit that completely jumpstarted my entire draft process), my phone, my PC, my laptop, EVERYTHING!
I don't understand why people get so stuck on how they write. Just fucking write.
@@RebeccaLoran yeah, so just write with a pen. If you need anything more to write, you are defective.
It’s a kinesthetic experience. Keys clacking, bell ringing, carriage flying right to left, carriage return buzzing with every new line, paper moving up relentlessly. It’s the Union Pacific 4014 high-balling across the high plains from Denver to Cheyenne at 11:30 at night. And you are at the controls. Enjoy the ride!
Beautiful, thank you. I agree!
Awesome poem. Deserves to be up on my wall
For me, typewriters are actually super convenient because I can write basically anywhere without having to be worried about power. This actually saved me in a class where we weren't allowed to bring computers in, so I was able to just simply type up my notes between classes (much faster than writing them manually) and have my notes with me without having to pay the outrageous fees that the other students had to pay at the school's library.
Plus you can "print" out the pages and have several pages in front of you at the same time to compare much more easily than with a screen.
Beautiful thank you for reminding me of another benefit.
I resonated a lot with this. I feel the same benefits from shooting film cameras instead of digital.
lol no
Hermes 3000. What a beauty. The typewriter is like an oracle in Matrix. Old machine that was banned by mind-controlling devices. In polish, it's easier to answer the question "Why to use that machine for writing", because it's literally called "machine for writing". Typewriter is a machine to write. It lets you write.
Oh yes. Love the Matrix analogy. Exactly. Were humans reaching heights dangerously high with the sublime art of focus? Thanks for the thoughtful comment
There is an even more mystical element in the older machines, where you can see the inner mechanics working more. I love the Remington Noiseless and others from that era for this reason. Very transparent mechanics. The Hammond and Blickensderfer lay it all bare for all to see.
I wrote my first three novels using my laptop as my primary writing tool. Then, a friend told me how much she was enjoying writing poetry on a manual typewriter. The idea piqued my curiosity, so I went out and purchased a 1961 Olympia SM7. I started using it for typing out scene ideas, character notes, outlines, etc. Soon, I found myself loving the tactile feeling of putting words on paper, and then I found a 1965 Olympia SM9. At some point, I decided that I'd write the rough draft of my fourth novel using only the two typewriters. I'd use the SM7 when I was writing at home and the SM9 when writing at the office (I'd pack my manuscript back and forth in my briefcase). I loved writing the 1st draft so much, that I went on to write the entire second draft with those same two machines. I've since finished the novel, and I discovered that I not only enjoyed the "journey" more, but I was much happier with the end product. I plan to do it this way once again for my fifth. Thanks for this encouraging video!
Wow beautiful story thank you send me a link I'd like to check it out
I agree I like retyping the draft as well it gets you out of the screen space and into a more natural environment. Though some people just want to scan it to text right away I think you then fall into the computer trap again
@@classictypewriter Wow! Thank you for those kind words! As to the novel, I've finished it, but it's not published anywhere yet. Once it is, I'll connect back with you to let you know.
@@classictypewriter That's a good point about falling into the computer trap if you jump right into scanning the second draft. I think that's true for me as well. But I do have a couple of other reasons for retyping a complete second draft using a typewriter, one being that there are so many changes between the first and second draft, that for me, its actually easier to retype the whole thing, using handwritten notes I've scribbled between paragraphs, and on the edges of the margins as guides. The second reason for me typing out more than one draft is that it allows me to keep a chronological record of the early days of the novel's development. I date the header of each new chapter, and keep the typewritten/handwritten pages in a binder. Afterward, it's helpful to know how much time I spent on each phase of the process, i.e. Outlining, character "interview," dust jacket synopsis, etc. Finally, a friend of mine who happens to be a successful novelist, once said that by keeping all the iterations of my manuscript, in such a tangible form is a powerful proof of authorship. All said, I think I'm going to continue doing it this way with future projects.
@@deancummings586 Great thoughts thank you. Yes, we look forward to reading it! Everyone has to work out their own flow, these are just tips. And every process has pros and cons of course. I just notice the joy of typewriting, and once I get into screen drudgery, that joy 'changes'. So while I appreciate the tools of the computer, are the pros worth the cost?
I love my 1948 Royal Quiet De Luxe. Make sure to use cardstock under your printer paper to protect the platten and kinda even out the ink strikes when using a manual typewriter.
I want to thank you for this video. These last four years have seen me go away from writing for the first time in my life, and your passion for writing on the typewriter has inspired me to get back to it. I have three typewriters that I love, including the one I had in high school (Gen X here). Writing on a typewriter connects you to your writing in the most tactile and visceral way next to writing by hand there is. There really is nothing like it. I always liked a manual typewriter because it puts my writing at the tempo of a horse’s trot. Not too fast, not too slow. Flow flow flow. I really want to get back to it. Thank you again for this video. I really appreciate it.
Well said! I recently purchased a nice 1948 Smith… what a joy it is to write on a typewriter, and the real zest for writing being unlocked by the exercise
A year ago I invested in a second hand typewriter for the primer reason is to write. There is a nostalgic angle for me. The great writers are always with a typewriter. I find a laptop distracting. My aim is to complete all my first drafts on a type writers & then move onto a computer for additional drafts.
That's an excellent idea. Let me know when you get it all ironed out. I love to hear the process..
I’ll do that as well thanks!
I love what you had to say about the typewriter experience... I think it really does work in unleashing my creativity in ways I never experienced before. Also I love the idea of just having a stack of papers on my desk, always visible and not letting me procrastinate for long. When I finish a session of writing I always enter the next page into the machine. I find myself writing a whole lot more than what I would normally. When you have a file in a folder inside your computer there is just so much stuff coming between you and the next word written - you have to open the computer, you have to open the folder and the file. Do you have enough battery? Now you need to get a charger. Oh might as well make some coffee, smoke a cigarette and once you are back it's never the same ...
Thank you. Isn't it a beautiful thing? I wish more people could take part of it. Just keep sharing your experiences and i'm sure that will help
My refurbished 1970 Olympia SM9 is arriving today! As a writer I have experienced many of these difficulties with a computer. Using a typewriter will force me to think ahead about what I want to write since I can't just backspace and rewrite the whole sentence in an instant. If typewriters were good enough for amazing authors like Tolkien, they are good enough for me.
Exactly, beautiful thank you for sharing
There's something incredibly special about using a typewriter in this day and age. Call it a relic, but a typewriter, for me, is a portal to the days of the likes of James Baldwin, Ernest Hemingway, and Jack Kerouac when they let their keys and ink ribbons channel their imaginations to their pages.
Yes to typewriters. I began writing in 1964 with a Sears portable. I placed a few things, but when the Commodore 64 with Easy Script arrived. Then it was on to DOS and then an iPad. I'm not sure when I realized my creativity was slipping, but I rely totally on a Hermes 3000. I write for my own pleasure.
Dude Pynchon is a genius. I try to get people to read him all the time. I fucking love his work.
I agree. He's the peak of contemporary English literature, if you ask me.
I love a based argument for typewriters. Recently, I picked up an Underwood Noiseless 77 that needs restoration, but I just ordered my first functional typewriter. Now I just want to get to typing. Thank you for this video.
Great thoughts! Subscribed!
Thank you. Welcome!
I enjoy yours as well
I was recently blessed with a Royal Aristocrat from a friend of mine. She received the typewriter from a friend of hers who passed away a few years ago. He was a poet and along with the typewriter, he had given her 300 pages of his poems. I've written poetry for the past 37 years and I am so honored to have such a precious gift. There's just something about it.
Beautiful thank you for sharing, hope you get to use it somehow.
And then this video with a quote from Kahlil Gibran, my favorite poet?! Man I found the right channel. Haha
P.s. I entertained the idea of a typewriter two days ago and ended up getting a Royal Quiet De Luxe from 1951 yesterday. It all works. It might need some rusty parts replaced soon, but I'm really excited especially after seeing these videos. Hoping to be able to find a way to restore this one a bit more too.
Yeah man, nice to have you here. Though I think he used a pen. ;)
Well put, thank you, glad I use a Typewriter.
I use several, wish I had a Curvey Hermés.
But, lately last few months been favoring my 1964 Smith Corona Galaxie Deluxe.
A true friend and workhorse.
I find I write better on a typewriter, the connection to the work though through a machine is both more organic and personal and connected than on or with a computer.
When ready, I'll hand transfer it to the computer, this adds another level of editing and really understanding my story, the computer is last in my creativity, as I only use the computer as the Editing machine.
My first, and sometimes other drafts are always on a typewriter!❤
The typewriter writes at the speed of thought. Been using them all my life. The synergy is magical. Take the time to learn touch typing, it will eventually free your creative flow. And by avoiding computers, I don‘t have to proofread fifteen times to edit out the AI word changes. (Drives me nuts!)
Exactly than you. Touch typing is where the magic lies. Most people dream about typewriters hunt and peck. Huh? No.
"I sell and refurbish typewriters" he says halfway into the video. Talk about burying the lede. Sure, there can be advantage to some writers to use analog tools. I'm a professional writer, and I do most of my first drafts longhand. Usually with a fountain pen. And I'm GenX so I grew up with typewriters. Even begged for a vintage one as a kid. But I was also an early adopter to computers. Maybe pens, pencils, and typewriters taught me how to write. But wordprocessors taught me how to rewrite. Finally, when you wanted to reach 15,000 people, the typewriter was no longer enough for you. You turned to "evil Google" and its algorithms. Writers should use whatever tools work for them. Pen, pencil, typewriter, computer, or smoke signals. If you get those words out of your head in some form others can read it, it's a the perfect tool for you.
ive been looking for a good reason to get a typewriter for songwriting and this video was just what i needed to give myself permission ;)
so many good points I never even considered. I've been dead set on getting a typewriter since going to college; I found out im a visual learner with bad handwriting and ADHD, so I'm easily distracted every time I use a word processor. I absolutely HAVE to have something written down to remember it, but I also need to constantly have the thing its written on within my physical view/space just to remember it even exists. So for me, getting a typewriter would be a sort of disability aid, an upgrade from the masses of sticky and iPhone notes.
Beautiful. You're not the only one in that place. A lot of humans are getting lost in the digital overwhelm, and still need the little written tidbits.
Everyone is a visual learner.
@@joaorebochooaw6321 And still most teaching styles don't address that, and the majority seem to do alright. There's degrees of necessity. I'm the type to need subtitles for live lectures and notes for simple instructions; I retain very little oral information.
I love writing on my SC. Only thing is i'm one of those writers that always looks back as they write. So there are often times I'll get ahead, then realize i need to change something. I suppose i could always cut out the useful bits with scissors. Seen it done with screenplay drafts.
Resist! ;) Everyone has a tendency to look back as they write: forcing one to draft 'forward' is a powerful brain training. One could jot notes down about thoughts and keep drafting. Everyone has their own path to productivity.
Thank you for the advice, it is reassuring after I have used this typewriter instead of a computer; and I am about to embark on writing a novel with it (350 pages).
It is a little sticky on some keys, and it doesn't quite hit the ribbon hard enough: should I ask for a new one for Christmas? I am but 14 years old (turning 15 in march).
I have an "Olivetti Underwood Lettera 31".
bluecreeper.com/ this can loosen up the stuck keys. I don't know about asking for a new one, as there is something special in sticking with one for as long as possible. And a new ribbon an do wonders.
@@classictypewriter Thanks a lot!
I like using older technology especially dot matrix printers since I don't like using all in one printers. I want to start typing again, and relearn Grammer and punctuation in 2024. I definitely want a manual standard typewriter, no batteries just me powering it
Enjoyed your video, I repair/refurbish and sell typewriters also.
Beautiful, keep them alive!
im currently writing a novel, i write by hand, as it takes time to write the sentences,by as i write these sentences, a new sentence pops in my head ,thus i just keep flowing, i want to try the type writer as another level technique, just gotta find one, as a kid my mom had an antique type writer,i was allwed to play aroundwith it, i typed random stuff with it for hours
Good idea. It'll help the flow for sure. Those ideas from the unconscious are the most powerful and most YOU.
@@classictypewriter wow thats deep
I agree for the most part with what you said. I'm an independent author/publisher. I write my books and stories using a fountain pen, dip pen, or a pencil. Then I type the text into the computer because everything is digital nowadays and I have to format and upload my fiction digitally.
So if I were to use a typewriter, how do I get the text I typed on paper converted to digital format? As I see it, I'd have to type it again into the computer.
So even though there is a mystique with the typewriter, does it have an advantage over the pen or pencil? I'm interested in your thoughts on that.
Again, a very interesting post.
@@cwhawes Actually, if you have a smartphone, you can take a picture of the page and it will scan it up to digital. I love that you write your stories with a pen. The flow is different and there is the rhythmic element. It is much faster Once you get fast. So it might be worth exploring if those positively impact your writing. But if you already have a good thing going....
Hell yeah, brother. I'm refurbishing a Remington Rand that my partner got me to write my next book on. I've found that computers let me type faster than I think, and that I write fast but clunky, drop transitions, jump ahead and tell myself I can edit later. The best analogy I can come up with is going to a bar, getting drunk, picking someone up, having really awful sex, waking up, feeling shitty about it, and then doing that over and over again.
How's it going?
@@classictypewriter The Rand is taking a bit of time, but I have a portable Smith Corona Super Silent that I cleaned and is rolling! Replaced the ribbon, too.
@@semiotik nice! Yes, those usually need new rubber. And I sometimes notice that tinkering, for me, delays writing.
One of the biggest problems with word processors is processing words 😅 its nice to really write words and sentences before ever getting to the processing stage until later on. I only primarily write with typewriter and only last edit is retyped and finished
still need myself a lovely Hermes 3000 ❤
Exactly thank you for sharing. Good luck on the quest.
@@classictypewriter thanks mate, you too and have a nice Xmas time 🎄🎅🏼
I take pleasure in knowing my knowledge, and thoughts are private... not for Google, Foreigners, Apple, Clouds, but only for God!
Allah akbuh!
I have a Princess 300 and an Olympia. I am here to say that typewriters ARE MAGICAL 🪄 ❤
Nice choices! Thank you for lending your voice
I have 4 Olivetti Lettera (32’s) , 1 Olivetti Lettera 22, 2 Hermes Rockets), 1 Olympia (SM9), 1 Olympia portable (black pearl, different font), 5 Smith Corona's, 2 Remington Noiseless (one was manufactured on December 7, 1941).... more.
A workflow I’ve found effective is 1) Use computer simply for notes, machetes, or rapid ideation. Especially with a phone, you can record thoughts in the moment. 2) Typewrite your computer rough draft and see how much you slow down, and how much it changes. 3) Use a quality pencil you love to notate the page. 4) Repeat these steps several times. You may come up with multiple final drafts! 5) A few weeks later, pull them off the shelf and read what you wrote. If you impress yourself, it’s a Keeper. If not, it’s a Stinker. And that’s the 5-step “Stinker-Keeper” method!
Yep - exactly this. I myself cycle between Scrivener (great for assembly, corkboarding, organizing), Indesign (in final layout you see things you otherwise miss) , iA Writer (focus) ... and my 1970 Hermes 3000 with a LAMY Scribble 0.7 mechanical pencil for annotations. Sounds like a lot, I know, but that's just what I ended up with over the years.
This is interesting. I'm considering getting a typewriter, as with my computer there are many distractions, and with writing longhand I get tired quickly. What is your process for turning a typewritten draft into a finished novel? Do you scan them into a computer and edit them there, or retype it all with the typewriter?
You really have to find a flow that works for you. For me, typing once and then retyping a second time helps. Some people retype into a computer as draft 2. Or you can photograph each page and scan it to text. Etc. Sort of depends on what you want to do with it, and your venues for release. You could release as a serial, scanning the pages and uploading typewritten images to a blog. Just a few ideas... lots of options.
Thanks!
I use a typewriter to write my novels.
Also what are your thoughts about making a commonplace book and using a voice recorder to take notes using your own voice from what you are reading from? Plus for capturing your thought verbally.
This sounds interesting. Is this a process that you use? I do take notes from books I'm reading, but I'm going to try to record my own voice reading it and listen back to it, especially the more profound things I'm reading.
@@ronmorey3475 I do and you know it helps you to organize thoughts better by transcribing what is important that you have said in verbal form. While helping your creative process for writing with a way for you to practice speaking better.
@@michaelcutler6118 Great! I will give it a try. Thank you for responding. Cheers
I do that pretty frequently. I'm not really a snob I just find that my best writing comes from typewriters. I can still write well In other forms. And dictation can help a lot. I also dictate into my notes app frequently. Sometimes I record my voice and have a software translate it into text. The challenge with it... Is that I have a hundred hours of recordings that I need to someday process.
I write with pen and paper.
And yes, my spelling is terrible, now.
Lucky I have so many hard cover dictionaries at hand.
I’m sensitive to light and I use a computer at work and don’t like it but I use it for work but when I get home I’m looking forward to the typewriter to use instead
Good reasening. youre right.
Im waiting for my hermes 3000 and hermes Rocket to arrive in the mail hopefully they survive the journey undamaged.
Many thanks for this great video! By the way, could you please let us know which ink ribbon type you use for the Hammond 12? Thanks!
You can squeeze a universal ribbon onto there and it will work. Though the ideal size is a little bit narrower. Check out unlimitedribbons.com
@@classictypewriter Thanks for the information!
I have a computer for just other life stuff. But when I write I have the computer disconnected from the internet, spell check turned off and predictive text off. If I need to check a word I have a dictionary (yes an honest-to-god physical dictionary) on my desk.
Does the samething apply for writing on paper and notebooks? Personally i am on the fench of getting a typewriter. The one that is behind you caught my eye and i might buy it because of the size.
Great video. Full of truth
Very helpful, thank you!
I really like that mint machine right behind you. What is it. Also, a great perspective.
It's called a Hermes 3000
I'm a typewriter head but I think stating that you need a typewriter to become a great writer as if it were a fact is ridiculous. That's just your opinion. The problem with the computer is that it can help you (or rather, me, your mileage may vary) develop a few bad habits when writing. I use a typewriter because the computer inevitably leads me to writing too fast and carelessly, but that's not the fault of the computer. Like the typewriter, it's just a tool, so the fault is mine. I just don't have the discipline to take my time on a computer, partially because my job involves fast typing, and sitting in front of it just gets me into that mindset out of habit. If you feel most comfortable writing on a computer and judge your work to be good, then by all means go ahead. I'm not going to think less of you as a writer because of it.
Also, the part about voice dictation, that's just you using the wrong tool for the job. Voice dictation inevitably operates over a dictionary or database of words. If you're going to make up words, then you probably shouldn't be using that. Is that the fault of the voice dictation software? No. You just chose the wrong tool for the job. Likewise if I have to write and send an email with image attachments intertwined with the text, the typewriter is probably not the tool I'm looking for.
I don't intend for this to sound harsh, because it's not meant to. I guess I feel I have to say something when I hear someone voicing their opinions as iron clad facts
EDIT: Also beautiful Hermes. I'm more of a Smith Corona guy
You are merely replacing one opinion with another. Welcome to the world of diverse opinions meeting each other happy to meet in the middle ground and the typewriter land. For me it's a deduction based on personal experience of all of the best quality writing I'm aware of being produced on a typewriter. It also links to current studies.... Of the mind functioning at a lower level if a computer is even in the same room. So it's merely the solution to a problem. I don't think dictation is the wrong tool. I think it's just not refined enough to be useful for delving into the unconscious mind. Which is the power and beauty of the typewriter because the rhythm unlocks the unconscious impulse.
@@classictypewriter I use both dictation and the typewriter for writing. Sometimes dictation is the wrong tool for the job. When I need to explore an idea with more focus and slowly, then the typewriter is the tool needed. Dictation helps get words out quicker, but it doesn't always help with flow not with helping me realize when I've gone into a circle instead of the solution I need. Dictation is useful on days when my carpal tunnel syndrome is acting up because I don't have the strength to handwrite not type or if I need to talk out a solution and am unable to find someone willing to listen to me talk out a problem. Neither tool replaces the other. I use a Hermes Rocket, a Smith-Corona Corsair, and a Smith-Corona Portable 5 typewriter. Still mastering getting even margins on the Corsair as I type from time to time. :)
Question here, (because I am drifting away from the mind controlling technologies) When you write your novel manuscript, it will need edited, what will be the most proficient way to your manuscript to reduce re-typing your manuscript? I don’t know so can you please lead me in the right direction? By the way, I have an Olympia De Luxe 70’s model 70’s model, I used to love it but haven’t used it in years due to life. Now, I’m more subtle these days reading more and trying to write 😂. I love your video, thank you so much for sharing. I will look at my of your videos thank you so much!
I wish there was a simple answer for this. People have to find their individual flow. It depends on how much you want to avoid the computer. For instance, some people write longhand and then type in the middle draft on typewriter, editing as they go. Some just quickly draft on the typewriter, and then re-type a more finalized draft, and probably type again a third time. Thomas Mann wrote out 1 page of finished prose per day, edited and finalized. You can also type the draft on a typewriter, and then scan the pages in a program that converts them to digital, and edit there. You could also just scan the typewritten pages and publish that as your manuscript, if self publishing; facsimile. The possibilities quite endless. Though you'll need to see what works best. I go with outlining with a pen, translating chapters to note cards, drafting on the typewriter, pen correcting first draft, re-typing second draft. Would take a third to finalize. Not there yet on my longest typewritten novel.
@@classictypewriter Thank you so much for the advice and I’m loving the way you do yours which sounds the best for me as well. I’m not scared of the work load, I feel as though it will make me be more involved with my entire process. Second goal, self-publishing. I have a long way to go but you placed me on a road to success. Thank you very very much!
@@veeisher Beautiful thank you. As for self publishing, I recommend print on demand these days. 0 bar to entry. Can test marketplace via blogs (photos of typewritten pages even), or pre-order options. Etc. Lulu or the Amazon version, though I try to support the littler companies.
For some odd reason, people come onto this forum and say 'I like computers better'. In either case, go write instead of pondering workflows and scrolling youtube. Recommended.
"It's important if you want to be a great writer."
Shakespeare didn't have a typewriter.
But typewriters are still awesome.
Yes a pen works
I want the softest keyboard possible because my hands are weak and hurt after typing very little amount. So for me these mechanical typewriters would not he the best option, though they're better for the eyes because you're not straining them by staring at a screen.
@@taka-taktak Perhaps an electric typewriter
I prefare tipewriter🌞
I could just lock myself in vim, and unplug the ethernet cord (my desktop does not have a wifi card). You don't inherently give up anything for convenience, but that requires actually understanding how your devices work/having respect for them (and yourself), rather than how companies like Google and Apple tell you it's 'supposed to' work (by their rules? and why should you? You bought it with the understanding that you *own* it!).
Like how automobile or tech companies say the 'proper way' to use what they sell you (that you're supposed to be the *owner* of) is not for you to be allowed to repair/tinker with:
- There's no reason for that (in fact in the past, this wasn't the case at all),
- and there'd also be no reason to say cars/computers inherently encroach on your freedom
- (they don't, these companies add in boobytraps after the fact. Buy from a company like framework laptops that lets you tinker their devices, i.e. *properly* owning them, in the sense that *most* people define 'ownership').
Last point: it's fine if you also just happen to like the aesthetic of a typewriter, but just be honest about that.
It sounds like you're already a productive writer, which us fine, link to your books. If not, you might consider something else. I have friends try to defend the ipad as the ultimate writing tool. Books completed, generally zero. It's true that you can hack a computer to make it better for writing. You can also write on a typewriter and scan pages convert to text. Or a digital astrohaus freewrite. Etc. Also, the book 'Deep Work' will offer counter arguments to most of your arguments.
I agree, but I use a fountain pen instead.
I’m more of a typewriter person than a computer person myself I never really liked using a computer I have a vintage typewriter in the 1930-40s
If you send me a good typewriter, I’ll use one. Otherwise, I already own a laptop and I have the self-control to turn everything off and only use a basic spellcheck during my editing process.
Sounds like you're doing fine. Send a link to your books, sounds like you're productive.
Nice video, tnks
cool
LOL u convinced me
I write my poems on a typewriter. Its too easy to over edit on a computer and because of backdpace, those fragments are lost for ever...thats why i use my typewriter
Nice. That's why I just wrote this...
open.substack.com/pub/classictypewriter/p/you-are-the-most-powerful-being-in?
Give me that Hermes!
Bukowski went from a typewriter to using a computer. He never looked back.
Was never the smartest cookie in the jar, was he?
@@classictypewriter actually Bukowski was highly intelligent.
@@bngr_bngr there are a million places to praise computers. Wrong channel.
Who came here from resident evil videos?
How many great novels have been lost? because the computer crashed...
But you can turn all of the checkers off on the computer and disconnect all the wifi? Are we talking about a method of automating self control?
It's a different experience on so many levels. Not only that, few humans can resist temptation that is only a button click away. Most people just end up getting more distraction done than work. If that's not you, that's of course fine, and we'd already know your name by all of the books you've published.
@@classictypewriter Touched a nerve? My point is that one might suffer from the false impression that they have more freedom when using a typewriter, but really they are offloading their problems to yet another machine. It's like believing that you are hygienic by having a butler wipe your ass.
@@etagged It's nothing like that. Focus on writing.
Or write by hand with a pen.
That is an option. It is twenty times slower. But that is what d h lawrence did
@@classictypewriter At first I used a pen with my reMarkable but then switched to using the reMarkable keyboard. With a pen I was instantly in flow state and highly creative. WIth the keyboard, it took longer to get into flow state but I ended up writing more. Both are good and I'll probably switch between them depending on what is required. I can take my remarkable to a cafe and not disturb people with my typing, so that's handy. I don't take my phone so I have no internet distractions.
@@crippsverse Cool I use the remarkable sometimes as well
Can we still purchase typewriter ribbons nowadays? Man, the thought of changing those ribbons again leaves me with a bad taste. I've lived long enough to have written with the manual machine (Underwood or whathaveyou), then the electric, and so forth. Frankly I believe that if someone is meant/called to write fiction then they can do it any way they like, on a laptop or PC ... or even longhand to be sent out for typing-- whatever they prefer. It does not need to be one particular venue or tool. If a person is a writer then they will create fiction, and not be distracted by other stuff on the PC or tablet. To say "You've got to write your book this way" seems weird to me.
The opposite of grammarly
Silly man. Dont you realize that by using a typewriter or a pc, you will forget how to write?
This is ridiculous. Just because this guy has trouble focusing doesn't mean anyone else would ever need to follow his thoughts. I wrote for years on a typewriter, and sure it is great for short poetry, but bringing the breadth of a work together and the ability to look at it all at once and work on it in more ways then back and forth on a piece of paper is something magical that a typewriter could never do. If you have trouble focusing or sticking to your writing plan, this could be a good idea though.
I love to live in a world where people have different opinions. I don't consider your opinion ridiculous. Thank you for sharing
I don't know if you've ever read gravity's rainbow. But it seems to be better more coherent and deeper than than computer productions
A writer writes regardless of the tools available. Been wring professionally for almost 50 years. Started out with pen and paper, then typewriters and then computers. Just a normal progression to take advantage of new technology as it appears.
Somewhat. 'Normal' now though is to eat fast food and spend hours on tik tok. We need to eschew normal for high-performance. Compare your typewriter to computer writing and see if there's a difference.
@@classictypewriter
Yeah
Truly an important topic
Computer is full of distractions