this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2024
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It is a bit cliche, but I just bought myself a typewriter. I am ridiculously excited to get it.
This is exactly what I'm going to write first up.
All work and no play make Homer something something...
I learned on one of those things, only it was a manual. Its amazing how strong your littlest finger gets after a bit. On the plus side, smashing the carriage return lever is such fun.
Love the carriage smash. And I managed to convince an elderly colleague to stop abusing the tab key by explaining how the slide things on the ruler are exactly the same on a computer!
The OG of mechanical keyboards π
I've always been interested in whether they make a difference. It has to feel like a middle ground between writing by hand and using the computer
I don't think it would be fast enough for writing a story (for me). But I hope to use it for smaller things. Give it a personal touch. Like thank you letters to schools.
And award winning speeches...lol
It would be a cool flex to respond to something with a letter written on a typewriter.
A typewriter might be good for all the extra writing you need to do around a story, like using it as a brain dump for history, character profiles, and settings. I feel like a typewriter being distraction free and forcing you to commit to what you're writing would help you just get things down instead of faffing about with editing
I definitely can't jump on social media on a typewriter too.
Best of the best was the Selectric II - the best production typewriter ever. I got typing speeds in excess of 145 words per minute on one of those things with good accuracy. Mind you, copy typing legal briefs was an excellent way to train up my fingers. The actual keys were lovely - had a dip in the middle that really helped you not miss-hit it. No such thing as autocorrect, so fixing a mistake took a lot longer than getting it right the first time. Modern computer keyboards are nothing like as user friendly, so all the magic auto correct aids are needed to produce readable text. Actual speed I reckon is about the same as a modern computer keyboard. It's finger dependent and brain dependent not mechanics dependent.
I canβt stand those near totally flat keyboards. I need keys that move for my typing brain to work right.
Fully agree with this.
I have never really used typewriters but the dip in the middle of the keys (also found on old keyboards and certain landline phones) is SO satisfying. I would sometimes just let all ten fingers sit in the dips for a while