Normally when I need to write something, I chose to type it out on a computer. This wasn’t always the case. In my university days, notes and such were always taken by hand. I would write page after page and not think anything of it. When I wrote this task manually, it was different than in the past. My hand was sore and was no longer trained to write for so long. This made the task somewhat difficult. It was also difficult in that I couldn’t edit my thoughts as easy as I am used to when typing on a computer. In some ways, however, this task was easy. I found the ability to sit on a couch with a notebook and pen relaxing, and because editing is not easy on paper, I found I just let my ideas flow and didn’t think about editing or changing things as I went.
When I made a mistake, or wanted to change something, I tried to correct it as neatly as I could, or I changed my thoughts and ideas to work with what I had written. I don’t like a messy page, so I left things that I would have changed had I been typing on a computer. I chose to write in a purple Flair pen on lined paper, so my choice of media definitely played a part in my lack of editing. While colored Flair pens are smooth to write with and the colors make me happy, they don’t erase. Because I didn’t have white-out, and I don’t like messy pages, my mistakes were left as they are. I also have big, bubbly printing and use up the whole line, so there is very little room to correct anything on the page.
I think the most significant difference between writing by hand and using mechanized forms of writing is the labour involved and the limitations. Writing by hand involves more manual labour. Writing and typing both involve labour, but the editing with mechanized forms of writing is done easily, while editing when writing by hand isn’t as easy as just pushing a backspace key. It involves using a eraser, using whiteout, starting over, or crossing things out and messing up the aesthetics of the page. This is similar to the laborious process the Egyptian scribes experienced when they had to wait for the ink to dry and had no easy way to edit anything (Lamb & McCormick, 2020). Limitations are another significant difference between writing by hand and using mechanized forms of writing. I already spoke to the limitations in terms of editing, but there are also limitations in terms of the spread of information. Writing by hand affects the information and what information can easily be spread (Lamb & McCormick, 2020). Mechanized forms of writing allow ideas to be copies faster, and with the internet, be spread in an instant. I prefer mechanized forms of writing, and specifically typing on a computer. Technology has really impacted writing as things can be edited and changed in an instant and there is no need to plan ahead or start over (Cooke, 2012). Being able to change and edit as I work is such an advantage and makes writing easy and efficient.
References
Cooke, D. [Danny Cooke Freelance Filmmaker]. (2012, January 26). Upside down, left to right: a letterpress film [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6RqWe1bFpM&t=347s
Lamb, R. and McCormick, J. (Executive Producers). (2020, May 6). From the vault: invention of the book part 1 and 2 [Audio podcast]. iheartradio.com.