Manual Script- Reflection on a Lunch Time Conversation
Reflection
Context plays a huge part in whether I write by hand or type. I would say that typing is more normal for me to use, although writing has its place. If I am journaling to get down thoughts I typically type it on my phone, however, if I am trying to organize thoughts for a project or assignment I typically write with a pen on a piece of white paper as I can create more of a mind map of thoughts. For longer written projects, like this one, I prefer to type as it’s faster and editing is much easier. Difficulties I found in this writing task include having the arm strength to complete the assignment. My printing progressively got worse throughout the 500 word assignment due to fatigue from not having practiced longer writing pieces in some time.
When making a mistake with my pen I did not skip a beat, I just crossed out the word and continued writing. The aesthetics of written work is not very important to me and I don’t get bothered by slightly messy writing or crossed out words. Crossing out a word is the easiest way to “delete” a word. Perhaps if it did bother me using a pencil or erasable pen would have been a better option. Previous to reflecting on this assignment I did not think about how the chosen mechanism of writing impacts how I edit my paper. Changing sentence structure to make my writing more clear is far more difficult than when typing. These types of editis would require longer sentences being crossed out and rewritten and this clutter would bother me. I would feel as though if I had done a formal edit I may have had to rewrite the entire written piece to ensure it was legible and clear enough to understand.
The most significant difference between writing by hand and mechanized forms of writing is the speed at which thoughts can be written down. I find when I am typing, it is much quicker and I can get all my thoughts out at speed. This isn’t always great as sometimes it leads to jumbled thoughts and incomprehensible sentences if the thoughts in my head aren’t worded in a clear manner. In comparison when I have to write words down it takes much longer but I believe I am able to put together more coherent thoughts. Therefore less editing may need to take place from my hand written work. Computers have changed the pace at which writing has occurred. Paul Collier, who discusses the history of the letter press (Cooke, 2012), states “[the letter press] requires a greater degree of consideration”. When you make your decisions about how something will look in a letter press you must take your time. This can be compared to my handwritten work, as when I am handwriting something I take more time to think it through. Technology is truly changing the pace at which writing is produced and how thoughtfully it is put together. I believe arguments can be made either way as to which technology, manual vs mechanized, is better.
References
Cooke, Danny. (2012, January 26). Upside Down, Left to Right: A Letterpress Film [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6RqWe1bFpM&t=2s