I love that people are becoming fascinated with the typewriter again. It's like going back to vinyl records. There's just something about them that appeals when technology runs rampant and we know we'll never catch up.
Good piece. This bit here is why no matter how nostalgic we might be, typewriters won’t make a comeback beyond the world of hobbies or idiosyncratic application:
“I type lightning-fast on my laptop. I can correct my mistakes almost without thinking about it. It’s as if my brain says, ‘No, that’s not right’, even before I see it, and tells my fingers to backspace or delete without even slowing me down.”
The facility unlocked by digital tools is simply too great to ever return (or RETVRN as the traditionalists on Twitter like to say). Of course, that doesn’t take away from the fun of pounding away on a typewriter from time to time.
I think that's the appeal of typewriters now. They're fun. We don't need them for our work anymore and now they're relegated to hobby status--something we can do more slowly and with some nostalgia, much like hand-quilting or woodworking with hand tools. It just feels good and that's reason enough.
I, too, love typewriters! The power of the written word, especially when it's heard as it's being composed through typing, mesmerizes me.
I spend a great deal of time each week writing. The words and stories seldom have my name attached since they are usually written on behalf of a client, but I love the ability to create and tell a story nonetheless. Typewriters will always be a symbol to me of the power of storytelling.
I love the Tom Hanks quote you shared in this piece that says, "The click-clack of typing is the cadence of creativity."
I managed to get through university with only a couple of assignments created by word processor, the rest of them were done in printing/cursive writing or on the electric typewriter that I received before starting university. I'm not very nostalgic for the typewriter because of the time spent correcting text after it was on paper but it certainly evoked unique feelings. But man on man I am so glad that I learned touch typing (like I'm using right now!)
I did use my dad's old manual typewriter when I was in my teens. It was kind of frustrating to use but very tactile!
I graduated university in 1991 and I didn't get a personal computer until starting my first job later that year. And that... is the rest of the story.
I’m several years behind you. I graduated in 1998. I somehow convinced my mom to type my papers—written in longhand on a yellow legal pad—during my first college semester. That lasted one semester. “Never again,” she said, and I took a typing class my second semester. (Naturally, we used computers.) It’s probably the most valuable thing I learned in school.
"The typewriter’s mechanical nature also forms the tiny idiosyncrasies that define each individual device and the letters, sentences, and paragraphs they produce."
May I share a link to an image of a typewriter in need of repair?
Great story. In one of those videos linked above he talks about someone from his staff checking out typewriter shops in advance of his travel so he can drop in on places and see what they’ve got on hand.
I love that people are becoming fascinated with the typewriter again. It's like going back to vinyl records. There's just something about them that appeals when technology runs rampant and we know we'll never catch up.
I use a computer now but I did have a love affair with a typewriter once. I wrote about it here: https://writereverlasting.substack.com/p/writing-on-real-paper-with-white
Good piece. This bit here is why no matter how nostalgic we might be, typewriters won’t make a comeback beyond the world of hobbies or idiosyncratic application:
“I type lightning-fast on my laptop. I can correct my mistakes almost without thinking about it. It’s as if my brain says, ‘No, that’s not right’, even before I see it, and tells my fingers to backspace or delete without even slowing me down.”
The facility unlocked by digital tools is simply too great to ever return (or RETVRN as the traditionalists on Twitter like to say). Of course, that doesn’t take away from the fun of pounding away on a typewriter from time to time.
I think that's the appeal of typewriters now. They're fun. We don't need them for our work anymore and now they're relegated to hobby status--something we can do more slowly and with some nostalgia, much like hand-quilting or woodworking with hand tools. It just feels good and that's reason enough.
Yes, exactly!
I, too, love typewriters! The power of the written word, especially when it's heard as it's being composed through typing, mesmerizes me.
I spend a great deal of time each week writing. The words and stories seldom have my name attached since they are usually written on behalf of a client, but I love the ability to create and tell a story nonetheless. Typewriters will always be a symbol to me of the power of storytelling.
I love the Tom Hanks quote you shared in this piece that says, "The click-clack of typing is the cadence of creativity."
Now you’ve done it. I must have one. It should pair well with my 1980s era Canon AE-1 film camera.
LOL! You’re welcome!
I managed to get through university with only a couple of assignments created by word processor, the rest of them were done in printing/cursive writing or on the electric typewriter that I received before starting university. I'm not very nostalgic for the typewriter because of the time spent correcting text after it was on paper but it certainly evoked unique feelings. But man on man I am so glad that I learned touch typing (like I'm using right now!)
I did use my dad's old manual typewriter when I was in my teens. It was kind of frustrating to use but very tactile!
I graduated university in 1991 and I didn't get a personal computer until starting my first job later that year. And that... is the rest of the story.
I’m several years behind you. I graduated in 1998. I somehow convinced my mom to type my papers—written in longhand on a yellow legal pad—during my first college semester. That lasted one semester. “Never again,” she said, and I took a typing class my second semester. (Naturally, we used computers.) It’s probably the most valuable thing I learned in school.
That's how I feel about my high school experience, that's where I learned how to type.
I would like to sell mine.
"The typewriter’s mechanical nature also forms the tiny idiosyncrasies that define each individual device and the letters, sentences, and paragraphs they produce."
May I share a link to an image of a typewriter in need of repair?
Sure.
Thank you.
https://coldhighmountainwind.com/2021/10/31/to-literary-friends-and-acquaintance/
That’s fun.
This is a picture I took.
Such a charming story, bringing up so many tactile memories of typewriters I have loved and used throughout my life.
Good stuff. Tom visited Middle Tennessee in 2021 on a typewriter-inspired errand. https://www.newschannel5.com/news/the-story-behind-tom-hanks-visit-to-a-goodlettsville-typewriter-shop
Great story. In one of those videos linked above he talks about someone from his staff checking out typewriter shops in advance of his travel so he can drop in on places and see what they’ve got on hand.