Lost In Translation? How Technology Changes Writing
A favorite pen and Moleskin journal. A number two pencil and spiral-bound notebook. A typewriter on the kitchen table; a laptop resting on your legs. Writers can use any instrument to extract the words from their mind, but do the thoughts you want to convey ever change with the tools and outlet with which you write?
I used to write my stories by hand in either colorful school notebooks or fancy journals with sometimes radical cover designs. I loved these hardcover journals when I was younger, often taking my time at the store to pick out the perfect one that would match my story. This would be my “book” — cover art and all. I’ll admit, I judged the book by the cover, and my cover needed to feel like it fit perfectly in order to convey the story within.
As I grew older, I naturally transitioned to the computer, writing and rewriting with the ease of a few buttons and blinking cursor; my writing became more polished and structured, taking on a new voice and a different tone from my days of writing in a journal. I could process my thoughts faster, without fearing that an idea would suddenly be lost. Indeed, technology seems make one more productive due to its usability and ease, but then how does it change one as a writer?
I brought this issue up with some Twitter acquaintances, wondering if technology changes what and how we write. One said that technology stifles creativity, leaving them less inclined to experiment, while the general consensus was that writing on paper leads to more reflection and greater sentimentality.
Is this the case? Does your voice, your expression of thought, change between paper and a screen? Are you more productive? Less creative?
How has technology changed your writing?
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I’ve noticed a big difference depending on what tools I use. If I’m writing in a notebook, I try to fill a page or two… but if I’m typing, I don’t see any limits – so I just keep going until I’m done.
I also use dictation software, which changes writing into talking. It’s so different, and it gets me to write completely differently than I would with a keyboard.
I love typing, but I find dictation to be faster and more relaxing too.
Nathalie: Thanks for the comment! The limits in writing length between a notebook and a computer is something I hadn’t even considered, but can well relate to. It seems that when you’re typing vs. writing, you realize that you have much more to say and it’s easier to express this with a blank screen and a few more keystrokes. Thanks for bringing this point up!
I’m curious about your dictation software — you say that it gets you to write differently than if you would be typing…Aside from being faster, how so? Does it change what you write or perhaps the tone of your writing?
Well, I can understand what you’re talking about. But after I started writing exclusively on computer, I had to struggle writing on paper. But when you don’t have any choice, i.e. when you force yourself to write irrespective of the medium, you realize that how little it impacts the actual writing process. I like the comfort of computer — using my Wordweb and Wikipedia to cross-check anything… I have always wished for a calculator-like dictionary (if I’m writing on paper)! And it’s tiring– the hand-writing becomes hard-writing. I think I stopped writing on paper some four years ago. And I’ve not really produced any novels or masterpieces since then (not that I did produce before that)! I don’t know why but I still take prints of my write ups to ‘feel’ the writing… On computer, it’s easy, it’s fast. On paper, it’s slow, refined and often brilliant if you go through that thinking process. Yeah! You got it right: ‘Writing on paper leads to more reflection and greater sentimentality.’ But only if you got no laptops!
Salik: I understand what you mean by finding it a struggle to write on paper…This post really began when I started taking notes by hand, then found that it was just easier and faster to type it all out. A part of me mourns that loss of writing long-hand in a journal, so it’s become a challenge for myself to at least carry one around with me to take notes, never knowing when inspiration will strike.
I absolutely love how you say you “still take prints of my write ups to ‘feel’ the writing” because I wonder if this is exactly the benefit of writing by hand…Makes you really concentrate, reflect, and “feel.” So beautifully said! Still, though, technology makes it easier and more comfortable. Here’s hoping we can both find some balance that works.
Thanks!