Writer's Blot



Zola had a pretty snappy desk.
No wires to hide either.

Do you ever miss writing with a pen or pencil? I know the computer is faster (if you can type that is), but the physical feeling of a pen dragging ink across a clean sheet of paper gives me the feeling I'm actually thinking. As I type this and see the words fly up in front of me, there’s no visual interest in the letters. They're clinical and correct. No swirly tails, no ink blots. If I want, I can have as many copies of this post as I like with the push of a button. Not exactly an illuminated manuscript. Not a joy to look at.

I’m convinced that our brains react differently to a keyboard. The sentence is typed, and we move on. Ctrl X will remove my last thought. Ctrl Y will repeat it. Practical, not artistic. No crossing out of mistakes (although I notice a lot of people are doing this for fun – I wonder if they realize how much they miss their pens).

What I really like is a document with character. Words that are visually interesting because of the handwriting, doodles in the margins, and the odd splash of wine on the paper so we know this is a serious writer (!)  The paper tells its own story.

Victor Hugo apparently didn't
drink while writing.

Years from now no one will find our journals and discover pressed flowers, love letters or…..(oh no…..don’t tell me love letters are being typed! Or worse…..sent by email)!  Now I feel like a dinosaur. No……correction……a romantic. It's just plain wrong to write certain correspondence with a computer.

I'm getting out my pen. Maybe a glass of wine too. Yes. A good way to start the year.