Those smaller electrics. Smith Corolla. those were my favorite. loud as hell. humming. vibrating. CLACKING. Lol. but i do love the laptop. "You write with your whole body" is def true for me.
Love this essay. And I miss typewriters! This is reminding me of my first Junior Petite typewriter, which my secretary aunt gave me for my eighth birthday in 1969, along with her typing manuals, so that I could teach myself to touch type. Most useful present ever. I’ve always been grateful to her that I can type as fast as I think.
“The Muse will not sing if we do not solicit her aid, and if we are not diligent in her service.” Love this and all of this.
In my professional life I do a fair amount of legal related writing and that really is the thing I’ve learned is just write it, get it all out, then go back and fix it.
As a matter of prudence and clarity, I agree with the judge. That said, writer’s block is more often a result of having nothing to say. It is important to remember, good writing reflects good thinking. One needs time to ruminate and let the sub-conscious mind do its thing.
One also needs to cultivate good habits conducive to connecting with our sub-consciousness. Allow the Muse. Sleep, exercise, prayer, good books, balanced diet, fasting, time in the wilderness. Post-modern life is one of constant distraction and interruption. One could even imagine all this noise as demonic.
I’ve always wanted a red IBM Selectric. Still do. Loving the iconic typewriters! Nice touch. And the rest of it too… Getting touchy about what goes down on paper is like worrying about the first stroke of paint on a canvas.
Those smaller electrics. Smith Corolla. those were my favorite. loud as hell. humming. vibrating. CLACKING. Lol. but i do love the laptop. "You write with your whole body" is def true for me.
Love my mini electrics, and manual Olivetti—sleek and satisfying, bold statements of design. Honestly there is so much to type
i have tried
Just typing it
Yesterday and
The day before
But now I have
The real answer
Build a library cart
Fill it full of the books
You hope to consult
and place it
Beside you
And
Just type it
Having research materials at hand is good -- so long as, at some point, you stop reading and taking notes, and you just type it.
Just reading and taking
Notes
Sir!
I protest
Will just
Type it
I was trying to think of something clever to say but I couldn't so I will just type:
You are 100% right.
Thanks for this
Love this essay. And I miss typewriters! This is reminding me of my first Junior Petite typewriter, which my secretary aunt gave me for my eighth birthday in 1969, along with her typing manuals, so that I could teach myself to touch type. Most useful present ever. I’ve always been grateful to her that I can type as fast as I think.
There is a Russian adage: "An appetite comes during a meal" Just start eating ... Just do it! ... Just type it!!
“The Muse will not sing if we do not solicit her aid, and if we are not diligent in her service.” Love this and all of this.
In my professional life I do a fair amount of legal related writing and that really is the thing I’ve learned is just write it, get it all out, then go back and fix it.
As someone who clerked on a federal court, really appreciated the opening story!
You can picture the scene, I'm sure.
As a matter of prudence and clarity, I agree with the judge. That said, writer’s block is more often a result of having nothing to say. It is important to remember, good writing reflects good thinking. One needs time to ruminate and let the sub-conscious mind do its thing.
One also needs to cultivate good habits conducive to connecting with our sub-consciousness. Allow the Muse. Sleep, exercise, prayer, good books, balanced diet, fasting, time in the wilderness. Post-modern life is one of constant distraction and interruption. One could even imagine all this noise as demonic.
Good old IBM selerict. Loved it and hated it. Used the shit out of one.
This:
"If you have thought about it for a few minutes, and you are still not sure what you are going to write, then just start typing."
And this:
50 lengths of freestyle in the outdoor pool.
This is a great piece. Talk about typing makes me think of my Mum, and I'm now going to write something about my Mum's typewriter-based life lessons.
That's not why it's a great piece, though - that would be because it's true.
Thanks
I’ve always wanted a red IBM Selectric. Still do. Loving the iconic typewriters! Nice touch. And the rest of it too… Getting touchy about what goes down on paper is like worrying about the first stroke of paint on a canvas.
Just Don’t.
Sounds like you got it from Steven Pressfield. He’s great, very inspiring.