I love writing, maybe even to the extent that it will be only in death that I part with it. Yet, the image of that end is quite an unromantic one. Perhaps long ago, it could be quite a tragic, though dreamy demise for a poignant writer to die with pen in hand, a smeared ink spot marking his last word—his last letter ever made. Now, what feelings does the image of an overworked, underpaid writer collapsed on the keyboard of a laptop with an open document evoke? Probably, not much relative to the kindred poet, though maybe if coincidental enough, it could be laughs. Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
Undeniably, typing words on a keyboard is less laborious than meticulously etching each letter by hand. With typing, writing is quicker, more easily mass-produced, and shared. Hamilton would not have seemed so dramatic had he had keys to click to forge the Declaration of Independence. And, perhaps his fate might not have made for such a popular musical, given his most substantial issue would have been finding an outlet to charge.
But while typing makes writing easier, flourishes and small quirks present in handwritten work are easily lost. Errors are easily cut out with no sign that they were there. Even the hands of the writer are clean, not a smudge of graphite or ink to carry after, leaving little lingering proof of the efforts it took. As a result, more focus is placed on the product, which is quickly and mechanically refined. Font is changed with a few clicks, along with the spacing between lines. It’s convenient, though it certainly removes some of the charm.
Consider a handwritten note. You see the person’s personality hidden in their lines—swirled or sharp, dotted or hearted i’s. Maybe there is a small doodle to go along with it, too. Now, reimagine that note if it were typed with Times New Roman 12pt font on a sticky note. Not so heartfelt anymore, is it? Still, not all writings have to be imbued with the writer’s self. Business proposals and laws are not intended to be warm, and perhaps the dense, unfeeling text is a better representation of that. Yet, it continues to show how the typing that has replaced handwriting loses the intimacy of the artistically driven writer, regardless of whether it is wanted or not.
With progression comes a cost, and some things are left behind, for better or worse. Equipped with a keyboard, the writer is more removed, less telling of small details that would be inevitably revealed otherwise. Then again, maybe there is a benefit to selective ideas only conveyed in dictionary words. With pre-shaped letters, the writer can much more easily transcend archetypes. The writer is unrestrained by the nuance that their handwriting may bring to their intended story. Swirly or messy handwriting does not lead the ideas of the intellectual to be discarded because of being too casual or illegible. There are no decided details out of full control of the writer to reason into, which allows the content to shine.
Still, it is not as if the keyboard has made handwritten writing obsolete. It provides another option, and in the end, I would hate to have to write everything by hand. Though maybe not as picturesque through a vintage, rose-tinted lens, I take my keyboard over a pen.