I'm thinking of getting a typewriter.

Post Reply New Topic

At least I won't be distracted mid-writing by TVTropes, TGWTG, YouTube, iTunes, Absolute Write, Wikipedia, Amazon, Goodreads, this website and so on using Word.

I'm not sure I could write with a typewriter. I've tried to write londhand and the inability to instantly edit myself was too frustrating.

Do they still manufacture them or do you have to buy a used one on ebay?

i had a red white and yellow one when i was little and thought i was the beesknees

i love the bit where you hit the rolly bit at the top back along best.

It would be better to just unplug and put away your modem that connects you to the net. Typewriters are a pain.

I used to have one. They're just annoying. I just have one computer for internet and one for WORK now (sans internet). That system works very well for me now.

I like to write with a fountain pen.

1: No distractions.
2: You can write anywhere.
3: The nib glides over the paper, no writer's cramp, no sore fingers from pounding keys (as in typewriters)
4: Just cross out what you want to edit, write in above it.
5: You can even write in a power outage, if it's daylight or you have an LED lantern or candle. And you don't need to worry about how much charge you have (except for the LEDs)
6: It actually forces me to think a bit more about what I'm writing.
7: The "type-in" process lets me edit and think over what I've written; in practice, I often get a full second draft out of that.

I could go on, but you get the idea.
FPs cost more than other pens - but the bottled ink is cheaper over time than refills. The right vintage pen writes like a dream, and even TWSBIs are usually good, and you can get either for less than a typewriter. Or if you want to spend a bit more, get a Pelikan - but buy it from John Mottishaw or Richard Binder, so the nib will be set up when you get it, and you won't need to worry about having to send the nib off on an expensive pen.

The different colours of ink can be an inspiration, too. Or the right nib. I've got a NOS (new old stock) Parker 21 Super with a custom ground nib by Pendleton Brown, fine cursive italic. That thing just begs you to put words down on paper. Or a Sheaffer Imperial II, also NOS, that writes as well as a $1,000 pen. And I like some of the colours, the way they come out on the page, the way they show up on the paper.

Just in case you hadn't guessed, FPs are one of my special interests. And a real sensory treat, the feel of a good nib on nice paper, the look of the ink, the shape of the letters...

ETA: Getting used to the process will probably take you a little time, but I do find that it is easier to write more, and to write well more consistently, this way. There is something about the hand / eye involvement that affects your mental state, and even improves your memory of what you've written.

The 'rolly' bit?

Doubt if the OP would last long with a proper typewriter. A neighbour of mine had one. You could hear the clatter it made from three streets away. It drove his wife nuts. One day, she gave it to Oxfam without his permission. I would have done much worse. I had dreams of beating him senseless with it.

Awesome!! !! !

i believe that is the technical term.

what do youu call it

Actually, I'm pretty sure it is the platen. Some people call it the 'paper roller'. Or, if you mean the whole assembly, that's the carriage; the lever that sends it back is called the carriage return.

I still think fountain pens are a much better idea. Hitting the wrong key is a huge pain, and all that clacking, and then you've got to keep changing the ribbons... I've used typewriters, and always longed for something better. The computer is a better tool if you just want to type text, and fountain pens are much better for doing serious writing.

Beyond, 'the rolly bit', no idea....

My sister had a pink typewriter. But it wasn't really a proper one. The keys were for decoration. There was a round 'dial' thing which you turned - a bit like a Dymo labeller - to make an impression on the paper. It took all day just to type out 'hello'. Not that I ever used it. Honest!

Wow. What a great word. You could scare kids with that. 'Behave or the platen will come along and eat you all.'

I never thought of platen as a scary word. I have printing presses in my basement, and they have a platen, too. Platen basically means any surface where raised type (printing type, typewriter keys) is brought into contact with paper. I suppose it depends on what you're used to, though.

Now, "alligator press" is a scary phrase. Those suckers had jaws that would snap shut and take your fingers off in a nanosecond... I suppose, since one half (the half that moves) of those jaws is the platen, you have more of a point than I'd realised at first. "Kids, behave or that alligator press will snap off your hand with its platen."

My initial thoughts when I read the title of this thread were, "Yes, old-school!" and "a kindred spirit!"

But, as a word of warning, I'm a fountain pen devotee, like the Wanderer, and have a huge box of legal pads with the early workings of a particular novel from a few years ago, still collecting dust in my hall closet. With a typewriter, you could end up with something similar.

Unless you're very passionate about a particular project or very self-disciplined, it can feel like a tremendous chore to have to go back and type subsequent drafts of a manuscript later. And, it's not like too many publishing houses are accepting hardcopy manuscripts anymore. Of course, that could also be a litmus test, as to how you feel about a piece of writing, too, if you later don't feel like committing more time to typing it up.

I agree with BlueRoses -- kindred keyboard spirits!

I would give anything to have the old "round key" writer back, very comforting to have the rythm of keystrokes and cathartic swipe of the hand to return -- without the obligation to constantly check media.

We moved when I was a teenager and the new school had electric typewriters... I spent most of the semester waving my hand to hit the return -- which wasn't there -- making everyone in class think I was even more bizarre. (or maybe I prefer the manual typers because it gives me reason to "flap"? Ha!)

You could always scan your products into the computer -- that's what I'd do if I found another Royale.