Five Reasons To Still Use a Typewriter

[Bouncy Castle]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20410364

The end of an era has been marked, with the last typewriter built in the UK rolling off the production line at Brother's north Wales factory.

The firm donated the last machine to London's Science Museum - but, it seems, there are plenty of writers and fans who think a museum is the last place their beloved, indispensable tool should be.

So, who still uses typewriters? And why do they choose to use them?

[The Mad Collector]

Last used a typewriter over 20 years ago, frankly I don't miss it

[Bouncy Castle]

I can remember getting terrible finger ache using a manual, but electric/electronic are OK.

Every office should have one, just for one-off things like typing an address label.

[Dotsie]

They're hard to type with, you can't change your mistakes or edit later, and why would you risk losing your work? Some people just don't like change.

[Bouncy Castle]

Will Self says in the article that it makes you think more about what you're writing.

Instead of "she wore a red dress" then going back and changing the colour several times, you have to think about exactly what colour dress she wore as you can't go back and edit.

Makes sense I think.


I was thinking about Robert Rankin the other day, and the fact that he supposedly hand-writes all his manuscripts. I bet the poor bugger at his publishers who has to put it on computer reallllly loves him.

[Penfold]

Shame I can't find the whole sketch.

[cheery_j.]

Will Self says in the article that it makes you think more about what you're writing.

Instead of "she wore a red dress" then going back and changing the colour several times, you have to think about exactly what colour dress she wore as you can't go back and edit.

Makes sense I think.

But then maybe you don't change something that would make your work better, because you don't want to re-type the whole thing. Imagine how much better some books could be if the author had used a computer.

[raptornx01]

I guess i was the only one that had those eraser sheet things?

[Batty]

By over typing and changing the line margins, you could 'draw' a picture on a typewriter.

I have one (somewhere) which has a cartridge ribbon with an in-built correction tape, so that you could back space and remove any typing error.
Mind you, I lost the manual some time ago, and wouldn't remember all the short-cut keys to use the thing!!

[Who's Wee Dug]

Will Self says in the article that it makes you think more about what you're writing.

Instead of "she wore a red dress" then going back and changing the colour several times, you have to think about exactly what colour dress she wore as you can't go back and edit.

Makes sense I think.


I was thinking about Robert Rankin the other day, and the fact that he supposedly hand-writes all his manuscripts. I bet the poor bugger at his publishers who has to put it on computer reallllly loves him.

That's true Bouncy!! I can tell you it's normally in school type jotters and 40 or more is normally enough for a book, the publisher did not type up he had them typed by some one else then and submitted as normal.

[KingCarrot]

I do a lot of grip work and finger strengthening exercises as I am really into unharnessed climbing and stuff... I may have to get a typewriter so I can write my book and exercise at the same time.

Other than that - I really can't see a benefit to them lol.

[Catch-up]

I was surprised to see someone using a typewriter when I was at the vet's office a few days ago! My b.i.l. is a writer and an editor and while he switched over to a PC a long time ago, I know he held on to the typewriter for a long time.

[MongoGutman]

They're only good if you're a really good typist - I used to use the correction paper 20 times a page - and the only reason to become a really good typist, which takes a lot of work and practice, is so you can use a typewriter. If only there was, I dunno, some electronic gizmo you could use that would enable you to make corrections and check your spelling and so forth before you committed it to paper then you wouldn't need to become a really good typist.

[ChristianBecker]

There is/ was.
Last time I used (or played with) a typewriter (20 years ago or so) in a shop that sold them, they had those half-computers. They had a small display and you could enter your text there and when you were satisfied hit a button and the machine would print it.
I think you could also use a type directly mode, though.