writing. nobody really writes anymore, do they? and this is the part where you think i know a lot of people who write! WRONG. you don't know a lot of people who WRITE, but you probably know a lot of people who TYPE. interesting. when we sit down to write something, most of the time we aren't really writing, are we? here are the things i write: lists, occasional letters, scheduling, notes from class (which many people type nowadays), and other minor things. now, here are the things i type: EVERYTHING ELSE. we're talking emails, messages, papers for class, pretty much anything i turn in for class, recipes, and all of my creative writing. really, when most people write creatively, it's not really creative writing, but creative typing. "yes, i'm planning on getting a masters degree in creative typing" is what i really should be saying to people. when i grow up, i want to be a creative typer.
how did i even start thinking about this? maybe it was because i've been typing all my mom's recipes for her (and believe me, there are hundreds), and there are recipes written on all sorts of scraps, like receipts or envelopes, and for many of them i needed a second opinion in order to decipher whether it was a tablespoon or a teaspoon, 12 or 1-2, etc. etc.
or maybe it was because i was watching "who do you think you are," a really fantastic show about genealogy, and they were looking at really old documents and trying to figure out what they said, and i started thinking about how handwriting changes so much throughout the centuries. i don't see very many kids today learning the art of cursive (and believe me, my cursive is terrible), and that pretty much used to be the ONLY right way to write. and then i started thinking about when i was in uruguay, and how different people's handwriting is down there (surprisingly so. it was often very hard to read). and of course i remembered the many times i got papers back from professors with almost illegible scrawl written all over it (and i'm thinking how in the world am i supposed to ever revise this paper, considering the fact that i can't even read your notes!) note to self: if i'm ever a professor, i want to have decipherable handwriting. it doesn't have to necessarily be great, just decipherable. i write in all caps, and i've written in all caps since about junior high school when i decided i hated my handwriting enough to change it. my dad writes in all caps, so i think that's where i got the inspiration. i'm fond of my handwriting now, most of the time. not that i think it's beautiful, but it's me.
anyway all those thoughts about handwriting turned into thoughts about how more and more people are writing less and less and typing more and more. and there's something sad about that. handwriting is so very unique! and yes, you can argue that typing is more legible, which it is most of the time, but i've read a good number of papers/blogs/status updates/etc that are as difficult to understand as a doctor's chart. either way, it is a little sad for me to see handwriting be less and less valued. i'm sad enough about that i want to improve my cursive and handwriting in general, and when i have children i'm going to make sure they learn how to write well.
but i'm not sad enough about it to swear off all typing forever. because, really, that would just be silly.
yeah, i know, i have deep thoughts when i'm trying to fall asleep.
3 comments:
love. really, i wish that people wrote more... that there were more opportunities to write instead of type. i guess that's a big part of WHY i make so many lists - i like to WRITE!
also, i feel like this could turn into a substantial and excellent essay. have you thought about expanding it?
I love to write my stories. I hardly ever type them up...at least the first draft. Usually when I come up with ideas I don't have my computer near by, but I keep a notebook with me almost all the time. My handwriting is ugly, it's legible but ugly, so I started writing in cursive, and that's how I write everything now. It is sad that cursive is going out of style, I love looking at old letters and seeing people's gorgeous penmanship.
Isn't it strange that some of our most profound thoughts come when we're trying to fall asleep. Also good to keep a notebook on your nightstand so you can write down some of these ideas. I feel like my comment is about as long as your post. Thanks for sharing your thought I love it!
While I do type all of my essays (or most of them, anyways) I do write my journal and all of my notes. I have several journals I carry around with me, and I love the feel of a good pen in my hands!
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