Typewriters vs. Keyboards

That old Royal upright on this page brings back memories. That was the kind of typewriters we had when I took typing in high school — one of the smartest decisions I made when I was that age. It was also the model we had in the early newsrooms where I worked.

So do I want my Royal back?

No thank you.

I still beat on my Mac like I was striking the keys on my Royal. I've had carpal tunnel surgery and my style of typing didn't help. I have an old typewriter in my office at home but it is a museum piece, not something I want to use.

Colleagues at the time left the newspaper rather than change over to computers. They were scared and they didn't think they would survive. They were oh so wrong. I strongly believe computers make us better writers. We can compose without worrying about scrambled keys or an unruly ribbon. We can make corrections easily. We can rewrite — no excuses. We spell better and we have a fall back for our grammar. It's cleaner, quieter and more easy to save and store.

Besides, I never could change a ribbon.

Staying active

Staying active is good for heart patients and good for writers.

Nothing is flatter than a story in the passive voice. Keep the verbs active and your story will move and have life. If you don't, your sentences have the energy of a balloon that has lost its air.