I have been programming for the last 7 years professionally. I like computers from my early age. My father bought me Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ when I was in the first grade. Since then, computers were part of my life, significantly. I stare at my screen almost whole day. One day there was some voice in me saying "Buy a typewriter". I listened to the voice and bought Smith Corona Silent from 1946. It was the most profound experience I ever had with some kind of machine. I was not so happy when I got my first cell phone, and later smartphone nor computer. This is something different, probably because the basics are the same, I'm still typing.<p>Suddenly I found myself writing a diary, and a novel. I never wrote anything other than blog posts (many of them since I had website similar to The Verge) - which I sold later.<p>I now have 3 typewriters, 2x Smith Corona Silent (1946 and 1956), and Olympia Monica (I think it's from '70).<p>What I found very interesting is that writing on a typewriter is perfectly synchronized with how fast my mind is working. Time slows down! I read that on the web somewhere, and it is slowing the time when you type on a typewriter! I can confess that!<p>My fingers are too fast on computer keyboard, and I even don't want to talk about distractions like auto correct and other stuff that always pops up. This is something what really makes me feel good. I can write a story, poem, diary, or a letter to a friend.<p>It's truly something we should have on our desk somewhere in the room, and just put our thoughts on a paper.
Thinking about efficiency is a reliable way to buzz-kill creative inspiration.<p>Editing is only more work with my typewriter (Olympia Traveler Deluxe with British layout) if I write something worth editing and am willing to do the work of editing it.<p>When it comes to self-expression (a somewhat better term than creativity) the writing is important. Not having the mental burden of possible OS updates, battery, cable and file management, etc. makes a typewriter workflow efficient for some of my work.<p>Sure, I wouldn't use a typewriter for ordinary business transactions or surfing the web or commenting on HN. Instead I use it when I don't want to deal with those habits.<p>For clarity, I only have one typewriter, not a collection. It is the fourth in the last five years bought at a thrift shop. The first was a 6 CPI SCM 12. [1] It was replace by a Spanish Keyboard Hermes Baby I bought on eBay. Then an Olympia Deluxe with Script font given to my beloved.<p>If you are looking for a typewriter:<p>+ maybe think about the case. Does it stack well? Can you stack stuff on top of it? Because at some point you will probably want to free up the space where your typewriter sits or transport it or store it.<p>+ check the typeface. The Olympia with script typeface was a bargain, but it is script. The 6CPI SCM was a surprise. Can you live with the typeface?<p>+ are you handy? Typewriter service is basic millwrighting. You will want decent flathead screwdrivers and some time on Youtube.<p>[1] If I come across another SCM with 6CPI for the right price I will have two typewriters. 6CPI changes the way I write and matches well with images...I got the Hermes Baby because I wanted a small font. It was too small and the way the text looked on the page turned me off. The Olympia is good enough, which is good enough.
Having grown up at a time where I was <i>forced</i> to use typewriters and listen to vinyl LP records, I don't wax so nostalgic over those old technologies. As soon as I got my Commodore 64 and my Star Gemini 10x dot matrix printer, I never used a typewriter again!<p>Vinyl took a little longer to get off of as I had (and still have) a fairly significant vinyl collection.
Hmm YMMV. I like it even slower for writing fiction, as in handwriting.<p>But the most important part is probably not the slowness but the distraction-free environment. Get a DOS machine with WordPerfect and it will work as well. But don't run DOS in an emulator that you can alt+tab away from and doomscroll...
For those who want a hardware+digital writing-focused experience, I'd recommend the Kingjim Pomera series.<p><a href="https://artvsentropy.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/retro-writing-15-pomera-dm250/" rel="nofollow">https://artvsentropy.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/retro-writing-...</a><p>We bought a Pomera DM250 a few months ago while in Japan. It's really sleek and feature-rich compared to western-built writing-only devices which are limited, more expensive, and bulky. It opens up directly to a word processor; runs Linux under the hood.<p>You can buy them via ebay as well if you're not in Japan.
While I love typing on typewriters, it doesn't compare to writing with a good fountain pen loaded with excellent ink. But more and more, for writing that I intend to end up is some where in the digital void, I have found myself writing writing using WordStar, running DR DOS 7.0 on a ThinkPad T23, using a clone of an IBM M13 keyboard.<p>So, for my major writing projects it is:
* Outline, snippets, and drafts with a fountain pen.
* Writing, re-writing, etc. on WordStar.
* Typeset (i.e.: prepare digitally) on my regular systems. This is the only place I get distracted.
I know what you mean, its the same reason I do not have a kindle or buy e-books in general: With a physical book I take the time to sit down and read what is written, but on a screen I find myself skimming through to get the key points.<p>Sometimes, efficiency is the least important thing.
Owning a record player and a vinyl collection helps me reconnect with music and keep the inspiration up. I went digital for quite- years actually- but after the initial joys of discovering and collecting digital i found that my interest in music started to wane. It only came back after investing some time in my vinyl collection again though buying&selling.<p>I think it is healthy to keep a good part of ones life analog, detached from a computer screen or mobile device.
Van Neistat (Youtuber) uses typeweriter exclusively for writing, because it helps him focus, and also it seems to magically enhance his creativity. (He is one of the most creative person I've watched on youtube.)<p>[Manual Typewriter vs. The Computer - Van Neistat - YouTube](<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iViMlNj_Ca4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iViMlNj_Ca4</a>)
I have a Monica and while I like typing on it I couldn't imagine writing anything substantial with it, the physical effort required to hammer down the keys hard enough is already quite fatiguing, even for someone enjoying mechanical keyboards. There are a few more modern electrical typewriters that I would consider for serious writing duty.
reminds me of when I used a film camera. Looking back a the shots I took... I would just take ONE photo. Group photo with 30 people? One picture.<p>Nowadays I take a ton and pick the best, because they are "free", but suspect I might think less about composing.<p>I think there is something to be said for the need to get it right. Maybe it makes you more mindful.
I have been wanting to buy a typewriter, but quickly found myself lost in what to buy. Ideally I'd like something for which acquiring ink/toner/tape/etc is not overly difficult or expensive, as I intend to actually <i>use</i> the thing. Does anybody have recomendations?
A bit out of context, but GPT can now run on typewriters:
<a href="https://arvindsanjeev.com/ghostwriter.html" rel="nofollow">https://arvindsanjeev.com/ghostwriter.html</a>
Really nice post. In my final SW engineering job, I bought a ton of drafting supplies and artist paper and forced myself to architect my algorithms. It forced me to slow down and I fell much closer to my objective.
I’m going to try your idea.
<p><pre><code> I don't need a computer.
</code></pre>
— <i>The Guy I Almost Was</i> <<a href="http://www.electricsheepcomix.com/almostguy/" rel="nofollow">http://www.electricsheepcomix.com/almostguy/</a>>
You should definitely check out <a href="https://getfreewrite.com/" rel="nofollow">https://getfreewrite.com/</a>.
You'd like that. It's like getting the best of both worlds.
This one can erase letters <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=AModvOasrG8" rel="nofollow">https://youtube.com/watch?v=AModvOasrG8</a>