One of my favorite things, however, is the
physical experiences that accompany words, especially with regard to writing. The
feel of paper between my fingers and beneath my pen tells me what kind of
experience a moment of writing will be. I enjoy the way cursive feels as it
flows onto the page and how neatly uniform the letters are, when I take the
time to write slowly. I even enjoy the irregularity of the letters when the
letters come so fast I can hardly read it afterward.
I go back and forth between the everlasting struggle of a
thin pen line and the smoothness of ink on paper. You might call me a pen
fanatic. I rotate between handfuls of favorite pens. They each have
characteristics I can never quite get over. When I finally find a pen that is
so amazing and perfect, I take it with me everywhere. That is, until, I feel
the call of another pen’s strength. My favorite, currently, is probably the Pilot Kakuno. It is
a fountain pen with a smooth, very fine line (especially for a fountain pen).
It takes such a light hand to write with, that going back to ballpoint pens
after writing with it for a while exhausts my forearm it takes so much effort
in comparison. The problem is the need to keep refilling it over and over. I
write too much to not need to carry a second pen around with me.
In addition to pens, I also love to use my typewriter. Yes I
own a typewriter. The one I own is from 1949. It is a Smith Corona Skyriter. It
was made for the business person who needed to take their typewriter onto
airplanes and it just fits under those seats. Usually typewriters are VERY
heavy, because mine is "portable", however, it only weighs about 10 pounds. If
you’ve never tried a typewriter before, someday you should give it a go. There’s
a lot to get used to and in a lot of ways using a typewriter takes more
practice and skill than a computer, even though you physically can’t type as
fast. Each key needs to be pressed about 10 times further and with a lot more
force and determination, or nothing shows up on the paper at all. The keys move
a type hammer which has to physically swing to make an imprint through the ink
ribbon onto the paper. If a person is typing too fast or too sloppy, the type
hammers get stuck and jammed together. The physical motion of typing and required
regularity of movement is very satisfying, as is the surprisingly loud clackity-clack
of the keys.
Part of what’s so amazing about having a literary life is
the idea that you can take these abstract symbols and shapes which carry no
meaning on their own and create an entirely new experience by our combining
them and assigning them meaning. The experiences vary as much as the people who
experience them, but the experiences are not limited to the abstract. Instead they are very real.
I loved your unique approach in describing the tools you use to write... as a reader, I can tell that you love your typewriter by how descriptive you were in explaining how you use it. I especially liked your word choice in using "clickity-clack." Things like that give your writing flair!
ReplyDeleteI really thought the part about the type writer was interesting. I've never used one, and I really know nothing about them, but now I'd like to try writing with one.
ReplyDeleteI am also a bit of a "pen fanatic". Luckily, I have understanding parents that would take me to the office store at 6:00 P.M. when my last pen had dried out on me. I suppose I require a very particular pen. As for typewriters...I sadly have never had the joy of being able to use one, and it saddens me a little that I only barely missed the generational opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIt is the sensory experience of reading that I miss most when I give in to digital books. It really is unlike anything else and it simply cannot be replaced.
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