We’re all swimming up to our ears in technology these days. Fine by me. But it’s almost ironic that I still spend such a chunk of each day (the best chunks, I daresay) writing with pen and paper. And oh hey hey — today is special (any writer will understand), because I’m coming at you live from this, a new notebook. It’s not fancy. We’re talking a 180-sheet, college-ruled spiral notebook, on sale for $1.49… A back to school steal, my good sirs.
There’s some science out there, if you care to find it, about how you’re more apt to remember things written with blue ink, and how yellow paper makes you more inspired creatively. Meh. I think it’s more about the person using it that matters. For me, handwriting has been a crucial factor in brain function since I can remember. And since I can’t fathom my brain needing to “function” pre-memory-span, let’s just call it “always”.
Thank God I realized it’s power early on, because in school, for me, studying (and learning, period) required me to write everything down. And rewrite it. My brain just worked better that way. It didn’t matter if it was efficient or not. And the same is true now, except I’m not studying things other people wrote or want me to know, I’m writing my own. I type fast, so that’s not the problem.
There is an inherent disconnect with my thought process when technology is introduced.
My point here has nothing to do with reviving pen and paper among the masses. For one thing, if everyone used as much paper as I do, we’d have a serious tree shortage on our hands. Aside from that, I don’t expect everyone to need handwriting the way I do, nor do I care if others operate like me, if we get right down to it…
People learn, create, work and communicate differently. Whoop tee do. In fact, as aforementioned, I’m not under false impression that having to transcribe a handwritten mess is ever efficient — for me or anyone else.
Actually that’s the point, in essence.
I fill pages every day. I have a stack 3-feet tall of notebooks, some bursting with bright ideas and others with words worth sharing. Unfortunately, almost none of that ever sees the light of day. Either I move on to another topic or project, I forget how great a piece of writing was, I’m too lazy, or I overthink something until I end up neglecting to type, post or share it at all.
What a damn shame. Seriously.
So for the first page in my newest notebook, I’m making a conscious effort to share. I’m not hanging up my pen and paper, now or ever, but I’m going to try harder to quit writing into a vacuum.
This post may not break any grounds, provoke any laughter or touch any hearts, but it’s coming at you unpuffed (and unedited, frankly) to make a humble, personal point. Now that their pipeline is a standstill no more, I’ve got mo’ better words to free soon.
