Wednesday, January 19, 2011

An Odd Feeling


I still pound on the computer keyboard as if it's a Smith-Corona. Habits die hard but I've always preferred the feel of a keyboard to that of a typewriter.

And yet there's this sense of unease which comes from the suspicion that the best combination of thinking and writing takes place when a pen meets paper. There is something deeper in writing a sentence instead of typing it. The fraction of a second pause while one word is chosen over another, the sensual aspect of watching the pen glide across the page, and the closer connection to the word itself as its letters are crafted rather than produced - all result in a civilized ambiance that a computer cannot evoke.

While many of us like and appreciate computers, we love pens.

One is a servant. The other is a companion.

1 comment:

Jeff said...

Beautifully put, Michael - beautifully put.

Exactly the same kind of tactile feel and connection I get from turning pages on a real book...

- Jeff