I think the last time i’ve written anything substantial using my hand was during the 3-hour exam i did last year. Most of the stuff i have now is typed. My emails, work reports, this blog! I wonder if we’re starting to lose the tactile feeling of writing by hand. We still inherit the word “writing” though. I don’t call what i’m typing now my “typing”. I still call it my “writing”. Maybe, the very word “write” may become obsolete in a few decades. However, we can be quite stubborn to stick to things that have become a habit. I might still call all my typewritten text my writing 40 years down the line. Just as we still inherit the queer QWERTY keyboard. There is no reason why ‘e’ has to be so far away from the middle when it’s being used so often!
However, do we lose something by not writing? Does the tactile feeling of writing actually transmit any additional knowledge about myself that i’m missing by typing? Certainly, through typing, i find myself able to express quicker. The thoughts that’s flying out will just emerge through my fingers. Writing hasn’t been that quick for me. I’ve never considered my handwriting fast enough to dictate what i have in mind. Typing gives me a much quicker outlet, which in turn allows my thoughts to flow more naturally.
And the best part about typing… is that DELETE button (or backspace, depending on which one you use). It’s such an amazing function. There’s no fuss about running out of the delete button. No erasing the paper until you bore a hole into the paper. No messy trails of eraser bits. Do these bits even have a name?
The question remains though… do we lose something by not writing with your hand? I’ve certainly found my handwriting to look horrible. I had to jot down some quick message on a piece of paper recently, and i realised that they’re just what a 3 year old kid would write! Probably i can write with my left hand, and you won’t be able to tell the difference! (I’m a dominant right, if you haven’t guessed that.)
so, one thing we lose is the beauty of handwriting. The accomplished writer (i.e. anyone who writes a lot) will have a more congruent handwriting than the amateur. Is beauty important? Why do we recognise beauty when we see it? This is probably an entire topic on itself. But focusing on handwriting itself, maybe the beauty tells us something else about the writer than the mere meaning of the words written. Just like body language. The body actually conveys 80% (ok, the majority) of the message of the words spoken. (i’ve read/heard it somewhere, so don’t quote me on the statistic!) So, can this be true also of handwriting?
Without going into typography analysis (or i think that’s what they’re called), i believe writing actually tells the writer something rather than the reader. The reader may interpret the handwriting, but the writer will benefit from the message. The art of handwriting will help the writer to grow as a person. By learning how to write, you learn more about life itself. You learn that every stroke matters. You learn that each stroke will build from the previous one. You learn that sometimes you like to write freely (scribbles) and sometimes you like a more rigid handwriting. You learn that you couldn’t write as fast as your thoughts, so you have to choose your words carefully, giving you space to think.
So, i urge myself as much as i urge you. Continue writing. You never know when you’ll need to pick up that pencil to write an important message down. You never know that when you write “I miss you” in your own handwriting, you’ll actually pass on an important message that may change your life, and someone else’s!
If you think this is worth sharing, do share it with your friends. Thank you for reading.
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6 Comments
thanks for participating in my first blog carnival
http://www.thegoldenpencil.com/2006/06/14/about-freelance-writing-blog-carnival-june-15-2006/
I do much of my first draft (novel writing) by hand. It makes my mind go slower and I enjoy the actual words more. One problem tho, is that sometimes my writing gets very sloppy when I write fast and then I can’t read it! Thx for dropping by my blog!
You can write well ! I really think typing shouldn’t replace writing, both should complement each other.. i somehow feel that receiving a handwritten card is more personal. I love typing ,yet, i can’t live without having to pen down my thoughts. It has to do with access as well.. one pen and paper … i remember once i was in a meeting, we agreed on the next meeting date, half had PDA, another half had paper diary. By the time the PDA people switched on their toy and jot it down, the conventional paper diary people were on their way out of the room! Paper diaries do not need battery, no recharge required.. although one can argue you can search on diary like in PDA… a matter of comfort i guess..
THanks.. you know what.. i guess you are a N – acccording to Myers Briggs personality test..
keep on writing and reflecting… can’t grow without reflection huh? =)
irene -primary school friend of wai kea
thanks for the flattering comments Irene! I’ll remember to keep on reflecting (and writing!). BTW, what’s a type N?
Honestly. I wish schools would allow students to type essays on exams. It would be heck of a lot easier physically but also mentally. Ive noticed this myself when I opted to write an essay for an assignment. It was horrible. I was gazing into space and trying to think of the best way to start it and I just couldn’t come up with a solution. However with typing its another story. I can express my self in a way that makes my hands and mind as one. Its really like magic. I can continue to keep typing right now if i wanted to because i just have so much to add to this comment box than i would have if i was writing with a lead pencil. Im positive this is a problem that a lot of other people have. My point is, I would get a better mark on in class exams with a typed essay than i would with paper and pen. And thats without spell checks and synonyms.
I know what you mean Gary. Although I have failed exams because I wrote too much. I was too far off the point. I was using a scattergun approach and hope that some of the bullets will hit the mark. That strategy didn’t get me anywhere. So I went back to the basic, and really understand the question and write sufficiently for an answer. That worked.
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[...] Will we one day forget the order of A to Z? Just like how we could one day forget how to write again? What about other common activities like driving. Will we forget how to drive one day? Is this the natural evolution of the age of information, where collectively we have a lot of information, but individually we lack information? Are we going to let technology substitute our daily activities, so much so that we have to ask technology how to do a certain thing? like typing into google “What is the order of A to Z?” [...]