@patrickrhone Cool! Can you tell me about your experiences with a typewriter? Like, how do you go about revising a text? What are the expenses for ink? Any maintenance needs? Why would you prefer a typewriter over a computer?
@patrickrhone Beautiful. I'm enjoying imagining sitting at that table. (3 participles in a row in that last sentence. Bad?) Is typing different/better than writing for you? (Of course it's better than the computer!)
@talvinrue @JohnBrady I have a number of typewriters at this point. Don't use them as regularly as I'd like. Mainly for writing letters to friends.
Because the use is mainly for fun, typos/strikeouts/white-outs/etc. matter far less. A friend is more than willing to forgive such things.
Ribbons are very inexpensive and available on Amazon if you don't concern yourself too much with quality. Up until it closed earlier this year, I had a local sales/service place that gave them regular tune-ups and I could get quality ribbons from. Not sure what I'll do going forward.
I find typing on them to be a lot of fun. I'm old enough to be able to say that many of the first things I wrote creatively were typed on a typewriter (my Grandmother's IBM Selectric II) I love the focus and the imperfections and the need to be very intentional the first time about what I'm writing.
I hope this answers all the questions.
@patrickrhone Odd, I don't think I've ever composed on a typewriter. In high school and college (pre-WP) I had to hand in typed papers, but I'd always write the paper in pen or pencil, then transcribe onto the typewriter.
@patrickrhone Thanks! In particular the fact that it makes one "very intentional the first time" of composing a text is attractive to me. I can see this coming in the way of writing oneself out of a writer's block in professional or otherwise creative work, though. Alternatively the work of revising the text becomes demanding compared to what I am used to with a computer. Anyway, using it for private letters etc. sounds perfect!
@patrickrhone What a comforting photograph. The table suits the typewriter well. I learned how to type on an electric typewriter too back in high school, and on my dad's home office typewriter. It felt so official to write stories that way!