Jennifer Howard

Writer, editor, journalist.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Journalism
  • Fiction
  • Contact

The Soul of an Old Machine

October 24, 2011

I hit an unexpected and unwelcome writing hiatus this past month when my netbook stopped working. I want to say that the netbook died or that it decided to quit on me, but that would be giving it a life and a sense of being that it doesn’t deserve, much as I loved it. (And I did love it.) And even saying that a machine doesn’t deserve something anthropomorphizes it.

It’s hard to resist the pull to see one’s writing implements as collaborators. Writing gets very tangled up for me with the mechanics by which it’s accomplished. There’s a practical aspect to this. I could write a book longhand. It’s not likely that I will. If you saw my handwriting, you would understand why I say this. This isn’t just about the scrawl, though. I’m not comfortable holding a pen for very long; it slows me down. I am happiest with writing technology that lets the words flow fast and lets me get out of my own way.

I don’t dismiss the idea that writing longhand does something useful for your brain. I would hate to see handwriting disappear as an art, a craft, or a skill that everybody acquires, at least in basic form. Handwriting preserves the uniqueness of a personality no matter what’s being said. It would be a shame to lose that. Someone with grown children told me not long ago that he wouldn’t recognize his kids’ handwriting if he saw it now, because he so rarely sees it.

For now, I’m making do with an iPad and a wireless keyboard. The combination works well enough–I’m writing this post with it–but it doesn’t feel like the long-term relationship I’m looking for. The ghost of the typewriter, a unified machine that creates a direct (and physical) connection between brain, fingers, and words on a page, won’t leave me alone. There’s a lot to distrust about the cult of technology, no matter how lovely and sleek that technology is. Consumer fetishism is not creativity.

But tools are not just tools. They do take a on a sort of life, at least in the mind of the person using them. Whatever machine replaces my late lamented netbook, I hope it has the soul I’m looking for. RIP, little netbook, you served me well.

Filed Under: Reading and Writing, The Way We Live Now, Tools

Announcements

We live in the age of peak newsletters. So many good ones to choose from–but if indie publishing intrigues you, check out my dear friend Anne Trubek‘s weekly newsletter “Notes From a Small Press.” Anne’s the founder of Belt Publishing, and in “Notes” she shares what really goes into making and marketing books. It’s fascinating and well worth your time.

Latest Work

  • “What We Lose by Reading 100,000 Words a Day”

  • “Nobody’s Girl”

  • “Copy Machines in Libraries Are Going the Way of the Dodo–Slowly”

  • “Content Providers?”

  • “What Next-Gen Digital Humanities Looks Like”

About Jen

Jen Howard sitting in front of a brick wall. She is smiling.

Writer, journalist, editor, gadabout. Book- and nature lover. Washingtonian. LLC. Read more »

Latest Posts

  • Would You Let Marie Kondo Tidy Your Books?
  • Frankenreads on Camera
  • Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” Comes Alive at the Library of Congress
  • Deep Reading Is Good for You! (But It’s Harder Than It Used to Be)
  • Lullaby in Libraryland

Social Media

Tweets by @JenHoward

Follow Jen

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Creative Commons License

These works by Jennifer Howard are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

Site design by Rocketkoi | Built on Genesis Framework by StudioPress