Writing, Typing or Expressing?

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   jainismusposted 13 years ago

   Today no author writes using a pen, but they are expressing themselves by using keyboards. Then why we know them as writers?

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      joanwzposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, while I use the keyboard for most of my writing, I do like using pen and paper sometimes. I like the feel of putting pen to paper.  I find that, when my brain is in high gear, I need the keyboard because I can type faster than when I'm writing longhand. But when I need to slow my thinking process down, I write longhand.
      
      As for why we're still called writers when we use a keyboard? Typing is a form of writing, that's why the typewriter was called a typewriter. While our keyboards are now attached to a computer, we are still typewriting - in a manner of speaking. It's just not the type of writing you associate with pen and paper. At least that's my theory, and I;'m sticking with it.

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      couturepopcafeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I write anything of length with a pen. Not a pencil, a pen. It helps me to write The keyboard is too fast and I can't get thoughts out that fast. Of course, I'm talking about fiction.
      
      Writing nonfiction often needs online help and I only write shorter pieces.

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      Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      To me, this does not make any sense.

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      setarehposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I actually write with pens . . . sorry about that.
      But, do you expect them to be called typers instead of writers? Because the outcome is still the same, isn't it, either way?

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   Shanna11posted 13 years ago

   What I type into a computer is often no different than what I write with pen and paper- however, I prefer typing when I write. My thoughts move far faster than I could ever write, and often when I write by hand, it shows. My sentences are disjointed and don't flow as smoothly. However, I type nearly 200 wpm (I'm actually not terribly proud of that fact-it makes me look like I have no life) so I can easily keep up with what I'm thinking and things flow more smoothly. I can edit my thoughts while I type more easily without losing track of the next idea.
   
   Writing is all the same idea, whether you use paper and pen or whether you use a keyboard. You're still putting your ideas and thoughts in word form.

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      couturepopcafeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You should have a lot of free time if you can type that fast. The rest of us are spending 3x the amount of time typing.

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         Shanna11posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hmm... I never looked at it that way! The only reason I type so fast is because I spend all my time typing on the computer though. Lol, I remember being faster than my parents at the age of eleven when I was typing stories and saving them on floppy disks.

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            lobobrandonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            wow thats amazing are you sure its 200 wpm? I'm sure your keyboard will be on fire I write anywhere between 70 - 100 wpm.

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   Poetic Foolposted 13 years ago

   I still carry a pen and pad around to put down whatever when inspiration strikes me.  I would have lost a lot of ideas had I not.  Still, I end up typing the final product.  Clearly, the term 'writer' isn't referring to the physical act of putting pen to paper.  It refers to the act of communicating through written language.  It is irrelevant what medium is used.

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      savanahlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I, too, have a pen and pad with me at all times. Whenever I write poetry I find a much more creative flow when I write it out, but when I write articles I type them out. Not sure why.

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   vespawoolfposted 13 years ago

   What we write comes from the mind, so whether using a pen and paper or a keyboard, we're still "writing". Writing is the act of expressing our thoughts and feelings. I think most writers use both mediums, although the keyboard has gained more popularity.

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   Tara Andertonposted 13 years ago

   I only write with pen and paper. I transfer later onto my computer! I seriously write 65000 words by hand and I wouldnt have it any other way!

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   Tusitala Tomposted 13 years ago

   Why do we call being at the controls of a car 'driving?'  It probably comes from an age when we use to have to 'drive' a horse or horses or bullocks or whatever to get them to move us along.   The word Writer is traditional, just as the word driver is.   Why should we change it when we're all aware of what it means, whether we do long-hand writing, shorthand, type, or simply dictate into a machine.  We are writing.

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   ChelleLarsposted 13 years ago

   Typing--whether on a computer, typewriter, cell phone, or tablet--is the physical act. We associate typing with secretaries and stenographers; not as the origin of the ideas, but as the "transcriber" --one who makes a written copy. The original tools were chisels or paint on stone, or sticks on clay tablets. Over time, we've used paint, quills, pens and pencils. However, we've never referred to writers as "quillers" or "pencilers" either--at least not universally! We recognize the difference between the tools and the act.
   
   Writing is a mental act. It is the process of distilling amorphous ideas into a coherent physical form so that others may understand those ideas.
   
   I would argue that "expressing" is much to general of a term, as it incorporates ALL methods of expression, including art and music.

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