I'm only half joking. I like the concept of re-implementing typewriter constraints on the writing process, but the skeumorphism was lacking. It took me a second to figure out why there were 2 text boxes, and the word-based tokenization is not type-writer like at all.
More importantly, one key aspect of the typewriter was lacking: the immobility of the cursor. In a typewriter, it was the page/canvas that moved, and your cursor stayed fixed. You could type paragraphs even an entire page without moving your head or even your eyeballs by just staring at the contact point of the letters.
Searching for "typewriter simulator" found this which is very close to what I was imagining: https://uniqcode.com/typewriter/
It even recreates the problem of missed letters if you type too fast (though I suspect it's a bug). At least it doesn't jam.
But I don't actually want to use a typewriter, I just want to force myself to write without editing.
It states it's intentional:
>Just like a real manual typewriter, you can only press one character key at a tim
I have never used typewriter, but I don't think this is correct, the limitation should apply only for adjacent keys, not globally for all keys. This is the whole point of QWERTY layout, to type faster by spacing letters in words as far as possible to avoid jamming typewriter.
There's the bonus that my notebook had no flashing lights, no notifications, no way for me to switch to my email.
Also I enjoy the tactility of a fountain pen on paper.
While nobody makes actual physical typewritters anymore (to my knowledge), they can be had used for very little, so you could have the best of both worlds by writing your drafts on a typewritter.
It was all in my head, it just needed to come out. Somehow the words just flowed with a pen.
1. Planning 2. Production 3. Editing 4. Revision
Each one engages your brain in a different way. You can collapse them, but you get degraded performance when you do.
And though constraints can be helpful in some cases, I don't find the appeal to nostalgia like this site uses to be all that useful. Again, find what works for you.
And I find this particular implementation very hard to use, because text jumps from the input box to another box as I type, which is very distracting. The Hacker News comment input box is easier to work with and use as typewriter than this is.
I'll be honest. Your typewriter has a better enamel finish. :)
How has the "typewriter" changed the way that you draft?
This might be a bit tangential, but over the last few months I've been working on a collaborative writing project called Storylocks (https://www.storylocks.com) to make writing practice more fun and be able to riff on other writers' ideas. Excited to see more applications in the creative writing space coming out of the woodwork!
When I want to put words down without intrusion, I disable spellcheck and generally don't find myself that concerned with mispelling.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt
But learning to type on the model F keyboard was very useful as I developed great speed. I made extra money in high school typing people's papers. The most important lessons from touch typing courses are: look at what you're typing and don't correct as you go, sit up straight with your shoulders back, don't rest your wrists on the table. When you're dilly-dallying around in powerpoint this stuff doesn't matter, but when you're typing 4000-6000 words per hour, it makes a huge difference.
I eventually moved to using an Apple Extended Keyboard II, which had a lot of great features, and then back to an IBM model M. Now I use a Unicomp model M derivative. How I wish I could have a similar keyboard on a laptop these days.
No picture of a typewriter, minimal controls, a small box for the new line, and everything else is what you've typed so far.
It looks a little like Word, and there's no new line box, but it has the other things you mentioned. You can also set it to block everything else on your computer until you write a certain number of words, or for a certain amount of time. I'm adding typewriter scrolling soon too.
The pro features let you disable certain keys, etc. but you get a lot of value out of the free version.
For decades I have worked my way through a box of Levenger Circa paper a month, writing with Namiki retractable fountain pens- later Zebra Steel ballpoints-
I love thick, tactile writing paper and ergonomic pens but have been able to transition pretty well to writing on a Remarkable tablet. It isn't quite the same, doesn't always engender the same flow, but it is pretty close and I am in eager anticipation for the next round of hardware coming this summer.
If you are looking for a digital bridge for the paper writing habit, check out the Remarkable.
(Just an impressed user, no relationship).
Cheers.
Interesting to contrast with the likes of grammarly or google suggestions. I can’t stand having that stuff in my ear while writing. However, I did have a friend who was a non-native English speaker and he liked it because he felt less self-conscious about screwing up grammar elements when writing.
Tools like Grammarly are great, but when I'm writing, I need to be left alone with the words. The squiggles come later, when I'm editing and revising.
C-X C-Z cat > my.txt