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Do you remember writing before computers existed? Yes, I’m probably dating myself here, but I grew up in the world where computers existed really only on Star Trek and the movie War Games. I recall the first computer we had — it was about as far removed from the modern computer as a diamond is from coal. And then, later on, into my twenties, my mother actually grew to rely on the computer for work long before I did. In fact, I clung to my word processor at the time, insisting I didn’t need or want a computer. It was a Brother word processor (admire the lovely image included on this page) and I adored it. I took it with me when I moved from California to Atlanta and then again from Atlanta to Nashville and back to California with me. My WP was well-traveled! And it helped me to write and finish my first (adult) book. Prior to that, I’d written my first book mostly in seventh grade English. Long hand, on legal size paper. Two books, 150 pages each. I still have those. (And no, they will never see the light of day. My niece is the only one who has ever read them and that’s because she loves me.) I don’t really recall the first things I typed on a computer. I did, however, become a convert once I realized that pages with mistakes didn’t need to be rewritten and white-out became a thing of the past. (Is that still around?) But I do remember the first words–of fiction–I ever wrote. I was six, and it was a story about a babysitter who was so busy not paying attention to her charges that her charges got into mischief. It was written on large-lined paper, with a number two pencil, and I sat mostly at the pretty white princess desk in my room. I can recall the moment I set that pencil down. after writing The End with a big six-year-old flourish. It was finished. Done. I was jubilant. So excited that I ran down the hall to my parents’ room to show them my masterpiece. That pure feeling from that very moment is one that’s rarely been duplicated in my life. My child being put into my arms, my husband promising to love me for all time. And yes, I’m a writer so that six-year-old epiphany that I was a writer counts. From that moment forward, I knew what I wanted. I only knew that that feeling — the jubilant joy– was one I wanted to feel again and as often as I could. Years later, writing is different. It’s focus, determination, learning, growing, and chock full of imagination. But it’s still about joy ultimately, for me. Sometimes, yes, that’s easy to forget. It’s easy to get so caught up on the mechanics of writing and the uncertainties, the set backs, and the re-directions as other parts of life take over that I don’t allow that six year old to write with flourish. What about you? The very first words of fiction you wrote, do you remember them? Do you recall that moment? And if you do, the next time you sit down to write, close your eyes for just two minutes and go back there. Think of the pencil (or pen or keyboard) you held in your hand, the seat under your rear, the paper or screen you looked at as the words formed. Remember the joy. Now write.
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
Those very first words you wrote…
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Hi Jeannie.
Before I comment on your post, I want to gush about your design work. When I read the Romance University preview blog yesterday, I made the connection for the first time between so many of the beautiful websites, blogs, and ads that I’ve admired and YOU. Your work is so incredibly lovely that it made me wish I needed something done. I’ll definitely keep willdesignforchocolate.com bookmarked.
Now, to your post.
I don’t remember my very first exact words but I recall the scenario with embarrassment. It was summer camp and I decided to write a play for my sisters and their friends to star in for our camp talent show. Apparently writing long has always been a problem for me because they literally did have to pull us off stage amidst my protests that we were only halfway through Act I.
I’ve been doing a series of blog posts on Dennis Palumbo’s book Writing From the Inside Out and the other day I was quoting something he said: “And a good day at the word processor is one where you just show up and do it.”
I had to go back and check the copyright notice on his book when his use of “word processor” hit me. 2000. Only 10 years ago but look how much the writing world has changed since them! My first writing was done on my old Atari computer.
Jeannie and Mary, unlike you two I didn’t start writing until I retired. Before that I vented my creative needs to computer application development but I can remember when there not only weren’t pc’s there weren’t terminals. We punched holes in cards and fed them into mainframe computers.
I’m not sure I’d enjoy writing if it weren’t for PC’s I was never a fan of white out and long hand . . . But I have observed how my brain functions through the evolution of technology. When I started programming we had coding sheets. When I transfered to a department that had dumb (not pc’s) terminals I couldn’t think without using the code sheet. So I’d write out the code and then type it into the terminal.
Too time consuming and I slowly made the transition to typing straight into the terminal. From there I started ‘thinking’ in front of a keyboard. Now I’ve completely eliminated the middle man (writing anything other than notes in long hand) and it has sped up the thought processes.
Wonder where we go from here? I’ve thought about voice recognition but again I’d have to retrain my brain to think that way or I would have to first enter it with a keyboard.
If I dig in a box in the garage, I’ll be able to find that notebook. It was black and white plaid, sort of a woven, cloth-like texture cover on a spiral, “college-lined” notebook. I named the book, THE TALISMAN. And the first line was, “The afternoon Angie and I walked into that London antique shop, we had no idea what trouble we’d get into.”
Angie was my best friend at the time and I wrote the story in ink during English class when I got bored–and sometimes at home, late at night when the angst of being a teenager grew to be too much and I wanted a Happy Ever After.
I was an early adopter of the personal computer, having worked with a CPT word processor (HUGE thing!) with like six inch discs! (I still have one of those discs with a novel on it. I wonder how degraded it is now? LOL) My first computer was a COMPAQ portable, bought in 1984. You’d think I’d be computer literate by now! Yet, I still miss my IBM Selectric. Some days. Until I have to cut and paste pages and pages.
Very interesting topic today!
I’m not a writer. I’m a reader. Found you through eliza Knight’s newsletter. I cannot imagine having to write long hand. I love my computer. It’s hard to remember not having it. I really enjoy learning about how differant authors write. Very interesting.
Great post Jeannie!
We had one of those giant boxy computers 🙂 The one you had to put in codes in MS DOS to get the writing program up, lol
I used to race home from school to write this story about a girl who went shopping a lot, and I’d go into great detail about the clothes she was buying and how she was becoming more popular than the bullies. In essence an 80’s style Mean Girls, lol I also wrote a Cinderella spin off. My mom at the time was getting reader’s digest magazine, which in the back had advertisements for vanity presses. I remember writing query letters to the vanity press, and to a couple of bigger presses like Harper Collins, (took addresses right out of children’s books) and then being sad when I got rejected by the real publishers. But here’s something interesting, the vanity press wanted to publish my story–lol, and I know it wasn’t any good!!! But of course, I knew I couldn’t pay for it, and I didn’t even bother to ask my parents for the money. Probably went out back to play on the swingset.
I do love the feeling of writing THE END, and that jubilation is wonderful, hypnotic almost. I also love the beginning of a new story, I get so hyped up!