Two days later, the replacement ribbon I ordered was delivered.
I was pumped.
I blame it all on Tom Hanks. And the California Typewriter Company. They were featured in a video called, appropriately, Typewriter. Partly about the history of the machine, more about aficionados and collectors and the revival of the typewriter, the video got me thinking. Then wanting.
My first typewriting class was in junior high school, eighth grade. That first year, we practiced on manual typewriters. As you would imagine, punching the keys on a manual is a lot more work than tappety-tapping on a computer keyboard. But the satisfy rap of each key on the paper is music to my ears. And there is a certain romance to creating something manually. You can't just go back and edit as you go along. You have to put it all out there, then go back and edit and retype your work. So there's a tangible record of your creative process.
My mom used to type on a 1930s Smith Corona typewriter, which I believe my sister has now. When we were in school and had to type our papers, that was our go-to machine. Back in the day, you weren't allowed to use correction tape or fluid, so if you made a mistake, you had to go back and retype the page. And if you wanted more than one copy, you had to use carbon paper. (That part I definitely do not miss.)
I'm not sure what I'm going to type on my beautiful teal Corsair. It is in our bedroom, positioned so it looks out of the front window, waiting for me to begin my story.
Trite it may be, but I think this is going to be more about the journey than the destination.
Clickety-clack, indeed.
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