Thursday, March 15, 2007

Do Computers Equal Better Writers?

I've been thinking lately about the difference computers have made in our ability to write material. Penmanship and typewriters were useful tools in the past, but I think that computers have allowed people to take their writing quality to a new level, be they students or authors. Never before has it been easier to draft, revise, and edit. Is a paragraph just not working? Highlight the whole thing and hit delete. Would a paragraph work better on page 5 than 3? Copy and paste! I would caution, though, that spell check is of limited use and should never be an excuse not to proofread! I can't help but wonder if writers are able to produce compositions of higher quality because computers are such an efficient tool. Of course, there is always the danger that they will freeze or somehow lose your work, but that is beside the point. There are also some writers who have tried computers but find that inspiration comes more easily when they write freehand. I guess it's ultimately a matter of personal preference. Whatever tool works best for a person is the one they should use. I often find that I prefer drafting freehand, and then typing out what I have written. It gives me a chance to rethink wording and sentence structure, and also leads to further inspiration and insight on initial ideas.

2 comments:

Chantal said...

hi dear!
i got 85% on your crossword! would have done better with spell check!

Char said...

on the other hand, b/c of things like msn and such...many ppl's spelling and grammar have regressed to simple forms which r easier 2 use in fast communication, but not so much in academic writing...particularly the omission of capital letters and punctuation :P wat do u think?