Paper and the writer.

[Mary Cassells]

It seems to me that writers consume more paper than the average person. Is this because of the nature of our work. Many years ago people thought the future would be a paperless society. It hasn't happened yet.

[David Eide]

I remember those predictions of the paperless society. They didn't factor in the printer I guess. In fact it presents an eerie thought that all writing can and will be done through the screen, including transmission. I don't think I could tolerate the fixed nature of that. I like to print out what I write and sit under a tree from time to time, hold the paper in hand, fold it and put in my pocket, take a pen out and scribble on it in the margins. However, I also enjoy seeing my words marked up and looking very professional on the screen. I'm a best of both worlds guy.

I was watching a thing about Sept. 11th last night and in one scene I noticed reams of paper, white papers, binders filled with reports, notebooks, etc blowing and whirling on the streets of New York and I thought, "that puts a few things into perspective." Businesses I believe still consume the most paper but writers consume it with more meaning and purpose. I'm prejudiced that way!

[Leslie]

I have thought about this subject too. I don't mind reading computer screens, but I prefer to have paper copy, of what I write especially, in my hand. I'm in my late 40's so I suppose this makes a difference in my thinking. I prefer having the actual magazine in front of me. I also choose a to read a copy of my local newspaper, in hand, compared to reading one online, but I do read various enews articles online.

My sons are both in their early 20's and I asked them how they feel about paper vs. screen, since they are the ones more inclined toward online reading. Both of them say they prefer to read books and magazines while having them in hand. But, they get their news online. They read blogs, keep in touch with friends through Facebook.

I've observed the much younger generation, schoolage, and maybe it's just me, but I see them slipping away from paper. I mean they can connect a jump drive (or whatever it's called today, I tend to drift backwards when it comes to technology) in a computer and there's the info right up there on the screen. Make corrections, save to the JD, take it wherever they need it to go, and it's again connected to a computer to be displayed on a screen. The words never making it to the white of paper.

I suppose we are moving toward paperless, but it will be a little while yet. It'll be like the changing of the guard or something like that. It's a generational thing in some respects, at least the preference.

How many of you younger writers, let's say, under 30, prefer paperless?

How many of the, oh, over 40's prefer to have a copy in hand?
Would be interesting to see thoughts on this.

[Patricia]

*waves hand wildly* Over forty chick here! Yes, that was instant message lingo to show the amusing action you'd be performing if you were face to face with the person.

I admit, I do chat now and then and enjoy the connection with friends and peers across the globe. I've made the acquaintances of some very cool people I'd never had the pleasure of knowing had it not been for the internet.

I do thrive on hard copy though. On the rare occasion that I have created solely via a computer word processor I seem to have to reread the text more times and make corrections than when, as David said, I can mark all over a tangible copy. Plus I dig the process more. I think it is somewhat related to the generation.

I'm glad you asked the question and I'm curious now myself!

[Patricia]

As an artist/writer/creative soul, I have a need to physically hold the piece in my hands. It makes it more real in some way. I don't know if I can do my meaning justice, but when I am reading an actual printed page it is easier for me to see the corrections or changes I'd like to make to the work. I can feel the weight and magnitude of the piece, decide if it needs more or less in body, or actually see the flow of words so much better than staring at a brightly lit screen. I wonder if it has anything to do with my generation and/or the fact that the computer age came after my most formative educational years and at least the first half of my business career. I'd like to hear feedback on that thought.

I worked for a number of years in both the advertising field and the fine paper industry. At that time businesses relied heavily on the printed passage of information in order to market their wares or services. You could walk into a lobby and see brochures and business cards in neat little piles here and there. Owners who engaged in business together would scratch each other's backs in this way also; pre-cyber networking days. As computers grew in popularity and affordability, we saw the numbers of households with a home computer grow by leaps and bounds. Advertisers could then cater their exposure via how an individual uses the internet. Based on what types of sites that individual visited, a business could sponsor a page or site and streamline the type of consumer that would be interested in them.

In some ways we've become a paper-less society, but not a paperless society. Short of a major cataclysmic occurrence, I don't see the world, at least in my children's lifetimes, coming anywhere near being that free of the printed medium. The do-it-yourself trend has given birth to a vast number of new publications. You need only walk down the isle of a grocery store to see the increased number of specialized magazines we have available today.

As an industry, I don't think writing takes more paper usage than a myriad of other types of businesses, however, Mary may be right in the statement that writers use more "than the average person." We could say the same of attorneys as well, or government officials for that matter. I can't foresee a time in the near future where a courtroom would be set up with networked computers sitting in front of the defense, plaintiff, jury, and judge, nor the Congress in session with only these terminals to relay information for debate or consideration. That may very well come to fruition one day, but my concern and disbelief in a paperless society is seated firmly in the fallibility of technology. Even alternate storage devices, i.e. USBs, CDs, DVDs, memory cards, aren't immune to malfunction, but the written page is. Properly stored and preserved, it remains an at-a-glance representation of that moment or event in time. I guess you could argue the vulnerability of paper to fire and eventual biodegradability as well.

We refer to postal delivery as snail mail. We are becoming an impatient society where we want that information passed at lightning speed. In a way it truly saddens me to see this. I'm thrilled that I can connect with someone in another part of the world and exchange ideas, but there is nothing like receiving an amusing note from a friend penned by their own hand. Just knowing they sat down, smiling as they jotted some witty phrase geared toward poking you in the ribs, or consoling you personally, makes it all the more invaluable. That's my humble opinion. I am a creature of sentiment and habit. I'll forever be a slave to the tablet and pen I keep near me at all times just in case a thought comes to me, even though my lap top may be set up on the desk beside my nightstand or slung over my shoulder at the time. I walk through the isles of a book store and literally salivate. I wander around an antique store on a mission to find the discolored bindings and pages of books written generations before I took my first breath and relish the feel of that work in my hands much the same way as I would stare in awe at a painting by an artist who died long before I first touched a paintbrush...the sheer timelessness of art.

Perhaps one day we will become that cold society when the insignificance of the physical page will come to pass. I just hope I'm not around to witness it.

[David Eide]

That's a very thoughtful piece Tricia! I think we are very lucky to live when print is still vital and yet a new publishing system is developing under our noses. For one thing I love to mark-up my columns and other writing, playing around with the typography, sizing, margins and so on until the piece looks the way I really want it. It's so much easier and less expensive to do it digitally! And I love the idea of "new audiences." I'm thinking of all the people, world-wide, who may be exposed to my writing online rather than limited by print channels. I don't think print will go away anytime soon. In fact, print may return to a kind of priviledged space if all the communications are done digitally on the front end. In the future, something in print may signify "text of very special meaning." I don't know. I'm familiar with what happened to the beautifully hand-made manuscripts after the printing press came along. People went wild for the printing press because the distribution costs and production costs were so much lower. Printing also standardized the act of reading as McLuhan pointed out years ago. Still, I don't think the habit of reading on screen will replace reading from print; not for several generations at least.

I too am a book lover, a bibliophile, and have owned thousands over the years. IMHO the book has an infinite degree more value in terms of content and editing than what I've seen online. As a reader print is so much better. But, as a writer......hm....some different considerations come into play.

[Mary Cassells]

I agree that books are valuable. My problem is the process I go through to reach
a semi publishing state. Am I the only one who writes and rewrites material? And sometimes I am doing some filing and I find a piece I had forgotten about.

My husband and I share a small apartment. My goal for the next year or two is to put some order in my diskettes and my writing in general. Whether that is possible or not, I do not know. Any advice?

Thank you for writing.

[Fiona Johnston]

No, something of a myth that but if you want to print and save ink, I can help you there if you wish. Click Start then go to printers and settings Right click on your normal printer, Select printing preferences and change your print quality to Fast Draft or Draft, click Apply then OK. As for paper, if you are doing roughs, use both sides by simply printing individual pages by clicking Current page until you are ready for the final print and dispatch. Good luck

[Perry]

I'm from the other end of the spectrum. I'm eighteen and I've always loved having the handwritten, hardcopy, published andbound copies. There are a lot of advantages to the computer, but I prefer paper. I write everything down, then type it up. I've lost enough from malfunctioning equiptment to rely on a computer anyway. I've got boxes of paper from things I have written, so I think we do use more paper than the average person.

[Abha Agarwal]

I do prefer a real bound book more than anything for reading, but as a budding writer I prefer the paperless option. Editor-wise too, it is more convenient to go through an e copy. So I can safely put it like this - e copy for unfinished products and the real finished ones in bound format.

[Leif]

I confess to giving this a lot of thought, and have gone through my share of tons of paper notebooks, pads, etc etera. A lot of the time, I like to have a hand-written copy of the things I write, instead of relying on keeping all my records on a computer because things can go wrong with a computer. They can be accidentally deleted, stolen through the internet, software/program errors etc etera).
But whenever I do write using paper, I admit to a large amount of waste, but I never throw the away, there's a little something called recyling that I use with all my excess waste sheets that I place in recycling bins (or recycle them myself) so that I can reuse the paper at a later stage and also save money by buying notepads made of recycled materials