In “North of Boston,” Kirschenbaum discusses how the digital age of writing has affected writers in their transition into it. I was very interested in reading about Stephen King (I’m a fan of a few of his writings) and particularly excited to see “Misery” mentioned at the beginning!! However, this is not what I wanted to discuss…
“North of Boston” examines the difference between the act of traditional writing (on typewriters or pencil and paper) vs. digital writing (laptops and such). My favorite quote from this writing is “Writers are used to playing god, but now the metaphor was literalized.” Before, the act of deleting, fixing, or reformatting writing was difficult. It left markings that gave evidence of mistakes. With computers, issues can be deleted with ease, leaving no trace behind of what was corrected.
https://newrepublic.com/article/135515/technology-changed-way-authors-write
This topic sparked my curiosity. Given that digital writing facilitates easier error correction, does it potentially diminish the effort or perhaps the passion invested in the planning and preparation of stories? I compare this to the evolution of filmmaking practices. Before, a messed-up take could be greatly expensive, having to purchase more film. Nowadays, actors can make numerous mistakes during a scene without financial repercussions for filmmakers, aside from the additional time required for filming. Is it possible that actors back in the day put more effort into memorizing lines and getting a scene right in the first take?
Alternatively, it’s possible that the utilization of advanced digital technologies hasn’t compromised the quality of writing. Maybe because it makes things easier for writers, it has actually enhanced the quality. Or rather simply changed the style of most writings. I find this interesting to think about.