Thursday, May 05, 2016

Is pen mightier than the keyboard?

I may be in the minority on this one but I'm definitely not alone. I'm talking about the writer's block that hits me with 110mph when I stare into a blank computer screen - thoughts flow much better if it's a piece of paper instead. The worst part is the decline in motivation to write even when I get time!

I've tried to brush it off with a number of reasons like 'I'm not in the zone today', 'I'm just tired today'. Soon it became more apparent that I'm missing something. 

Could it be because I look down at a paper but stare across a laptop? No, can't be. Whiteboards work fine even though I stare across them as well. 

There are generally lot more going on in a computer screen even if I'm on the full screen mode, or have other applications closed. The mind subconsciously thinks what else I could be doing with . This makes sense - there have been times when I've lost the will to write and started paying bills or watching Stephen Colbert or even window shopped! (pun intended of course)

The monitor is far across from the eyes than a piece of paper or whiteboard typically is.  Leaving all jokes about weakening eye sight aside (who am I kidding anyway), I've always preferred working with a laptop than a bigger external monitor. I never cease to puzzle Atma when I'd rather work on the couch with the laptop on my lap, where it was originally intended to be by its creator, than use the nice big work monitor he set up for us. Ok, so this is a valid scenario. 

Also contributing along the same lines is the size of the font. I cannot see more than a couple of paragraphs, or the equivalent space, in paper as opposed to a couple of pages in a monitor. The small subset perhaps helps me focus better. 

Making changes to content in a paper is breeze, I can scratch off, add a word and what not. This is purely the old-fashioned me who prefers drawing arrows to say where a sentence should go or drawing a star where further thought is needed. There could be software in the future that fill this void for me, but it's surprising how computers have managed to stay as, just computers - machines until now (RIP Steve - only if you were around longer)

Finally the only scientific reason I have is - speed. If you are like most people, you type faster than you write. When humans upgraded from pen to a keyboard, there was no such upgrade for the brain (as far as I know anyway). The brain creates and processes thoughts in the same speed as before, but now suddenly it can't keep up with the dexterity of your hand on the keyboard. This idea is an interpretation of a study discussed in one of the recent freaknomics podcasts. (I'm not going to give in to the distraction of searching and linking the podcast now just because it's a tab away.) A group of students were asked to take notes with pen and paper and another group with computer. They were all then tested on the subject. Students who used pen and paper were able to recall significally higher than the other group. This is because our brains process information as we write. So we learn as we take notes. Little or no such thing happens when we type. Now with that proof that I'm not outright crazy, I rest my case. 

Yes, and with this inconspicuous post, I have broken 8-year long silence on this blog. It had to start somewhere. 

Name:
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

casual person with deep passion about things/people i like....






I was Hermione Granger at the Harry Potter character quiz @ Crazylicious.com
My Birthdate: October 6
  • You tend to be a the rock in relationships - people depend on you.
  • Thoughtful and caring, you often put others needs first.
  • You aren't content to help those you know... you want to give to the world.
  • An idealist, you strive for positive change and dream about how much better things could be.
  • Your strength: Your intuition
  • Your weakness: You put yourself last
  • Your power color: Rose
  • Your power symbol: Cloud
  • Your power month: June
What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

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