Monday, August 26, 2013

The art of brainstorming

First draft for a few paragraphs in my book.

Yes, the left margin needs work.




15 comments:

  1. It is nice to witness good progress on that book! As for the margin - it seems that my new (not that new after last few days actually ;) ) no.5 DeLuxe has somewhat similar peculiarity...

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  2. Brainstorming is fun. At the end of a session... one feels just a good as taking a walk or running a mile. Mentalzise...
    Gerald

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  3. Nice piece for your book.
    I wrote my short story on a typewriter and then re-wrote and edited on Word, then back to the typewriter for re-editing, and then finalize on Word.

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  4. On a typewriter, one creates. On a computer, one revises.

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  5. Another chorus of "amen." I also really like the key tops on that Remington. They look big and comfortable. Later machines have the smallish keys that my fat finger pads slip off. Also, the light gray line is top-notch.

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  6. Nicely stated. Sometimes you just have to sit down and write. It might be average, but there's usually something decent that comes out of it.That Remington looks stunning, too! And it was Cliff Robertson who scored the Best Actor Oscar in 1968 for "Charly".

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  7. When I returned to typewriting, a few years ago, I read all I could about speed writing and block writing and brainstorming like you're talking about, in order to overcome two decades of writer's block. I find there is a tricky balance between slowing my thoughts down enough to say what I mean and writing at a dead run. My girlfriend prods me if I pause for too long, so I think she expects composition to come in a flurry of key-rattling passion.

    One thing that can not be argued, however, is that writing what turns out to be gibberish, quickly, is better than not writing anything at all.

    My first reaction to the picture was one of comfortable familiarity. My primary DeLuxe 5 is that same color, whatever it is. The second reaction was confusion at the keytops. I rather like the round ones on my machine, especially the keys that have notches worn into them by the fingernails of a previous [female] owner. As Ryan said, though, the keys on yours look comfortable.

    Of course, I also notice things like the left spool riding up on its axle, and the ribbon caught underneath it. My secondary DeLuxe 5 simply refuses to operate with its ribbon covers in place, and I wonder if yours has the same problem? I don't mind running without them. Being able to see the spools does make it easier to recognize when they aren't turning.

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    1. Whoops! You have a good eye, I hadn't even noticed that ribbon spool issue. I pushed it back into place just now. I don't think this model has spool covers.

      I've seen two different keytop schemes on this model, by the way. I like this one, with the light-colored top row. The model was made only Dec. 1948 - April 1949 (serials B1709223-BT1732100, with T indicating tabulator).

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  8. I think you just described my typewritten approach to a tee. Quite often I really don't know how the sentence will end, or even if it will come out at all. And is it only me who will pervert an entire sentence just to accommodate a typing error?

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    1. Oh good lord - you do that too? The awkward sentences I make up just to cover up one wrong letter typed... "what's a word that begins with 'T' that will continue this sentence, since I just accidentally typed a 'T'?" :D

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    2. I've been known to do it too.

      Call it typing improv!

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  9. Yes, brainstorming with a typewriter is wonderful!

    I am curious, however, to know how you go about revising your material. Do you use a computer for that?

    This is something that I have not really taken to the next level. Two NaNo novels, typewritten. One transcribed verbatim into the computer. The second...languishing so far. Not sure how to proceed...

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Cameron.

      How I revise depends on the material. My NaNo fiction has just remained a first draft, typewritten, and maybe that's all it will ever be. My philosophical brainstorms usually don't get transcribed word for word, or only a few phrases survive; they provide general ideas which I later develop more precisely on the computer. Some other texts get retyped onto the computer with editing; either I edit on the paper, or I edit as I go while typing into the Mac, or both.

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