When writing for academics, I usually start collecting my ideas in a rough draft. I usually do this process in the Notes of my computer. Later I start collecting sources that will support or contradict my argument preferably in PDF format while doing this I take some notes on them or highlight the parts I find useful. After all the material has been collected I will open a document in Microsoft Word and start typing. When I finish, I will revise everything typed. remove irrelevant information and additional information that will complement what I wrote. Then I will take the document into Grammarly to check for misspellings and grammatical mistakes. Finally, I will send it to peers and professors to revise it through Google Docs, and when they finish with that I will make the necessary corrections.
It is fascinating how the technologies of writing have influenced my composition process. Just by describing how the process is for me I realize that my work will go through at least five different applications and websites before it is submitted or finalized. However, it was not always this way. As I read Kirschenbaum’s Track Changes I noticed that when computers were introduced for writing they were received with hesitancy. The first ones to adapt to this new technology were Science Fiction writers. Computers were not thought about as being related to literature, however, today if we think of any literary work, we know that it will eventually go through a computer.
Before reading Track Changes I have not fully appreciated how beneficial the writing technologies of today are. Just now I notice how much more laborious and time-consuming writing would be if computers did not exist. Something thought-provoking for me is that a lot of pressure is taken away from the writer thanks to the new writing technologies. They didn’t have to think about the “perfect introduction” to start writing anymore, in fact, now we can write our introductions when everything else has been written.
On the MLA Handle book we could see that to cite sources there is a specific formatting that has to be used. For example, using italics. However, for these “rules” to be established, computers have to be accessible for academic writing and they need to have capabilities to format the text in specific ways. They were first only found on Bravo, which was not available to the public yet and only some people had access to it. But now, most computers (if not all) have these different ways to format the text and they are found not only in Microsoft Word but also in a lot of different applications and websites. Computers and new writing technologies have made it a lot more accessible for a wider range of people to be able to create text.
Herbert Seignoret
The Impact of Technology on the Writing Process
The articles on the development of technology which aid the writing process also show how technology had altered the way we write. It many ways these alterations mirror my own experience with technology and the way I compose and write. I am old enough to have learnt the DOS operating system just after leaving high school. However, I would write in longhand and where necessary type on my school’s or my dad’s typewriter before using a word processor. I learnt to type in my senior year in high school at a time when the idea that typing was for women was still pervasive. This gender separation of work and the sexist connotations is noted by Kirschenbaum (141): “the typewriter too had been feminized upon its inception of by Christopher Latham Sholes with his stated belief that he had done something “important” for women heretofore condemned to menial, domestic labor. During this period, not many boys at were interested in learning how to type because of this association. However, the need to learn the operation of the keyboard was shown to be vital in programing and other aspects of computer usage. I also recall the messy ribbons of the typewriter and the keys getting stuck if I tried to type too fast.
I remember the excitement when my college roommate got his first Mac in the late nineties. This ushered in a new era in the way we composed and wrote our papers. Initially, I would still compose by hand on legal pad and then type the document on the computer. The keyboard had a fluid and soft touch as opposed to the rigid feel of a typewriter. This was process alteration was similar to Longyear. I no longer had to type over and over and use whiteout if there were errors. Retyping was time consuming. However, with word processor applications features such as cut and paste made improved my speed of writing documents. I am not the best speller, so the spell check feature has helped to reduce my typographical errors. In addition, we were able to write papers in the comfort of our apartment and then bring the files stored on 31/2 disk to get printed on dot matrix printers. As time went on I got my own Mac and a laser printer. I also remember the days when there were compatibility issues between word processing applications on Macs and PCs and sharing files could be difficult. One had to use special software to convert files made on one operating system to be used on the other. I am now able to work online and store my work in the cloud. This has eased my ability to work collaboratively with my colleagues and get feedback and track changes made on developing work.