“Writing in the Age of Distraction”
I agree with the author about the distraction of the internet. With other things that are on your computer it is hard to focus on just your writing, now there are all the social networking sites along with games, or just something new drawing you away from writing. The author’s dos and don’ts for writing are really interesting. Some I can see myself doing like when a fact needs to be added insert “TK” and then keep going, because personally I have done just what the author describes googleing to find a fact for my paper and get lost in Google land. I keep thinking about the rough edges, this is a really good way to think about any paper, essay, book, short story etcetera. Take it slow and if you are done mid sentence leave it that way and return to it at a later time or date. This I think will help me because it is ok to leave something half way done just not if its due soon.
“How the E-Book Will Change the Way We Read and Write”
When reading this piece of writing I found the introduction to be a little strange and not really doing its job. I do understand how the Google search goes and what goes on to make it work and connect to the right words and what not. But what I do not understand is what it has to do with books or how we as writers compose our pieces of writing. What I do understand is that the e-book contraptions, I personally don not really care for because if I am taking the time to read a book I want to be able to do the un heard of and curl up in a blanket and it and read. I do not want to curl up with a mini laptop thingy. I also can see the other side of it as well; it is good for the avid reader who does not mind reading a book from a tiny computer screen. This is my opinion on the whole e-book, a book is a book and it should stay that way.
“On the changing roles of authors and readers”
So in reading this I was enjoying it and in the back of my mind I am thinking to myself what the heck is a “unbook”?? I do not know if anyone else was thinking this while reading. I feel kind of silly admitting this but I finally had to Google it because I got nowhere with clicking at the top where the tabs are on the webpage to find out what an “unbook” was. I did find out what an “unbook” is and the reading made alto more sense to me after I found out what I was reading about. The author made a good comparison about writers and magicians. The author described writers as magicians because in a way writers do create a “place” for the readers. If a writer cannot create a way for me to imagine a place in my head then I am most likely not going to read any more of the piece or just grumble about having to read it.
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Excellent! I would also prefer to NOT curl up with a laptop thingy. I like the good old fashioned booky smell. I like carrying around a million heavy hard covers. There's just something about a real book that a computer will never be able to hold for me. Glad to know I'm not alone!
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with the above comment. There's something "special" about reading from a book and not a handheld device that makes reading a story so much more enjoyable. That feeling could never be replaced by a digitized version of the books-as previously stated, I would also prefer to curl up next to the fire with an actual book, actual pages and actual printed text instead of an electronic device.
ReplyDeleteThe materiality of print (books, newspapers, etc.) remains a strong characteristic for me, too, when it comes to entertaining the thought of e-books and -readers. I think I'd only purchase one if/when technology's advanced enough to create a "universal book," a 200-page blank book with computer chips and wifi to download and transform into any book I want. Speaking of which, the availability (or lack thereof) on e-books and -readers is another concern.
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