Eva’s Byte #237: Paper Tigers with Less Bite
Paper tigers, paper tigers,
Your roar is much worse than your bite—these days!
(Channeled from Sue Thompson’s Top-30 hit in 1965, “Paper Tiger”)
A writer who made my debut as an Indie author through the publication of Underlying Notes (Contemporary, 2008), I’d drafted the entire 238-page document on a legal pad. On the pay-as-I-go plan, I’d type each day’s word quota in Word. When I had finished the novel, I made a print copy of the manuscript in its entirety.
As Bob Dylan put it, “the times, how they are a changin’!”
Subsequently, I’ve drafted all other published works, and my WIP in Word.
This got me thinking about “paper tigers with less bite”—including, but not limited to:
Stenographer Pad – as endangered a species as the secretary writing down memos in shorthand for a chauvinistic boss focused on her bosom.
Spiral Notebook – a college student during the ‘70s, I recall writer’s cramp from trying to capture the professor’s train of thought in longhand.
Index Cards – with memory built in to our electronic devices, writing down recipes seems a foregone conclusion.
Our reliance on modern technology has rendered White Out obsolete.
And, 2-3-4—what do we need paper clips for?
Remember the stacks of print newspapers from yesteryear? Due to the Internet, there has been a steady decline in production.
Although I admit to adhering to many old-fashioned ways of doing things, I’ve gladly relinquished paper tigers for the convenience of having less clutter to deal with. Most importantly—the conservation of trees.
Eva’s Authors Den Page:https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Your roar is much worse than your bite—these days!
(Channeled from Sue Thompson’s Top-30 hit in 1965, “Paper Tiger”)
A writer who made my debut as an Indie author through the publication of Underlying Notes (Contemporary, 2008), I’d drafted the entire 238-page document on a legal pad. On the pay-as-I-go plan, I’d type each day’s word quota in Word. When I had finished the novel, I made a print copy of the manuscript in its entirety.
As Bob Dylan put it, “the times, how they are a changin’!”
Subsequently, I’ve drafted all other published works, and my WIP in Word.
This got me thinking about “paper tigers with less bite”—including, but not limited to:
Stenographer Pad – as endangered a species as the secretary writing down memos in shorthand for a chauvinistic boss focused on her bosom.
Spiral Notebook – a college student during the ‘70s, I recall writer’s cramp from trying to capture the professor’s train of thought in longhand.
Index Cards – with memory built in to our electronic devices, writing down recipes seems a foregone conclusion.
Our reliance on modern technology has rendered White Out obsolete.
And, 2-3-4—what do we need paper clips for?
Remember the stacks of print newspapers from yesteryear? Due to the Internet, there has been a steady decline in production.
Although I admit to adhering to many old-fashioned ways of doing things, I’ve gladly relinquished paper tigers for the convenience of having less clutter to deal with. Most importantly—the conservation of trees.
Eva’s Authors Den Page:https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
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message 1:
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Pamela
(new)
Nov 10, 2019 10:49AM
I still like paper. I print out each chapter. It's interesting what I "see" on the printed page that I sometimes overlook on the computer screen. I also keep that ancient steno pad next to my bed for those late night revelations that must be jotted down or risk being forgotten forever come the dawn's early light.
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Pamela wrote: "I still like paper. I print out each chapter. It's interesting what I "see" on the printed page that I sometimes overlook on the computer screen. I also keep that ancient steno pad next to my bed f..."Keeping a pad on a nightstand is a good habit I've yet to get into.
My problem with writing in longhand is getting carried away and not being able to decipher my own handwriting.
