When I began writing as more than a hobby, I was in college as a journalism student. Everything I wrote I composed on a typewriter. It was a cheap piece of shit an inexpensive model, but it got the job done.
Then, somewhere in the mid- to late-80s, I bought a word processing computer. It was a Wang. (Yes, really!) It was like magic. No more need for Wite-Out or re-typing documents.
Somewhere along the line, in the early 90s (I guess), the Internet came along, with all its attendant resources and distractions. But I only used email until the late 90s, when I hopped online and began using social media.
Now, as a writer, the Internet and your own internal editor can be your worst enemy. Have you ever written something, only to go back over it and rewrite it before you move on?
There are solutions for those who miss the days of typewriters. Hemingwrite, for instance, is supposed to be “designed to reduce distraction – it doesn’t even have a menu. Instead, writers use distinctive, manual switches to change folders or manage WiFi settings, and these toggles are artfully integrated into the machine’s typewriter-inspired design.” It also automatically uploads your writing to cloud storage.
Also, if you’d like to convert your iPad into a typewriter, there’s an app for that: Typing Writer. You can find the app on iTunes, of course. Only 99 cents.
Of course, if all you’re looking for is the sound and sensibility of a typewriter, you can always try Hanx Writer, created by done other than Tom Hanks.
I won’t even get into the huge time suck that Facebook, etc., create. A rant subject for another time, perhaps?