I’ve been thinking about this too. Writing long-hand with a fountain pen, drawing with a pencil on a toothsome piece of paper, are rich sensory experiences that I have approximated with a tablet, but not matched. The speed of thought afforded by the analog instruments (tools is too blunt) is another consideration. They may act as a sort of governor on the speed.

jonnyskov:

An interesting piece on using analog technology for writing. Ever since I went back to writing my rough drafts long hand with a fountain pen, I’ve been thinking on it a lot lately. I don’t agree with everything he says in this article, but some of it is spot on. Like:

“These older, simpler tools, with all of their baggage and inefficiencies, compel us to front-load the thinking process. They necessitate a certain concentration and cognitive abstraction. They force us to measure twice. Error-correction becomes a vaguely burdensome eventuality, as it should be, rather than an omnipresent part of the creative process. The slower pace of authorship throttles the hands, allowing the mind some extra breathing room and thus more effective oversight.”