Do you still know how to use a pen and paper?
@keelymcilwain (797)
Canada
March 12, 2010 11:56pm CST
I want to know, do we still know how to use a pen and paper? For me when I think about writing a story down or a letter my first thought is go to the computer and type it out. For me that would make things neater and I could use spell check to make all the corrections. I know I would rather have something typed up nice then have it drawn out by hand.
I do have many books tho that I keep updated with numbers, and when we contacted certain places for reference, dude dates for things, appointments, and when I want to type something I make myself sit down and write out a rough idea of what I need to type out. I do this for business documents, letters, and filing items. Not for emails, or mylotting.
Do you keep notes?
Do you think typing is over coming pen and paper?
I sometimes wish typing wasn't so important and things would be like the old days all hand written and neat. But now everything is so flashy and perfect when it's typed it sometimes makes it hard to miss the old style.
24 responses
@broery2081 (160)
• Indonesia
13 Mar 10
Not very often but, yes, I do still sit down and write a personal letter to someone. It's probably a printed out letter from my word processor. Handwritten letters or notes are indeed very rare now, but sometimes find their way into greeting cards.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112875)
• El Paso, Texas
26 Nov 19
I want to begin writing by hand especially on greeting cards.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
13 Mar 10
I agree that typing directly into a computer has taken over the art of writing using pen and paper. Although I still use it to write notes at work because I am always on the production floor, most of the time all the correspondence I do are typewritten.
I've also seen it on kids. It seems that teachers have not taken any focus on the the students handwritings. Reports that they submit are preferably typewritten.
I don't mind. I have good handwriting. Maybe in the future writing on paper will become an art. And by then, I'm way ahead.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112875)
• El Paso, Texas
26 Nov 19
Hand writing can be so hard to read depending on the person writing, mine is hard to read sometimes.
@animegirl334 (3263)
• United States
23 Mar 10
Using a pen is still very important. When I go to class and take notes, I bring a notebook and pen. There are some students that bring their laptop but there are only a few of them out of a few hundred students. I like writing more than typing and besides my handwriting suck and I would like to improve my penmanship. I don't think this is the generation that computers take over writing but I wouldn't be so sure about the next generation.
@airakumar (1553)
• India
16 Apr 10
I think this is something very funny discussion...but I would definitely response. I know how t use a pen and paper in fact I use it to write something important. No doubt, computer has hampered the use of them but still they have their own importance. Yes, I keep notes and of course typing is over pen and paper but when you are out and you don't have these facilities then pen and paper is something you use. 
@homeshoppers (6166)
• Philippines
29 Mar 10
if you undergo study then no matter what happened you will still know how to use a pen and paper. unless the person did not go to any school at all. people still need a pen and paper even in school and work or everywhere for you to sign so of course we still need it. only a stupid person doesnt know how to use it no matter how many computers they have in their house. as even if they dont write but once their signature needing then they still use pen and paper. even if you go to other country you will still going to write down something in your embarkation card unless we dont have hands anymore that stop us to write. having computer is just to make our work easy but it didnt replace the pen and paper as every one still using it.
@hofferp (4734)
• United States
13 Mar 10
I still know how to use a pen and paper, but I use the computer for almost everything now -- calendar, notes, correspondence, spreadsheets... And although I'll complain now and then about a cramp in my hand from the mouse, it's not anything like the cramps I use to get writing out a term paper in long-hand. There'll always be a use for pen and paper, just not as much as in the past.
@rebelann (112875)
• El Paso, Texas
26 Nov 19
I'm retraining myself to use pen and paper as I've nearly gone completely computer instead. My signature was suffering which is why I started doing that.
@Celanith (2327)
• United States
15 Mar 10
Yes I still use pen and paper often, I do use the computer equally but as a writer I need to see hard copy to mark edit in red then go and make changes. I use it at church to pen and paper for note taking and have a note pad in my purse with pen to jot things down. I often have an idea or thought in my head for a story or poem so having pen and paper is handy. I even write letters and send snail mail cards to people. I think pen and paper is useful for many things including home schooling my grandchhildren.
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
17 Mar 10
Nice topic to discuss.. :)
Frankly, I have forgotten to write or say, to use the pen and paper... And whenever I am compelled to write a few words on paper, I find it hard. I don't get to write things for months. I work on a computer in the office and we use pen only to sign things (thankfully, signs are still used!). That is all! We don't use pen and paper for anything else. Letter, memo or anything; they are all created on computers and printed out. It is simple and efficient and quick and neat and clean too...
Boy, I do miss using pen and paper. Rememeber it sometimes, when I am reading a book and wish to take out notes... :) Unfortunately, I have forgotten to write... I can only type with a speed of 50 words per minute... Thanks for starting this discussion... have fun!
@neildc (17239)
• Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
15 Mar 10
yes, i still know how to use a pen and paper and i still use them everyday. though there are most of the task that are now automated with the help of the computers, we still use pen and paper in some of our office work. but i do not write stories or articles with them, i do it directly with the computer.
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
18 Mar 10
Personally, I think knowing how to write with a pen and paper is still very important. We get so lost in our flashy technology sometimes that we forget how crummy it is sometimes. Computers crash. Documents delete themselves. It really sucks.
I still spend lots of time writing by hand, sometimes more than I spend writing on the computer. Computers have great benifits like spell check and nice clean fonts (that look so much better than my hand writing), but to me nothing beats filling up the pages of my journals.
@eloveriz2004 (499)
• Philippines
14 Mar 10
My mom was the first one who influenced me into writing. At early age, I've learned how to create stories and compose poems with the use of pen and paper of course. I was too quick to participate in any writing contests in our school before, luckily got recognized and awarded for my simple works. Pen and paper are the things that I can't live without - that would be my definite answer if ever asked to enumerate things that must be always present with me. Although I also do some write-ups through my PC finding it easier and faster but I still love the old way which I'm used to.
@mikoiks2 (216)
• Indonesia
23 Mar 10
wew, Of course I know how to use it. I can't forget how to use pen and paper, although I'm not school with a long time. But using pen and paper it is very easy. very simple, very fast, it not consume many place to take pen and paper in our body, you can take it on your bag, on your clothes o other. So, many people use pen and paper to work pr school, it can't forget about pen and paper.
@chenxiaoyue_713 (2165)
• China
14 Mar 10
Yeah, definitely for me. Though it's true that writing on a computer is more efficient and neater, I also use a pen and paper a lot as long time application of a computer brings great harm to our eyes.
@neelianoscet (9615)
• Philippines
13 Mar 10
Of course why not? I am still using it and not all the time i could bring with me my laptop and so everytime i need to take down a notes I write it to avoid forgetting it. I do too what you use to do and it keep me busy since staring on the computer lead to eyesore so I need to write down my thoughts then finally editing it to the computer.
@kevinll (967)
• China
14 Mar 10
Most of time I use computer to deal with writing. However I'd like to write with a pen. It is different from computer. I have note book, I write my schedule or something sometimes. I can write casual idea on note book, it is convenient. Then I will deal with it on computer.
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
14 Mar 10
Yes, I still use a pen and a paper. I'm attending a school, so I don't think I can take my laptop with me to class. I write all in a notebook, and use a pencil for it. I don't think that this method is so outdated, as all students nowadays do so too 
@mahmoud_badr (1)
•
13 Mar 10
Personally, I do use a pen and a paper for two reasons.
To put my signature on a report and to study something that needs to be memorized, Because I can not memorize something without writing my notes on it.
Otherwise I would not use the pen and paper.
But I do not like that, because I really feel that Computers and Machines are taking our places in life; that i think one day we will let the robots take will raise our kids instead of Mothers.
