But in the MacBook Air’s perfection as a writer’s machine, it just as silently, just as elegantly robs me of the crutch of imperfect tools to explain my own mediocrity. The MacBook Air might be the perfect laptop for a writer, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m not nearly as suited to the task of writing as it is."
-John Brownlee, Unevenly Distributed
I am, of course, a fan of the Mac, as it would apear are some of those who visit this space from time to time (Hello, Denmark!). In some ways, they do have a "silent elegance" that "addresses every demand — both spoken or unspoken, both realized and unrealized". And that, I suppose, is why they are seemingly quite popular.
But neither this post, nor the passage above, is really about Macs.
Allow me to repeat part of this quote, as I feel it will help highlight its capability to inspire awe: "The crutch of imperfect tools to explain my own mediocracy".
Writing, for me, like the author of the above passage, has often been a rather difficult task. This post alone, a brief enough one at that, has been two days in the making, and longer-form work can be down right painful.
Nevertheless, writing (and it's counterpart, reading) have almost always been important element in my own life. In particular, this last year, when I finally made some sustained effort to write in a voice and venue not strictly academic. The written word has become, in both the production and the consumption, a source of great comfort, and great elation. Recall, perhaps, the transiency of writing in the snow, or the simple joy of storytelling. Indeed, when I contemplated adding a series of photos to this space, I decided against it, as it had been resurrected a a place to write.
Writing is not, however, as easy as it seems. 300 words in a blog post is not to severe a task. 5000 words on the normative masculinity of Catholic saints, perhaps, is a little more daunting. 65000 words for a dissertation, more daunting yet. Word count, of course, is not the all and end all of a writing task. Personally, the more I care about the piece, the more I think that the piece represents me, as a writer, the harder it is. Agonizing over simple word choice. Worrying that it is getting away from me, losing focus. These are the hardest pieces to write, even if they are only 300 words.
I do not often see my Mac as a crutch, disguising the mediocracy of my own ability as a writer. But I do understand where that writer of those words is coming from, and why, on somedays, he might feel that way.
But neither this post, nor the passage above, is really about Macs.
Allow me to repeat part of this quote, as I feel it will help highlight its capability to inspire awe: "The crutch of imperfect tools to explain my own mediocracy".
Writing, for me, like the author of the above passage, has often been a rather difficult task. This post alone, a brief enough one at that, has been two days in the making, and longer-form work can be down right painful.
Nevertheless, writing (and it's counterpart, reading) have almost always been important element in my own life. In particular, this last year, when I finally made some sustained effort to write in a voice and venue not strictly academic. The written word has become, in both the production and the consumption, a source of great comfort, and great elation. Recall, perhaps, the transiency of writing in the snow, or the simple joy of storytelling. Indeed, when I contemplated adding a series of photos to this space, I decided against it, as it had been resurrected a a place to write.
Writing is not, however, as easy as it seems. 300 words in a blog post is not to severe a task. 5000 words on the normative masculinity of Catholic saints, perhaps, is a little more daunting. 65000 words for a dissertation, more daunting yet. Word count, of course, is not the all and end all of a writing task. Personally, the more I care about the piece, the more I think that the piece represents me, as a writer, the harder it is. Agonizing over simple word choice. Worrying that it is getting away from me, losing focus. These are the hardest pieces to write, even if they are only 300 words.
I do not often see my Mac as a crutch, disguising the mediocracy of my own ability as a writer. But I do understand where that writer of those words is coming from, and why, on somedays, he might feel that way.
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