Hi, SEers! You’re with Mae today, and I’ve got nothing heavy on tap—just some reminiscing which hopefully you’ll find enjoyable. Depending how long you’ve been putting pen to paper (an old expression that works for this post), you may remember some of the “technology” I’ve highlighted below.

I started writing early. I was six when I scribbled my first story on yellow tablet paper with a pencil. Scratchings eventually grew into story collections and ideas as I got older, jotted down in spiral-bound notebooks. Writing longhand was my go-to method of creating until my parents bought me a typewriter. Seriously, what fifteen-year-old asks for a typewriter for a birthday gift? Was I alone here?

I was in writer heaven! Some of you may recall the old manual machines that only functioned if you pushed the platen back after each line. If you made a mistake—trauma!