Writing letters has become a think of the past, now everything is typed. Unfortunately, there is no emotion in typed words. Hand writing a letter can have several benefits including not needing electricity. This art allows people to express emotions in ways that computers can’t. Although typing and writing a letter will get the same message across, hand written letters can tell an expert, not only what this person is saying in the paper but also what they were feeling when the paper was written, what their personality is like and even how shy a person is. In the world of today computers have taken the place of all of that. Hand writing is better than typing. If a person was to write the words “I am happy”, a writing analyst could tell if this statement was true or not; if it’s typed analyst could never know.
Typing is cold; it has no emotion. For example, the art of an angry letter: when someone would get mad they would right down all their angry feelings and thoughts on paper and throw it away or even burn it. Computers don’t allow those feelings to be expressed, sure the letter could be typed up, but it’s just not as satisfying to click the exit button as it is the crumple up a piece of paper. Another good example is a love letter. A guy can type up the most beautiful love letter that a woman has ever read, but in the end it can’t compare to the emotion put into a beautiful cursive letter. “I love you” can make a heart flutter on a printed piece of paper or in a text message, but seeing it written in the handwriting of a loved one has the power to bring tears into young lady’s eyes. If a wife hadn’t seen a husband in years because he was in the army and she got a letter from him the first thing she would do after reading it is hug it close to her chest, something she couldn’t really do to a computer screen. A woman can keep old love letters in a shoebox for decades, if she were to save them to a computer or email address and lose the addressor have something go wrong with the computer, those letters could be gone forever.
Computers have made things easier on writers. They no longer have to write word for word a quote, they can simply copy and paste. People don’t need to know proper spelling and grammar either, everything from cell phones to IPods have auto correct. The bad part about this is it has a large impact on hand writing, proper grammar, and spelling. When the time comes where the only choice is to write by hand they may not be able to correctly due to the computer fixing all their previous errors. In a random survey of people for the age of sixty-three to nine, ninety five percent of them say they would rather type on the computer than write a paper. When asked why the answers where all the same; it’s easier. The issue with that is it also affects the memory less. It’s proven that “Handwriting improves your ability to recall information” where as typing is much more mechanical (McNichol 304). As long as someone knows what their writing and where the letters are they can get by. When elementary teachers are giving spelling test the most popular way of memorizing the words is taking the word over and over until the student know it by heart. Some scientists believe this is because students aren’t memorizing the word or the letters but the motion the letter makes as they write it. The brain memorizes the motion of each letter when we first learn to write and making word is simple putting multiple motions together to form word then space out the groups of motions to express a thought.

Another difference is “Notepads don’t suffer from computer viruses, crash, or irritating pop-up ads from websites. You can write anytime as well. No need to boot up a computer. Just make sure your pencils are sharp or your pens are full and you should be all good” (mindhacks1). No matter what is going on in one’s life once they’ve been educated, all they need is something to write with and the world is their paper. Whether its spray paint on a way of calligraphy someone can almost feel the author’s mood just looking at the appearance. Computers don’t have this gift. The only art a computer can show lies within the words.

Along with the before mentioned points, computers are also expensive. A cheap computer can still be hundreds of dollars. If it happens to break down or get a virus getting it repaired correctly could cost anywhere from twenty dollars to a couple hundred dollars. No matter how good someone’s finances are, no one wants to pay money to keep their life, that’s exactly what would happen if everything important was typed and saved to your computer. On the other hand, at a dollar store someone can buy a notebook and pencil for fewer than two dollars and unless there is a fire an organized person can keep up with a notebook for years.


Even though there are many differences between typing and writing something by hand, there are many similarities. Writing by hand and typing both require thought and passion. Even with as little emotion as there is in typed writing, compared to written, there is great passion. A poem about a close friend will still bring back memories from the past. They are both art, a story that a movie could never compare to. When someone says “the movie was better than the book”, it’s not because the movie was bad, it was simply because the movie removed what made the book personal. Because no matter if it’s written or printed, when a book becomes someone’s favorite book, it’s because they made a connection.

Along with the passion in writing is something beautiful: thought. The point of writing is to express thoughts and opinions. The words of the great Shakespeare would have been lost to us. His words both written and typed have affected millions. The words on the page have the same meaning as the words on the computer screen. All words are written for a reason, whether it’s to entertain or to release anger, all words have a reason.

There are many differences and similarities between writing by hand and writing on the computer, but nothing can take the place of a good old fashion letter.