How technology is the BEST aid for writers

My great Uncle once asked me if I found it satisfying to put pen to paper when I write. I answered with “for the first ten minutes, perhaps, then I get bored”. The truth is, I rarely write on paper, its slow, inefficient and frustrating when you make a mistake. For those who don’t know me, will not be aware that my handwriting is so slow and messy that I am allowed the use of a computer to type on for exams (yes my handwriting is *that* slow).

However it is not just me that technology helps, most writers in fact, use laptops or computers. For one simple reason, it is much faster to type than to write.

While typing may be the main aid for a writer, there are others. Social media being the biggest. A well used phrase “writer’s platform” explains the need for social media almost immediately. In a time when creators can build up huge followings and audiences using social media, it makes sense that this can only help writers and non-writers alike. The power of a large social media following is evident in the case of Zoe Sugg a.k.a Zoella, a famous YouTuber. With over ten million subscribers to her channel, she is not a writer, despite that her debut novel broke the record for the highest ever first-week sales for a debut author, it was the fastest selling book of 2014 and as of April 2015 had sold over 344 000 copies.

Technology also helps writers in other ways, as readers. Kindles and other e-readers have enabled what I like to call “binge reading”, in which the user can instantly download another book right after finishing one. Most people know this: good writers are good readers. E-readers enable reading like never before, becoming more affordable and giving instant access to thousands of books. Furthermore, writers are able to entrap readers in series, as fans can instantly start reading the next book in the series.

So while some may stick to their guns with their paperback copies of books, and writing on paper, I accept technology as being a tool that has revolutionised the literary world.