Home
>
Writing
>
You Cant Always Believe What You See On Your Computer Screen

You Cant Always Believe What You See On Your Computer Screen

You may not remember this, but in the early days of the personal computer, many industry insiders were predicting a paperless society.

Of course, this hasn't happened. In fact, we use more paper today than we ever did before computers.

This has happened because computers have made creating everything from e-mails to articles to business plans so easy that there's been an explosion in document creation. Naturally, we decide some of these documents need saving. How do we save them? We print them out, and file them.

For example, when I finish a short story or an article or a novel, I not only save it on disk, I save a hardcopy that goes into a filing cabinet. You might do this, too.

But that's not the only time I print out a copy of my work. In fact, before a story or novel is finished, I might print it out as many as five or six times.

Why?

Because I've learned that I can't always trust what I see on my computer screen.

Sounds bizarre, I know. But believe me, it's true.

I discovered this the hard way, after the rejection of what I had believed was a solid short story.

Getting rejected is part of the business of being a writer. It happens to all of us. Most of the time, I don't think twice about it. I just submit to the next publisher and get back to work on something else. If a story gets rejected three or four times, then I sit up and pay attention. Because that's a sign there might be a problem.

But I was convinced this particular story had been good. So I printed out a copy and took it to lunch with me.

This was a story I had written and edited completely on screen. Words were words, after all. What did it matter if I wrote and edited on screen or in print?

Apparently, it mattered a great deal.

I discovered sentences that made no sense. Transitions that were clumsy. Words that were undeniably the wrong choice. It was stunning how different this story was from the story I had read on my computer screen.

Of course, they weren't any different. They were exactly the same.

But it was like seeing the forest on a bright sunny day as opposed to a foggy overcast morning. Every broken branch, every twisted knothole was suddenly clear and unmistakable.

I couldn't imagine a reasonable explanation for this. I still can't. But whenever I had the opporunity to talk with another writer, I asked if he or she had experienced anything similar.

To a person, they had all come to the same conclusion: you can't trust what you see on the computer screen. You have to print out a hardcopy and edit your work on paper.

As I said, I can't offer you an explanation. I can only tell you that it's true. Write your first draft on the computer. And for every draft after that ... print it out and mark it up directly on the paper. Your writing will be better for it.

If you don't believe me, try testing it for yourself.

You'll be shocked at the results you get.

David B. Silva
The Successful Writer
http://thesuccessfulwriter.com

recurring cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

You Cant Always Believe What You See On Your Computer Screen

Writing