I love the idea of using a typewriter, but what on Earth do you do about editing? RE-TYPE the WHOLE manuscript? Ugh!
I hear that from people all the time. I’m no tech guru, but it really isn’t so difficult. The key (pun intended) is optical character recognition (OCR). Virtually all smart devices and all-in-one printers have OCR capability—that is, the ability to take a picture or scan a document as editable text.
I type first drafts on one of my workhorse typewriters—a 1951 Smith-Corona Silent or 1956 Remington Quiet Riter (yes, “riter” is how Remington spells “writer”). If I’m feeling saucy, I might use my 1937 Royal Model O. Though the Model O lacks some of the creature comforts of the 1950s, such as tabulation. Whenever I finish writing for the day, the typed pages are OCR scanned into the computer.
For revision, I like to mark up printed hard copies. When I have notes or new material to add that just won’t fit in the margin, I write a number with an arrow. I use the same number to type up the corresponding material. A little clunky? Maybe. But it keeps me away from the computer for much of the process. And it’s fun.