One of my favorite scenes from the movie “Misery” shows battered writer Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan), held captive by psychotic fan Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), fights back by braining Annie with a heavy, black steel typewriter. The tool that causes Paul’s problem is also the one that saves his life.
While the almost extinct typewriter is confined mostly in notary public offices, police precincts and collector’s shelves, this precursor to the computer is now seeing a revival.
Different and soothing
Recently my friends gave me a restored Clover typewriter for my birthday. Repainted a pretty shade of bubble-gum pink, it has become one of the best gifts I have ever received.
There is something different and soothing in the cadence of the typewritten word. The effort it takes to punch out each word really makes you think before you type; the sound and heavy clack of the keys, the satisfying thump of the hammers imprinting the paper with ink, the ding of the carriage return add a lyrical rhythm to your writing.
Though the typewriter has been replaced by the ease and convenience of the computer, its romanticism has lived on in the hearts of those who have used it faithfully, once upon a time, to write down thoughts, screenplays, manuscripts, the unfinished novel. Somebody like Tom Hanks, for example.
The actor recently released the Hanx Writer, an iPad app that beautifully simulates the typewriter experience on a tablet with modern conveniences. The free app contains a brief explanation from Hanks on his inspiration for creating it.
He recalls buying his first typewriter in the late ’70s and describes what he has done now: “Each one stamps into paper a permanent trail of imagination through keys, hammers, cloth and dye—a softer version of chiseling words into stone… Behold the Hanx Writer—the App (sic) that provides the ease and speed of an iPad with the sound and pace of a manual typewriter.”
It is a very apt description—Hanx Writer is a typewriter fan’s homage to a vintage writing tool.
Sleek machine
While the app is free to download, it follows the Hipstamatic model where there are add-on kits that can be purchased. The stock typewriter simulation included in the app is the Hanx Prime Select, a sleek black machine with a lighter, more even typeface, and a “shook shook” sound (it’s the one most similar to the typewriter in “Misery”).
Two additional typewriter kits are sold as in-app purchases: the Hanx 707, a pretty sea-foam green typewriter with a heavier typeface and uneven ink; and the Hanx Golden Touch, a white and gold version that is flashy and opulent, resembling something a romance novelist in the ’70s would have used while dressed in a flowing, brightly printed caftan and sipping a fruity cocktail.
Purchasing both kits under a “Writer’s Block” bundle costs $4.99 (P220).
The app seems like a gimmick at first, a novelty that one would eventually tire of. But there’s something about the Hanx Writer experience that made us finish three articles in two hours (well, also partly due to deadline pressure).
Hanx Writer is well-designed and as authentic as you can get to a digitized version of a typewriter. Currently the app exports all written material as PDF files, but we hope it can include other formats like RTF or DOC files.
As appealing as the typeface is, my editors will strangle me if I submit stories in an incompatible format with the layout software. Another alternative is to select the text you’ve written and paste it in a Word document. It’s an extra step, but just like the $4.99 I paid Tom Hanks, it’s worth it!
Hanx Writer is available for free on iOS (only iPads are supported).