The Simplist Software Might Save Your Sanity

Remember when writing meant just... writing?

Before AI assistants offered to "enhance" your prose, cloud-based platforms threatened to reorganize your files without asking, and pop-ups started suggesting you might like to collaborate with strangers on your personal memoir?

I really enjoyed reading Kyle Chayka's brilliant piece in The New Yorker about how much he loves writing with TextEdit. It’s a bare-bones Mac app that has been sitting on your desktop since the '90s. You’ve probably been ignoring it like the breadmaker you bought during Covid quarantine.

Chyaka talks about how while the tech world races toward AI everything everywhere all at once, some people are moving in the opposite direction. Back to old school simplicity, including print books, flip-phones, and software that does exactly what it is supposed to do and nothing more.

TextEdit doesn't judge your first draft or autocorrect your intentional sentence fragments. It just sits there, blank and patient, like a loyal golden retriever waiting for you to throw the ball.

Is it possible that the best writing tool is the one that gets out of your way?

Hit “reply” and let me know what you think.

Aloha,

MeiMei

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Try Low Tech Writing

Open the simplest writing app on your computer, such as TextEdit, or just pick up a physical notebook and pen or pencil. 

Set a timer for 15 minutes. 

Write without stopping, without editing, without any AI assistance. Just you and the blank page, the way it used to be.

Notice what happens. You might just find your truest voice in the stripped-down simplicity.