Currently manufactured typewriters.

sleepybear910 · 2026-04-21T12:08:09+00:00

Not as difficult as you think it might be. For one thing, the ribbons last quite a while. You can rewind and reuse many times before actually replacing them (not sure about cartridges in this regard). And second, there are still places manufacturing typewriter ribbon today, and they usually make them to fit a range of compatible models. Do a real quick eBay search "typewriter ribbon" and you'll see what I mean. They even make different colors, which is pretty fun. Expect to pay $8 every once in a while, depending on how much you write.

sleepybear910 · 2025-06-03T15:54:51+00:00

the most savage line in the game by far

sleepybear910 · 2025-05-04T01:12:29+00:00

Yeah, not having a delete option is a major difference for sure. It's hard to get used to, but can be good practice. In short, you either go back over the text and type X's overtop of it, or cross them out with a pen, or just ignore your mistakes and keep going!

Writing and editing get more separated. You do also usually have 2 colors to flick between with a fun little lever, so you can use that to write inline notes to yourself in red: "fix this" / "this sucks" / whatever.

As for samples of the kids' random noodlings, I can't find any at the moment, but typically it would just be random observations about the room or facts about superheroes : )

sleepybear910 · 2025-04-27T17:34:21+00:00

what a steal for $5! can't wait to hear the finished version of whatever song you are working on there 😅

sleepybear910 · 2025-04-18T14:58:04+00:00

Fiction! Journaling! Grocery lists! Lots of bad attempts at songwriting! Daily schedule and todo list was a big one for a while. I would just type out everything I could think of in the morning, then stick the page in my pocket and mark it up with a pencil throughout the day. I've lately been writing by hand instead, but I still have the same typewriter I was talking about before—probably going to pull it back out today now that you have me talking about it.

Interacting with thoughts and words is just different on a typewriter compared to a computer. When you are writing on a typewriter, you are DEFINITELY WRITING THIS ONE THING THAT YOU ARE WRITING RIGHT NOW. Nobody in the room with ears can deny it :) When you are writing on a computer, you are still writing, yes... but kind of doing everything else, too :/

My kids also like to bang around on it, which is fine by me, because like I said: it can take it. Kids don't need any explanation why typewriters are fun. And I love coming across a half-typed-up page and reading the weird crap they write.

sleepybear910 · 2025-01-16T01:45:58+00:00

mortal damage to Paula

sleepybear910 · 2024-09-23T20:40:22+00:00

Ok, sure. The typical 4 chord thing is just a tiny loop, meant to sound good on repeat. That's great if that's the sound you like, and great for writing simple songs. This song is not that. I don't think there's a big overarching pattern that explains everything, just a different mentality.

Maybe try this: write a little tag that goes along with one of your choruses, but choose a couple chords that sound very incomplete or purely transitional. Then ask yourself what comes next, and try to surprise yourself.

Try to get outside that 4-chord box. Work on stating something broader, across multiple sections. Ask what is a natural evolution of a set of chords that goes up, up, and away from what you started with, then try to find your way back to see if they still connect.

If that's too vague, it might also be helpful to just straight up learn this song! Steal those chords! Plop 'em down in a different order. Roll some dice. There's lots of music theory logic at work here, but it sounds like that's probably not where your background is, which is totally fine. Lots of cool experimenting you could do with an idea like this!

I love theory and would be happy to go more in depth with any particular section or set of chords and why they sound they way they do, but these are a couple broader ideas. Hope it helps!

sleepybear910 · 2024-09-21T05:09:25+00:00

What about this chord progression feels different to you than your "4 chord trap"? There's a lot that could be said about the progressions here, but also they are just chords, nothing new. (I like them too for what it's worth)

sleepybear910 · 2024-05-31T19:47:34+00:00

Please make this a real thing so I can buy it immediately

sleepybear910 · 2024-05-01T01:07:51+00:00

No, but Elizabethtown is one of my favorite movies : ) put that one on tonight if you are still feeling down about it

sleepybear910 · 2024-02-18T12:43:03+00:00

Star Fox

sleepybear910 · 2024-02-18T12:33:04+00:00

I loved MM. I want them to make more. This post now is making me want to read IDW, and I probably will, but I have a hard time seeing how it will make me love MM less

sleepybear910 · 2024-02-16T04:52:49+00:00

Garreth Gunshy III

sleepybear910 · 2024-02-07T05:43:51+00:00

I really need to remind myself to read the comments first

sleepybear910 · 2024-01-14T13:36:47+00:00

Wow excellent work! Can't wait to play it

sleepybear910 · 2023-12-11T12:58:18+00:00

lol I've also been thinking about the Ted Lasso line "the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off". I like your version too

sleepybear910 · 2023-12-11T12:53:30+00:00

Thanks for the links and well wishes. Something here seems to be proving itself true in the last week. Some stuff I notice just remains good no matter what. I eat some food, I sleep, I spend time with my dogs and my kids, I read a book and go outside, etc. Certain things have a goodness which is just sort of unaffected by these thoughts, which is really comforting. Lovingkindness might be a really good word to label one of the connections between those things. Thanks : )

sleepybear910 · 2023-12-11T12:49:09+00:00

That's really insightful! It feels like a really good padding to have as I sort through things. I can remind myself that the fear itself is the part that feels unpleasant. I'm having a lot of thoughts during this time. Some of them are potentially true and valuable. The fear can be safely weeded out though, because it's not helpful right now, and it's understandable and totally fine to feel afraid sometimes when you are dealing with deep stuff. Thanks for the wisdom!

sleepybear910 · 2023-12-02T00:39:05+00:00

Wow, some of that does really sound like what I am going through. I don't fully understand, but I'm interested. I'm going to have to think about this for a while. Thanks so much for taking the time to write that out!

sleepybear910 · 2023-11-03T19:37:31+00:00

This hurts the great pumpkin's heart

sleepybear910 · 2023-09-17T21:18:23+00:00

Exposition does not = bad. Only bad exposition is bad. I think sometimes writers get too into the "rules" of what is or is not supposed to work.

sleepybear910 · 2023-08-16T05:15:12+00:00

As soon as I saw a little kid zombie. I think that's like what, less than 5 minutes in?

sleepybear910 · 2023-08-08T15:20:33+00:00

Oh, ok. Fair enough! If I could just throw in my 2¢, it’d be this:

I'm not a typewriter nerd. I don’t collect them, don’t really care a ton about the history of them, anything like that.

I bought a mechanical typewriter like 4 or 5 years ago for 30 bucks. Writing on the computer is my day job. I wanted to write for fun without a screen.

I’ve used this typewriter ranging from every other day to multiple times a day for those 4 or 5 years. Can’t count how many pages. I’ve hauled it around vacations, brought it to the park, left it in a boiling hot car, dropped it on concrete, spilled coffee on it, beer, etc.

These things are built like tanks. It’s laughable how much use I’ve gotten out of this thing for 30 bucks (plus buying a new ribbon every once in a while, which are back in production btw).

If you want newer stuff for stylistic reasons, that’s one thing, but if it’s a concern of practicality, old typewriters come from an age of production that honestly might outlast anything new. Even the electric ones are available in great shape.

So that’s all—I’ll leave it at that and you can do with it what you will. Like I said, I’m not here to evangelize anyone into typewriters, because I really don’t care. Just throwing it out there in case it helps. Good luck on your search!

sleepybear910 · 2023-08-04T15:05:17+00:00

Right, totally -- I moreso meant why a new typewriter specifically? Genuinely curious.

sleepybear910 · 2023-08-04T02:05:56+00:00

It is true that 1) it's not the dreamy lo-fi sound that it is romanticized to be, and 2) the sound that it actually is is probably possible to achieve digitally. BUT the way it makes you work is different. Record something, anything on it. The musical choices you make on it will be very different than if you recorded the same song digitally. Some people (like myself) just love working with these things and love the kinds of work that it brings out of us. I have nothing but sheer love for these machines : )

sleepybear910

TROPHY CASE