The weight of a keystroke

In February 2024, I opened an account on 750words.com — a private journal for free-writing, where the goal is simple: write at least 750 words, every day.

As I typed, I noticed a short lag between pressing a keyboard key and the letter appearing on screen. The lag was subtle, but erratic enough to start grabbing my attention. With each keystroke, the lag glared stronger.

To be fair, I was writing on a web page. Lags and hiccups are to be expected. But within minutes, this subtle lag hijacked my focus. I struggled writing from that point on, until something interesting happened...I started liking the lag. It reminded me of a typewriter. There’s something nice about typewriters.

I used a typewriter as a kid. When I pressed a key, two things happened. First, the metal arm moved up to stamp the letter onto the paper. Then, the carriage moved the page to the left. The whole mechanics lasted one second. One second that held all the weight and finality of each letter I stamped onto a piece of paper. That second — and the sounds it made — is why I liked typewriters.

Revisiting this memory changed how I see the lag. It was no longer a glitch that annoyed me, but a mark that assured me. A mark that confirms the word I wrote, or the thought I wanted to share. A signal that says this is done.

There’s weight to it.