FAQ: How do you use your typewriters?

The question “How do you use your typewriter(s)?” pops up for me fairly frequently. Often it’s collectors who love the machines and only think of using them for writing the “Great American Novel”. However there are a variety of tasks one could use them for besides conversation pieces or functional art in the home. Below are some various recent uses I’ve made of my typewriter collection: I’ve got writing projects sitting in two different machines. I use one on my primary desk and another on the table behind it for typing up notes on index cards, recipes, my commonplace “book”, letters, and other personal correspondence. I use a few of my portables on the porch in the mornings/evenings for journaling. One machine in the hallway is for burning ideas, jokes, poetry and an occasional bit of typewriter art. I often have one in the trunk of the car for typing on the go or the impromptu busking session. One machine near the kitchen is always gamed up for adding to the ever-growing shopping…