Welcome to Moist Ink
a sea change
the internet has transformed how we write
Writing is undergoing an incredible transformation and democratization, a revolutionary change akin to the invention of the printing press. Before the printing press, books were produced laboriously by hand by monks or other scribes. The labor-intensive method of producing the written word made books extremely expensive and strictly the province of the wealthy elite, usually nobility. But the printing press suddenly made the written word available to the masses, which meant the masses eventually learned to read…and write. The first grammar schools (notice their name) unconnected to a church or university only came into existence after the invention of the printing press.
I started my writing career before the mass adoption of computers, before the invention of the internet, email, blogs, texting and online crowdsourced news/information sites like the Huffington Post or Quora. (I know, I’m dating myself; definitely not a millennial.) When I started, mass media—and by extension most communication—was a one-way street controlled by the gatekeepers: editors and publishers at mostly large media conglomerates (sure, there were a few small publishers of magazines and books, but their reach was small.) They decided and created what you were going to read in newspapers or magazines, or hear in the radio, or see on television.
But in the incredibly short span of 30 years, communication has gone from being controlled by a few to being available to anyone with a computer (or a smart phone) and access to the internet. We have blogs, podcasts, video sites and more. Mass communication is no longer a one-way street: people can comment, like, vote, forward and reply to online content.
With all this opportunity to write, the craft of writing has barely kept pace. Most people do not attend journalism school or get their masters in creative writing, and what we were taught in writing 101 doesn’t address the many new challenges facing us every day as we struggle to write emails, blogs, tweets, texts and more.
Moist Ink will address all these issues, and much more, with news, tips, tricks, and much more…all about writing. With the rapid pace of change it promises to be a rollercoaster; come along for the ride!
I hope you like Moist Ink. We’re happy to provide the information free as a public service. A lot of time, energy, software, hardware and more is needed to bring you Moist Ink on a regular basis. If you find this knowledge valuable, please donate so we can keep bringing you quality content. Every little bit helps. Thank you! — Charles Carlson