The program "Writers in Conversation: Thumb-Typed Literature" of the Seoul International Writers' Festival on Sept. 14 at the cultural space Ground Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District features (from left) moderator Kim Yeondeok, Japanese poet Yumi Fuzuki, and Korean writers Woo Dayoung and Sung Haena. (Literature Translation Institute of Korea)

By Kim Seon Ah

Writing has long been considered a "special" act that many believe can be done only with a pen and notebook on a desk or sitting in front of a computer. But nowadays, more people are writing on small screens.

Smartphones allow the composition of a few lines wherever and whenever, begging the following question: "How would literature be different if people had to write only on smartphones?"

Three writers responded to this question on Sept. 14 at the program "Writers in Conversation: Thumb-Typed Literature" of the Seoul International Writers' Festival at the cultural space Ground Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District. They were Woo Dayoung and Sung Haena and Japanese poet Yumi Fuzuki.

Their experiences and opinions did not stop at "differences in tools" but showed how literature can change with the times.

Writing that embraces limits

Woo Dayoung has written novels with her smartphone for nine years. At first, she treated it like a supplementary device but due to its convenience of being accessible anytime and anywhere, it became her main tool.

"A smartphone is a dangerous tool. One wrong step can suck you into an algorithm, but the things you encounter there can also serve as a the subject of a novel," she said.

Woo called a smartphone "a contradictory contraption" that simultaneously demands writing and other pursuits, but added that this is how she found potential for creativity.

Citing experimental literature that limits the use of the alphabet as an example, she said, "Blocking something actually pushes the button of creativity."

To this author, a smartphone is a constraint, inspiration and space for new experiments in writing.


Insisting on aesthetics of slowness

Sung Haena stands on the opposite side. She handwrites her ideas, writes on a laptop and reads paper-bound books. Her inspirations scribbled densely in her notebooks are the cornerstone of her artistic world.

"Literature is slow enjoyment. I want to write each line by hand. Typing on a smartphone is even more inconvenient, but humans are creatures of adaptation, so I think I can enjoy it someday," she said.

To Sung, writing is not merely a product; speed itself is an aesthetic. "The act of writing slowly is part of literature," she said, adding that the romance of literature lies in "slowness."

Fixation on trusting tools

Yumi Fuzuki sees writing utensils as not only tools but as "companions."

"I slowly get immersed in pen and paper. My hand movements sometimes give me unexpected answers. It's as if the tool writes poems for me," she said.

She also warned of the dangers of the algorithmic era, saying, "These days, algorithms dictate a writer's perspective. If you can't keep your own perspective, your writing will soon be quickly consumed."

sofiakim218@korea.kr