January 11, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about wet ink. It can be artistic, writerly or something completely off-the-wall. Go where the prompt leads.
The Pen is Not Mightier Than the Tablet
Billy’s world seemed futuristic to his grandpa. All he ever did was touch a screen. Grandpa pulled a pen out of his pocket and held it out for him.
“What is this? How do you turn it on?” Billy scrunched up his face as he inspected what he was given.
“That is a pen. You use it to write. This is how you turn it on.” Grandpa clicked the pen as if it would magically bring his grandson the urge to use it to write.
“No, thanks,” he said handing him back the pen and turning to his tablet.
Writing In The Deep 
16 responses to “Flash Fiction: The Pen is Not Mightier Than the Tablet”
I know this problem well, my grandsons treat me the same.
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As a former teacher, I was seeing technology slowly taking over classrooms. It’s just a matter of time before students won’t use pens or pencils anymore.
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Yes I think so….I can see a time when text books as we know them will disappear and kids will sign up to receive what they need on their tablets.
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Some schools already do that. Technology is great but sometimes it seems like it replaces things that never needed replacing.
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I know here every kid uses a tablet at school, its part of their equipment now. Some years ago they tried to use laptops in a public exam and the kids complained about the noise of so many fingers hitting the keyboards…doesn’t always work does it, so public exams here are all handwritten, much to the horror of those of us who had to mark them.
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The school I worked for was all digital for tests and grades.
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I think you are quite right. Writing will become a thing of the past. It will be a lost art in itself.
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I agree with your sentiments. And I heard the click of the pen clearly in the flash, a sound that is the uncorking of imagination. I would certainly miss that sound.
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Ha ha ha. We’re all like that Grandpa now.
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I still get excited to buy pens… Interesting how it changes but I think what remains is how we use creativity t express our ideas and connect. Hopefully, that continues!
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[…] The Pen is Not Mightier Than the Tablet by Heather Gonzalez […]
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Poor gramps 😦 I think nowadays the only people who truly appreciate pens are writers who need to have one (along with a slip of paper) to jot down thoughts and story ideas.
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This may be true. I used to love writing by hand. Now everything is on my phone or laptop. Times have definitely changed.
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This reminds me of those printed signs on electronic signature pads: Please only use stylus…
Your story did not go there, but I thought of it in associating pens and tablets in the same tale.
Yours is very true of kids these days.
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I thought about incorporating a stylus but with the amount of words I felt what I ended up writing was the better option. I wanted to show the divide in generations due to technology. It was less about the pen and more about how technology changes with each generation. I grew up without a cell phone and didn’t have the internet until I was 13. My own children cannot relate to my childhood. My parents used type writers and my dad remembers getting their first tv instead of a radio. I cannot relate. It is amazing how far we have come.
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Very true. We’re actually the same age, according to your bio. (And, we have four children, and married young).
I try to give my children similar situations to my childhood, in limiting their screen time. They will never develop the same perspective, however, with instant answers to questions and ever-present screens -even when they are not personally on one.
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