How do I write?

Let’s break it down. I write with my computer, which is fashioned from various metals mined from all over the world; and from plastic, which I believe is carbon based but I know no more than that. My words are saved to a server, which effectively runs non-stop, and is powered by electricity produced most likely by the burning of either coal or oil, both irreplaceable. Human systems brought this tool, my laptop, into being: people discovered and developed electrical systems, material science, computer engineering and design, and other people funded their research. Still more people had the work of manufacturing, marketing, and assembling my laptop. I use Microsoft Word on my Apple laptop; both Bill Gates’ and Steve Jobs’ fortunes are built in part from my dollars.

I write in English, the only language in which I am fluent, having built and maintained that fluency from interaction with thousands of native English speakers; from hundreds of thousands of hours of reading English prose; and from no small amount of time watching English language television. While I have studied other languages and alphabets, I have lived primarily in English speaking communities, and this is the language of my thoughts.

I type with all ten fingers, having the bar set by two speed-typing parents and the introductory training provided in my public school third grade class. While the twenty-five monitors in that computer lab showed only green and black, my laptop monitor exhibits full color.

Finally, I write with time, love, and support: I am between jobs, and have no other immediate or pressing responsibilities calling my name exclusively. I have the love of family and community that provide sufficient encouragement and interest in my ideas. I write with time born of economic and social stability.