I recently read a book about the writers of the Jazz Age (see my forthcoming review of The Paris Wife, which tells the story of Ernest Hemingway’s wife in the 1920s). It struck me how different writing was then compared to now:

• Time: Of course, there have been writers through the ages who have written alongside working a day job, but in days gone by, writers – those who wanted to be great writers – made it their life’s work to write. They worked tirelessly, consumed by their craft. Most people who had to work for a living did not have the time to also write – feeding their family came first. And of course many would have lacked the education. But now, it is increasingly difficult to make a choice, as a young person, that you will be a writer. What will you live on? Most writers have to fit in trying to write on top of a day job, and only once your writing is bringing in enough income can you live the dream and write full-time.
• Dedication: Were the likes of Coleridge and Browning and Austen and Bronte and Joyce and Stein and Faulkner and Dickens and Beecher Stowe more dedicated to writing than modern-day writers? I think they certainly took writing very seriously, and wanted to write important books, books that made a difference and advanced the very art form of writing. Nowadays, we have so many genres and kinds of writing that one can be a more frivolous writer by choice.
• Tools: A pen and paper. A scroll and paper. A typewriter. How much more cumbersome these ways of writing must have been, but also inspiring. There is something so different about writing physically – the thought process changes; the speed slows, forcing one to  think carefully about each word; there is more need to write well the first time; there is something delightfully artistic about the act, like a painter with his canvas and palette. Of course, these days we can choose to use such tools, but we’re expected, largely, to use the computer – imagine my publisher’s dismay if I submitted a book handwritten on paper! The new way is modern and efficient. But is it a little soulless, I wonder? Has it stripped out some of the romance of writing?
• Publishing:  Forget submitting your book to hundreds of publishers, the world of yesteryear publishing was smaller, and a publisher would have to LOVE your book to take it on such was the risk of publishing a new author. Author branding did not exist in the form it does today – you were judged on your writing. But oh, to have to post your entire manuscript to a publisher! What if it got lost? Heartbreaking.

What do you think? Has writing in the 21st century galloped along into exciting territory, or lost something of its greatness? How do you prefer to write – the old-fashioned way, or with your arms flung wide to embrace technology? Would you have preferred to be an author like Beatrix Potter, who became well-loved simply for her wonderful books and their placement in book shops, or do you love modern digital marketing and systems that mean you can become a Kindle millionaire via clever use of the likes of Twitter and blogging? I would love to hear your thoughts.