Alan Davies

We are ten years in.

I wanted our life without writing to really settle past the shock.

Dominic, every time a new gadget shows up, people declare RIP writing.

When I started life without writing, we had enough written material to stretch to the moon and back several times over.

And I've kept it all.

Would those suddenly become the ultimate treasure?

We've had 10 years without writing and smart tech is limping along and some authoritarian government saying we better gather all the books up because we need to look after them.

Now we're 100 years in.

And does it mean also that the elders will be important?

A hundred years into life without writing, describe the art scene for me.

We've got this no-writing education system.

How well can we tackle the really big problems of the world without writing?

I'm genuinely relieved I've still got a pen and now you can have your job back.

But tell me, what did you actually enjoy about a life without writing?

There's a legend from ancient Mesopotamia about two kings trying to strike a deal.

One of them insists on a little fun first.

Solve my riddles, then we trade.

A messenger had to act as a human voicemail, but without a record button, shuttling back and forth, memorising the riddle one way, the answer the other.

Eventually, the riddles got so twisted, his memory just snapped.

So the king grabbed a handful of wet clay, pressed the words into it,