Writing Tools
Whether one rights fiction or nonfiction, whether one is an accomplished writer or just trying to improve what we all have in common are the tools we use. I always have a small notebook and pen in my shirt pocket that I use to jot down ideas, one thing is for certain if you fail to write them down all that remains of them is a vague memory that you had thought of something interesting, brilliant, worth writing about, but that has now departed. Of course, it sometimes happens that "I caught this insight on the way and quickly seized the rather poor words that were closest to hand to pin it down lest it fly away again. And now it has died of these arid words and shakes and flaps in them - and I hardly know any more when I look at it how I could ever have felt so happy when I caught this bird." Friedrich Nietzche from The Gay Science section 298
The notebook is indispensable but necessarily limited to brief notes. I tried using my Handspring Palm device for more extensive notes; I even purchased a snazzy fold-up keyboard for it. My hope was that it would serve both for brief notes and longer pieces It is alas, I think, a poor solution. The best solution I have found for a portable device that serves well for longer pieces, one that I have used for a number of years, and though I have tried to improve upon it with the ill-fated palm solution, have always gone back too is my AlphaSmart. You may view this as just a crippled laptop, but it is far more than that. It is reminiscent of the first laptop the Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 some 20 years ago. It captured the heart of many a journalist; a machine treasured for its size and ease of use. I'm currently on my third AlphaSmart the model 3000
a worthy successor. I've passed my earlier AlphaSmarts along to family members, and they are still in use. The AlphaSmart has eight built in files capable of holding 100 pages of text, it has spell checking, cut copy and paste. There are add-on apps primarily designed for the education market, but everyone benefits from one of my favorite features Smartie run 700 hours on 3 AA batteries. The built-in Word Processing and Calculator meet my most important needs. Transferring text from your AlphaSmart to your PC or Mac is simple, accomplished through either a serial cable or USB with an Infrared option which I can attest works well. You hit the send button which places the text on the clipboard and then just paste into your favorite application. The unit is light no more than a couple of pounds, and is very sturdy. An adequate keyboard and four line display serve well for it's intended purpose. For those of you who want or need more AlphaSmart has just announced the Dana. This is the laptop alternative I think many have been waiting for. It runs the Palm operating system making many thousands of application available for it as well as preserving the AlphaSmart's original ease of use. The screen is 7.5 inches wide, and the length is comparable to other palm devices. The rechargeable batteries are apparently good for about 25 hours not as cool as my AlphaSmart 3000 but not bad considering what you get. I really didn't mean to make this a commercial for AlphaSmart, but I'm rather passionate about this tool. AlphaSmart doesn't make you a better writer, but it does make writing better. It was Jonathon in this post where he is discussing backups and XML that jogged my memory about tools he mentioned StoryView an interesting program for writers, perhaps they will soon release a Mac version or as they suggest Virtual PC will work until they release the Mac Version. So consider this a request of the blogging community for more posts about what writing tools work best for them.
Comments
Interestingly enough, I ended up buying something I previously thought was worthless. A digital voice recorder.
I use it constantly. I hear something I want to write about, or get an idea, and sometimes I even dicate a whole paragraph and transcribe it later.
I carry a notebook, my palm, and my palm folding keyboard at all times, but in general, recording something is much quicker, and it goes a long way to helping you remember where you want to put emphasis.
It's a small device, roughly the size of a pack of chewing gum, but it's proven invaluable as a tool to further my writing.
Well worth $55.00.
I'd never heard of the AlphaSmart and, when I checked out the Web site, was impressed with it -- fifteen years ago I wrote a review of something similar, a British device about the same size that also took AA batteries. I doubt the battery life was as good.
I bought a Palm a few years back to use as a note taking device but found it too cumbersome. Now it's just a piece of sculpture, sitting in its cradle on my desk.
I finally settled for the low tech solution: a 4 by 3 inch notebook and a retracting pencil that I take with me everywhere. Transcribing the notes is occasionally a chore but most of the time it's a relaxing way to while away an hour or so.