Today's topic is Writing Habits.
I've been thinking a lot lately about my writing habits. About how when I first started to write, I had a notebook with me everywhere, and a purse big enough to carry one in. I used Mead 70 page college ruled notebooks, like as not, because I could buy a whole box of them around the start of school and that box would usually last for most of the year.
Back then, all my stories were handwritten. I came across some of them while cleaning the basement, and flipped through a couple of notebooks. They are really interesting, because sometimes I can tell what class I was in at the time (I did math problems in the margins sometimes... and reminded myself to do my homework quite frequently.) But my point is that I carried the story around with my all the time. If I had a spare minute in class, I'd whip out the notebook. If I was riding in the car with my family on my way to a family function, I'd whip out the notebook.
This all changed when I began to do most of my work first on a word processing typewriter, then a word processor, then a computer. Oh, I still carried smaller notebooks around for notes, but I didn't write as much as I used to. I tried; I shut myself up in my room for hours on end and sat in front of the computer, but I didn't like the fact that I no longer had the option of being portable. If I went away for the weekend, or on vacation, I either had to finagle something, or not write.
The last time I went on vacation with my family, I took a notebook for whatever I was working on at the time. I got maybe seven pages written in a week; the drive just wasn't there for pen and paper like it used to be.
(Yes, some of you might point out that nothing was stopping me from going back to the notebooks. But I've found that I dislike handwriting stories anymore. I'm much faster when I use a keyboard, and the words flow much smoother than handwriting. It's easier to backtrack and delete a sentence or a paragraph, and I can type with my eyes closed if I wish to concentrate on a specific scene. Try hand writing with your eyes closed. *g*)
So, after that, the Quest began to find a way to go portable. Notebooks were pretty much out; I didn't want to spend the money for something with a battery that only lasted two hours. And notebooks include a lot of things I don't really want, like games, a modem, and everything else a desktop computer has. I only wanted a word processor. I wanted to be portable again.
So I explored the options. I evaluated QuickPads and AlphaSmarts and most of the other low-end portable word processing machines and came very close to deciding on a QuickPad before they totally destroyed all design integrity with the new QuickPad Pro, listened to what other people were using, and explored the costs. I thought about saving up for a Psion 5(?) but abandoned that idea, tried one of the smaller Compaqs with Windows CE (it stunk) and fiddled with the thought of buying a PDA. After much thought and research, I bought a Handspring Visor Deluxe and a GoType keyboard.
And all of a sudden, I'm portable again. For the past two weeks, I've rarely sat down at my desktop to write. Instead, I have typed on my back porch, at the dining room table while waiting for supper to cook, and down in the basement (when I was supposed to be cleaning... *g*) Every night, instead, of sitting in front of the computer, I've taken my Visor to bed and typed for an hour or two before falling asleep.
When I used notebooks, I used to write in bed every night if I didn't have a good book to read. After the computer, I couldn't do that anymore. I missed that winding down before bed, missed the enjoyment of working in an unorthodox place, and missed the freedom to be able to write wherever and whenever I wanted to. With the Visor, I can do all of this, and edit, in multiple files and with any story I desire to upload.
That was the selling point for me. I have seven novels in various states of completion on my Visor right now. Seven! The only thing that bugged me was the lack of formatting, but that only lasted a little while before I decided it didn't really matter, since I'll end up editing and formatting on the desktop.
And that's not all. The internet, while wonderful, is also a huge time sink. When I wrote on the computer, I'd keep my email running and stop when I received new messages. When I wrote, sometimes I'd chat, and flip back and forth between screens like a madman (or, woman, rather.) Rarely did I sit down and write without interruption from one thing or another. I'd get my words done, but they probably took a lot longer than they would have.
And I sit in front of a computer all day long. I didn't want to come home and sit in front of a computer again. I wanted to be free to write wherever and whenever and not be tied down to a desktop. Frankly, I was getting quite tired of spending ten hours or more a day in front of a computer screen. And that's the real reason I bought the Visor.
Okay. Remember me talking about my shoulder pain? Well, guess what? It's just about gone. I can't say wholly gone, because it still twinges every once in a while, but less than two weeks ago I was sitting here in actual pain. I'm not anymore. Hmm. I still maintain that was mostly stress, but I'm sure sitting in front of a computer all day and all night long didn't help. I'm actually finding that I don't want to write in front of the computer anymore. I want to write on the Visor. It's a weird feeling, but I think I like it. *g* And writing so much on the Visor now will only give me good practice for Florida when I won't have a desktop, or internet access.
Do you realize this will be the first time since 1999 that I've gone away for an extended period of time and had no internet access? Wow. The world will end. :) I intend to get a lot written, btw, and keep a journal of our trip, to post here when we return.
But anyway! I think I've finally found true portability. Now, if I just don't run out of batteries...
More later, I'm sure.
I've been thinking a lot lately about my writing habits. About how when I first started to write, I had a notebook with me everywhere, and a purse big enough to carry one in. I used Mead 70 page college ruled notebooks, like as not, because I could buy a whole box of them around the start of school and that box would usually last for most of the year.
Back then, all my stories were handwritten. I came across some of them while cleaning the basement, and flipped through a couple of notebooks. They are really interesting, because sometimes I can tell what class I was in at the time (I did math problems in the margins sometimes... and reminded myself to do my homework quite frequently.) But my point is that I carried the story around with my all the time. If I had a spare minute in class, I'd whip out the notebook. If I was riding in the car with my family on my way to a family function, I'd whip out the notebook.
This all changed when I began to do most of my work first on a word processing typewriter, then a word processor, then a computer. Oh, I still carried smaller notebooks around for notes, but I didn't write as much as I used to. I tried; I shut myself up in my room for hours on end and sat in front of the computer, but I didn't like the fact that I no longer had the option of being portable. If I went away for the weekend, or on vacation, I either had to finagle something, or not write.
The last time I went on vacation with my family, I took a notebook for whatever I was working on at the time. I got maybe seven pages written in a week; the drive just wasn't there for pen and paper like it used to be.
(Yes, some of you might point out that nothing was stopping me from going back to the notebooks. But I've found that I dislike handwriting stories anymore. I'm much faster when I use a keyboard, and the words flow much smoother than handwriting. It's easier to backtrack and delete a sentence or a paragraph, and I can type with my eyes closed if I wish to concentrate on a specific scene. Try hand writing with your eyes closed. *g*)
So, after that, the Quest began to find a way to go portable. Notebooks were pretty much out; I didn't want to spend the money for something with a battery that only lasted two hours. And notebooks include a lot of things I don't really want, like games, a modem, and everything else a desktop computer has. I only wanted a word processor. I wanted to be portable again.
So I explored the options. I evaluated QuickPads and AlphaSmarts and most of the other low-end portable word processing machines and came very close to deciding on a QuickPad before they totally destroyed all design integrity with the new QuickPad Pro, listened to what other people were using, and explored the costs. I thought about saving up for a Psion 5(?) but abandoned that idea, tried one of the smaller Compaqs with Windows CE (it stunk) and fiddled with the thought of buying a PDA. After much thought and research, I bought a Handspring Visor Deluxe and a GoType keyboard.
And all of a sudden, I'm portable again. For the past two weeks, I've rarely sat down at my desktop to write. Instead, I have typed on my back porch, at the dining room table while waiting for supper to cook, and down in the basement (when I was supposed to be cleaning... *g*) Every night, instead, of sitting in front of the computer, I've taken my Visor to bed and typed for an hour or two before falling asleep.
When I used notebooks, I used to write in bed every night if I didn't have a good book to read. After the computer, I couldn't do that anymore. I missed that winding down before bed, missed the enjoyment of working in an unorthodox place, and missed the freedom to be able to write wherever and whenever I wanted to. With the Visor, I can do all of this, and edit, in multiple files and with any story I desire to upload.
That was the selling point for me. I have seven novels in various states of completion on my Visor right now. Seven! The only thing that bugged me was the lack of formatting, but that only lasted a little while before I decided it didn't really matter, since I'll end up editing and formatting on the desktop.
And that's not all. The internet, while wonderful, is also a huge time sink. When I wrote on the computer, I'd keep my email running and stop when I received new messages. When I wrote, sometimes I'd chat, and flip back and forth between screens like a madman (or, woman, rather.) Rarely did I sit down and write without interruption from one thing or another. I'd get my words done, but they probably took a lot longer than they would have.
And I sit in front of a computer all day long. I didn't want to come home and sit in front of a computer again. I wanted to be free to write wherever and whenever and not be tied down to a desktop. Frankly, I was getting quite tired of spending ten hours or more a day in front of a computer screen. And that's the real reason I bought the Visor.
Okay. Remember me talking about my shoulder pain? Well, guess what? It's just about gone. I can't say wholly gone, because it still twinges every once in a while, but less than two weeks ago I was sitting here in actual pain. I'm not anymore. Hmm. I still maintain that was mostly stress, but I'm sure sitting in front of a computer all day and all night long didn't help. I'm actually finding that I don't want to write in front of the computer anymore. I want to write on the Visor. It's a weird feeling, but I think I like it. *g* And writing so much on the Visor now will only give me good practice for Florida when I won't have a desktop, or internet access.
Do you realize this will be the first time since 1999 that I've gone away for an extended period of time and had no internet access? Wow. The world will end. :) I intend to get a lot written, btw, and keep a journal of our trip, to post here when we return.
But anyway! I think I've finally found true portability. Now, if I just don't run out of batteries...
More later, I'm sure.
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