What hardware do you use?

Kirby · Sep 13, 2008

I thought it would be interesting to see what typing/writing instruments you use.

I keep a pen and paper by my bedside for those 3 a.m. fits of inspiration and an Asus Eee PC loaded with XP Pro and Word 2007 in my purse at all times. It weighs maybe two pounds and is the size of a paperback, but yet it has touch typing (not recommended for people with big fingers). Google the Eee if you're curious. I love mine and recommend it to all of my writer friends. Of course, I keep my manuscript and other writings on a jump drive and e-mail my writings to myself for backup.

What do you all do?

Polenth · Sep 13, 2008

My main memory storage is my brain. I can remember notes and outlines in my head for months (or longer). So the need for portable writing equipment is small. I can wait till I'm back at my computer. I do write on paper sometimes when I'm out and about.

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc · Sep 13, 2008

I type usually, I find it hard sometimes to explain my thoughts through words, so I use my head to remember most things.

Although if I've thought of a nice way to phrase something, I'll write it down with pen and paper (keep that by my bed and numerous other places).

It seems, though, that I always get my best ideas in the shower. How convienent.

SPMiller · Sep 13, 2008

Of course, I keep my manuscript and other writings on a jump drive and e-mail my writings to myself for backup.

What do you all do?

That's exactly what I do to backup my electronic files, and I recommend it as an excellent strategy. By maintaining copies on various media in multiple physical locations, you're vastly decreasing the probability of data loss.

I handwrite all my brainstorming and most of my fiction, and later type it into electronic documents (Word or RTF, primarily), revising as I go.

Darzian · Sep 13, 2008

Well I did all my planning (around 20ish A4 sheets) on paper. They're near my bed. I usually sketch out ideas on them too.

I use a normal PC for typing of course. MS Word 2007.

I back up each night to my Flash Drive. I don't trust my Hard Drive. I'm very sorry to say this but if I lost all my work due to multiple electronic computer failure then I'd likely never write it again. The thought is unbearable. As much as I like writing, I don't like writing the same thing all over again!

benbradley · Sep 13, 2008

Model M.

SPMiller · Sep 13, 2008

benbradley said:
Model M.

Now I know what it's like to be in the same building as you while you're typing...

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK

nicolen · Sep 13, 2008

Pen and notebook in my bag for those times when I'm waiting for a bus or having a coffee etc.

Pen and notebook in my bedroom for those just about to fall asleep moments of inspiration.

Laptop in the living room with MS Office 2007 and Open Office loaded on it - I prefer Open Office while I'm writing, but use Office for editing since I love Track Changes.

grrrrrshon · Sep 13, 2008

I have a dell vostro 1400. I bought it for $374, and its been awesome.

kuwisdelu · Sep 13, 2008

My writing instruments of choice are my MacBook with Pages, a fifth of gin, and a liter of Johnnie Walker Black. Throw in some lime juice, a pack of Gauloises, and a few 180g vinyls with speakers screaming and you've got some damn good storytelling.

Bartholomew · Sep 13, 2008

Bottled ink and an old goose feather. Occasionally, I'll upgrade from general tissue to Kleenex.

Norton · Sep 14, 2008

I handwrite the first draft.
Then I type the final version of manuscript on laptop or PC with MS Word 2003, Q10 or Abiword.

Dale Emery · Sep 14, 2008

Mac Pro. MacBook Air.

I'm new to Mac (less than 2 months) so I'm still sorting out software. Pages (writing). Scrivener (planning, writing). SuperNotecard (planning). Mori (unorganized notes). MindManager (brainstorming, outlining).

Various Moleskine notebooks. Uniball Jetstream pens.

Olympus DM-10 digital recorder. Shower. Prius. Bed + Pillows.

Dale

Darzian · Sep 14, 2008

Norton said:
I handwrite the first draft.
Then I type the final version of manuscript on laptop or PC with MS Word 2003, Q10 or Abiword.

Handwrite! Wow. Isn't that slow? Typing is so much faster!!! But I suppose you have to think a lot before writing each sentence....hmmm in that case writing would be more green!

tehuti88 · Sep 14, 2008

I never get fits of inspiration in the middle of the night. :/ I just wake up, mull over the weird dream I just had, go to the bathroom, and go back to bed!

And I don't tend to get fits of inspiration during the day, either. I'll just get a small idea and mull it over and mull it over and mull it over until there's little chance of forgetting it, and if I like it and find a spot for it it goes into a future story. Plus I don't go many places. So...carrying note-taking things around with me wouldn't serve any purpose.

To answer the original question...I just use a regular PC. Or a pencil and paper if I really have to (which I try to avoid since it would be too slow and I'd have to type it up again anyway). Anything else is unnecessary. I've never understood why people need to use brand-name notebooks and pens and such to write with, but to each his own. *shrug*

It'd be nice to have a laptop, though. *sigh*

Maryn · Sep 14, 2008

I still do virtually all my writing on my desktop computer. I carry a pen and paper, but it's probably been five years since I needed it to record something writing-related.

A part of me imagines writing by hand, with a glass of wine at my side and a roaring fire at my feet, but the reality is pretty different. I've tried writing by hand and it simply isn't for me. Neither is writing in any public place.

Maryn, hermit

Chasing the Horizon · Sep 14, 2008

I do the majority of my writing on my iBook clamshell (it's green and it has a handle!). I also have an old PowerBook 2400 that I use sometimes (it's so little and cute). Sometimes I'll make some notes on my PowerBook G4 just because I happen to already have it on and in front of me. Of course, I use the computers and some flash drives to back each other up so I can never lose anything.

I haven't written anything except a few telephone numbers and grocery lists with a pen for three years (that was when I lost a poem I'd written in a notebook and swore I would never hand-write anything ever again). If I have an idea and don't have a computer around (a rare thing, I carry a computer almost everywhere with me), I just remember it until I'm with my computers again.

Matera the Mad · Sep 14, 2008

I use paper to take notes at staff meetings. At home, about the only thing I use a pen for (besides word-games in the bathroom) is shopping lists. I couldn't write one hundredth as much as I do without my PC. I don't print much either, it would be pointless because I can't afford the amount of paper I would need using a readable-size font. I wuv my wittle computer

Backups go onto CDs off and on, with a couple of USB sticks handling small day-to-day jobs. I have two hard drives too, and my main work goes in a sneakret directory in my website too.

Dale Emery · Sep 14, 2008

Matera the Mad said:
Backups go onto CDs off and on, with a couple of USB sticks handling small day-to-day jobs. I have two hard drives too, and my main work goes in a sneakret directory in my website too.

That reminds me... I also do versioning, local backups, and offsite backups.

For versioning I have until recently used software called Subversion (aka SVN). For windows there's an SVN variant called TortoiseSVN that makes it relatively easy for semi-geeks and not-quite-geeks. Mac GUIs for SVN seem to involve a bit more of a hurdle for non-techies.

But just lately I've switched to Git for versioning. I can't recommend that for casual users. But if you're handy with the command line, take a look.

For local backups I use Time Machine (built into Macs), which automagically backs up every hour onto an external drive connected to my desktop computer.

For offsite backups I use JungleDisk software to back up to Amazon's S3 offsite storage.

And I also sync quite frequently with my notebook computer, which gives another kind of backup. I use software called ChronoSync to do the synchronizing.

Dale

Kirby · Sep 14, 2008

Over my head, Dale, but I like to tinker with gadgets and software. I might need to look into this. (I'm a computer nerd wanna be).

Dale Emery said:
That reminds me... I also do versioning, local backups, and offsite backups.

For versioning I have until recently used software called Subversion (aka SVN). For windows there's an SVN variant called TortoiseSVN that makes it relatively easy for semi-geeks and not-quite-geeks. Mac GUIs for SVN seem to involve a bit more of a hurdle for non-techies.

But just lately I've switched to Git for versioning. I can't recommend that for casual users. But if you're handy with the command line, take a look.

For local backups I use Time Machine (built into Macs), which automagically backs up every hour onto an external drive connected to my desktop computer.

For offsite backups I use JungleDisk software to back up to Amazon's S3 offsite storage.

And I also sync quite frequently with my notebook computer, which gives another kind of backup. I use software called ChronoSync to do the synchronizing.

Dale

Kirby · Sep 14, 2008

I use to have beautiful penmanship, but after typing for so long my handwriting has gotten rather sloppy. If I concentrate, it looks lovely again, but I still couldn't imagine hand writing an entire manuscript. That takes a great deal of discipline. I would be too afraid that something would happen to the pages. I always wondered during Shakespeare's days how much ink ended up on his fingers, hands, and face compared to where his quill touched paper lol.

Linda Adams · Sep 15, 2008

I do everything on the computer:

Microsoft Word 2007 for the software.

Mozy for online backups. I heard about this on the radio, and the guy being interviewed said it was cheap--only about five dollars a month. I checked on it, and it was free to two gig, so I use Mozy. It backs up automatically after thirty minutes of inactivity.

USB flash drives. I also back up on a couple of flash drives.

Each day I work on the two books, I resave the file under a new date--i.e., First Draft_Sept 14, 2008. So I can easily go back several versions to find something I took out.

JimmyB27 · Sep 15, 2008

grrrrrshon said:
I have a dell vostro 1400. I bought it for $374, and its been awesome.

I have a Vostro 1510...or something. Anyway, it's a piece of crap. Hates it. Still, I should be able to replace my stolen (and sorely missed) MacBook Pro soonish. Just waiting for the new one that's pretty certainly just around the corner.

KTC said:
I write in blood on the river's surface.

oh...and on my laptops. Toshiba. I refuse to get a new one ever. I hate those shiny screens. My newest is circa 2006 and my favourite is circa 2000. I hate hate hate those new screens and don't understand why anyone would like them.

Uh....what new screens?

Anyway - I do all my notes by hand with a lovely Parker fountain pen that leaks all over my hand. Makes me feel like a real writer to have ink stains all over my fingers.
Any 'proper' writing I do on the computer - using Open Office now I'm back to PC, or NeoOffice (which is just a Mac port of Open Office anyway) on the Mac.

JimmyB27 · Sep 15, 2008

KTC said:
All the laptops I see in stores nowadays have a glass looking screen that looks really shiny and my daughter has one and I absolutely hate them. My screens are very matte-like. What I am calling new is probably a couple years old, if not older.

Ah - gloss vs matte screens. You can still get matte screens. The glossy ones make graphics, films and suchlike look prettier. But, shine the tiniest smidgen of light on them and you can't see a thing.
I believe that matte is actually still the standard.

Kirby · Sep 15, 2008

Linda Adams said:
I do everything on the computer:

Each day I work on the two books, I resave the file under a new date--i.e., First Draft_Sept 14, 2008. So I can easily go back several versions to find something I took out.

Perfect, Linda. I do the same.

What hardware do you use?

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