Hey writers ... What do you use?

[D*I*S_Frontman]

DIS Frontman, in reply to the sarcastic elements, yes we could use a quill or typewriter. Photographers could also use equally antiquated tools. However, many new avenues are opening up for writers - avenues for their writing, and also in self-publishing via ebooks and so on, including multimedia with photos, video, etc.

I didn't intend to come of that sarcastic. But having said that, even making a media-rich e-reading experience shouldn't require a supercomputer. Don't you just need the right kind of software to make the project work properly on the various e-reader devices it is intended for, and the know-how to code it properly?

So this thread isn't just for quaint novelists (as you seem to think all writers are) in some attic with fountain pen and parchment paper...

Where did I imply that?

..it's for people using words in all manner of ways with technology. I started the thread because while I am interested in learning more about the technology I use and to better plan my upgrade steps etc, I'm a writer more than a geek and I thought it might be interesting to connect with others using Mac gear for creative word-based projects.

I don't claim to be a successful writer, but from everything I've studied on the subject, the most important prerequisites to becoming one are a) reading good writers and b) constantly writing. "Killer laptop" nor "external monitor" didn't make the lists I've read, though.

Like most other people, I use my computers for more than just text. Even if I didn't, I would still want the best system I could afford in terms of productivity, comfort/ergonomics, flexibility (desk and portability).

Isn't that a different question? "Hey writers.. what do you use?" isn't the same query as "What's the best computer for me, seeing that I'll be doing a lot more besides actually writing with it?"

Text (and the relentless sitting required to do a lot of writing) is very demanding of eyes and body, and people who don't do much writing (just emails etc) often don't appreciate that for a writer who chooses to use technology (rather than quill), the computer, screen, desk, chair, software etc are just as important as they are to programmers, video editors etc.

Well, now we are getting somewhere. Since writing generally requires someone in a seated position for hours at a stretch, using a keyboard as his/her main means of input, viewing the process from a monitor, good peripheral choices are probably FAR more important than the CPU.

What type of chair is best? How often does one take breaks to stretch? What daily hand exercises/range of motion regimen do writers generally employ to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome? Which keyboard has the best tactile sensation and gratifying "click" when a key is pressed? At what angle to it are the wrists? Is the monitor at the proper height to prevent neck strain and at the proper distance to prevent eye strain? Do either the laptop screen and/or the desktop or secondary monitor have a display that is sharp and clear without being too bright? What is the ambient light level of the room, and how is the monitor output adjusted to compensate?

Answers to these questions and to inquiries about writing specific software are certainly more important to me than how "snappy" Safari is on a new laptop. At this point in the world of technology, ergonomic concerns for professional writers probably outweigh CPU specs on the priority list by 10:1.

If any full-time career writers out there want to refute any of this, I'm ready to hear from you. Correct me where I'm off. You're living it, so your real-world experience trumps my limited exposure to that world.

 

[nightlong]

Dis Frontman ... great to see so many interesting and constructive comments/questions from you, much more interesting than just bashing the thread.

Please note: the title of the thread is Hey Writers ... What Do You Use?

Not, Hey Writers What CPU Do You Use?

I happened to ask some questions about MBA and ML because I'm about to buy a new computer with this software. I started this writer thread here, rather than on a different sort of non-tech forum, because I wanted to find out what writers interested enough in technology to come to a Mac forum, are doing, as well as using.

What Do You Use leaves it wide open to talk about anything used in writing with a computer, all you listed, and more.

 

[jojoba]

lambertjohn ... thanks for the lessons in professionalism! I've been making my living as a professional writer for 43 years, and yes, like everyone, I know how 'standard' Word is. It might suit your needs, but, with new developments it doesn't continue to suit everyone's or not for every purpose.

I second this. Moving from Word to Scrivener has MASSIVELY improved my work flow. I really can't emphasise this enough. For my purposes, Word is a little toddler where Scrivener is an experienced professional. Obviously, your milage may vary, but to imply that anyone doing writing should just be happy with word and any thread discussing alternatives to that make no sense, comes across as a curious mixture of condescending and naive. And yes, a second monitor hugely improves my workflow, too, although it's not something I regularly rely on.

I still have to use Word because I work in a Windows based environment, but I only use it when necessary for co-writing. At the moment, I compile my Scrivener projects to Word, but will probably swith to Pages for my non collaborative writing projects, since it syncs seamlessly with my iPad.

 

[nightlong]

One more thing ..... I take it for granted that any writer using a computer is using it for other things too, and that they come to a mac forum to find out things about the complexities that often arise on a multi-tasking machine. Complexities, and problems. And also, possibilities.

Ten billion years ago, in the other half of my professional life, musician/composer, when I left the long and winding road and set up a home studio to write music for various things, it was brilliant because along with a room full of music gear, I had an Atari computer with Notator software, nothing else on this, so nothing to upset or annoy the music software, I used a Mac for my writing work and other things. Things became more complex, with Pro Tools and all sorts of other massive and sophisticated software, which often upset each other, all on the Mac(s).

On one level, just writing, I could recreate this specific use, strip an ancient laptop of everything but writing software ... but on other levels that doesn't work, if I want to use other media in writing projects, and more sophisticated software than Word. I even need Lion or ML to get Pages now!

Anyone making their living from writing these days (who is not a huge-selling international author who might never have to work again) will probably be writing across lots of mediums, and " any old computer that works" (as another poster suggested) probably won't work for them.

"Any old computer" works in a vacuum, but as soon as you connect it to the internet ... etc, etc, etc.

So the reference to "quaint author" was about this idea that writers can be luddites and should make do with minimalist technology as words don't strain a CPU too much, and can't use dual screens because they are made for graphic designers, and any old computer, no matter what the screen quality, will do, and how dare a writer even think of buying an rMBP just for text, even though sharp text is what most writers (who do long hauls) crave and the rMBP will deliver that more than anything else right now, but no, that's overkill if you are not a graphic designer.

I'm amazed by some of these old-fashioned ideas about writing from writers who, I'm sure, are much younger than me.

 

[JonLa]

I think there are lots of us who write or edit as part of our jobs and it's perfectly normal to talk about what helps us work more productively. My work pc, provided by my employer, was a 5 year-old Windows Vista machine running MS Word 2007, Photoshop and Dreamweaver CS3. It had a standard monitor which never seemed to show the colours correctly for photoshop, despite all attempts to calibrate it. When it was new it was pretty good but by the end of the 5-years it was a hinderance to effective working. It might have been improved by reinstalling windows or upgrading to Win7 but in most businesses this sort of thing isn't done except in cases of hardware failure. Most employees are not administrators on their own machines, for obvious and logical reasons.

We all want to work more effectively at what we do, and that's what this thread is for! Didn't really appreciate the snark.

 

[david3000]

-
Do you use a bigger screen with the Air when at a desk, or just the Air?
I've been looking at scrivener, can't decide whether it is over-complicated or brilliant.

Anyone here using Scrivener?

I use Scrivener exclusively for writing fiction. It's one of those things you ask yourself "How did I live before this?" It's that amazing! It is as simple or complex as you want it to be. Download the free trial at literatureandlatte.com and give it a spin (be sure and take the included tutorial).

As to external screen use, I owned a cinema display for a while until I found I write much better with the 13" MacBook Air screen. It is a more intimate writing experience.

One other thing, Scrivener for iPad is in the works--I can't wait!

Hope I was helpful.

 

[nightlong]

Questions

Enjoying posts by jojoba, jonla, david3000, talking about the way you work.

Interesting what david3000 says about abandoning external screen as the MBA screen feels like a more intimate writing experience.

wondering if with such portable machines as MBA ...

Do you still have a special space for writing, or doesn't that matter , you can write anywhere? Or maybe anywhere with Internet connection, if you need that for research? Less reliant on paper reference books? Don't need book-lined study these days?

I built an office for writing, with everything exact height, very expensive chair etc, and considering the hours/years writing there, it was a good decision health wise, but since getting the iPad I have been enjoying moving around to other spaces. Then again, my familiar office space can really help concentration, it's as though my body is programmed to start writing as soon as it is in that chair at that desk.

Are people interested in posting pix here of their writing spaces, if they still have them?

I've never posted a pic on this forum. Would appreciate instruction from anyone who has?

Anyway, let's hear about your writing environment, whatever that is, and ... Do you prepare for writing in any way? Any techniques for improving concentration, keeping yourself going when writing badly, coping with the anti-social, isolating nature of writing. Some people (like me) love that, for others it is a trial.

 

[jojoba]

Do you still have a special space for writing, or doesn't that matter , you can write anywhere? Or maybe anywhere with Internet connection, if you need that for research? Less reliant on paper reference books? Don't need book-lined study these days?

Anyway, let's hear about your writing environment, whatever that is, and ... Do you prepare for writing in any way? Any techniques for improving concentration, keeping yourself going when writing badly, coping with the anti-social, isolating nature of writing. Some people (like me) love that, for others it is a trial.

I do most of my writing in my office in a university building. It's a pretty standard office space, but the atmosphere says 'work' so it helps me get going. I do some of my writing on my windows machine there, and some of my Air which I just set up next to the desktop.

Sometimes I go away (e.g. to a coffee shop) to read through drafts, but most of my actual writing is in the office (and from time to time at home).

I sometimes do a 10-15 min meditation before starting to write, to increase my focus and rid my mind of the thousands of other things that are up there. Recently I've started listening to calm background music while writing.

Most of the time, I like the solitary nature of my work. I use internet forums to get a break now and then, and I schedule in some lunches or coffee breaks with colleagues. We also work collaboratively with texts in progress at irregular intervals, and I find providing and receiving that kind of feedback very helpful.

Oh yes, and the big cup of tea and some fruit next to me, that's important

 

[Ibamac]

This is an interesting thread for me, as I am interested in becoming a writer of sorts. I've done plenty of writing daily in my career, plus short writing or outlines to accompany lectures, a bookchapter, some articles, but don't consider myself a writer. I've actually turned down invitations to write columns, etc. but am now interested in producing textbooks in iBooks Author. I don't own a mac (have new PC's which I'm quite happy with) and have been testing http://www.macincloud.net, which unfortunately doesn't work for me (apparently my internet speed is too slow to make it usable). So now I realize I have to buy a computer I don't need for access to the iBooks Author. Of all the macs, the one that would make the most sense for me outside of iBA is the 11" MBA (the 13" would duplicate what I already have), so I'm very interested in your experiences writing with such a short palm rest and small screen. Using a wireless keyboard and elevating the screen to the right height while at a desk is a great idea. Btw, I, too, thought that text looked best on the rMBP I saw at the store. The other macbooks screens looked like tv screens to me (I have a matte IPS screen on my Lenovo X220), and would take some getting used to. Anyway, just wanted to check in and say I enjoy reading your posts.

Also, I am looking forward to learning about Scrivener but wonder why writers enjoy things like iAWriter vs. Word or Pages. I don't think I'd enjoy something that looked like typewriter font, as that would only bring up bad memories for me, lol. Also, I am most familiar with Word, but on other forums I have seen people suggest that it's best to write in Pages because it has built-in functionality that translates better to iBooks Author when it's exported in ePub format (like the ability to have the page-flipping animations on the iPad). Anyone want to weigh in on Pages vs. Word?

Finally, I'm new to the world of forums, so if my response has breached forum etiquette by bringing up other things, I apologize!

 

[nightlong]

Welcome ibamac! I'm also keen to try iBook Author. Drag and drop, no programming, sounds ideal to me. I have spoken to only one person who has used it, he didn't like it at all and thought Pages was better.

Hopefully others here can give us more insight into this?

 

[nightlong]

FYI ... Cult of Mac has a step by step guide to blogging using only iPad.

I'm using iPad to write this ... Is it possible to post link to a story on a site to here with iPad? I can't see how to do it.

 

[warth0g]

writer with a small w

Unfortunately I don't make any money from writing (well, not strictly true, as the day job requires me to write the occasional white paper etc) although I'd love to jack in the 9 to 5 and release the inner novelist.

With a full time job, wife and 2 kids though, it's never been easy to start writing outside of work. I started blogging and that went pretty well but I still needed more motivation to dedicate more time to writing.

So I went completely over the top and bought a 13" Air which, in theory, was unnecessary because I already had a perfectly decent windows laptop. However there's something about the combination of the wonderful keyboard, trackpad, form factor, screen plus the software that I choose to use that is just a joy to write on.

Yes, it's ridiculous and if I was a "real" writer then it would have been unnecessary. But it's worked for me and I've been happily churning out the pages. Well, sentences anyway.

So a 13" MBA, plus IA Writer for actual writing, plus Evernote for organising ideas, etc has been perfection for me. If I ever step up to tackling a novel then I guess I'll get Scrivener too. And Pages is probably good idea to format the work that I've done in IA Writer, but for now I couldn't be happier with what I've got.

 

[DrumApple]

I wouldn't use the MBA just because it has a glossy screen. If you're a serious writer, you'll want a matte screen with minimal reflection and glare and less eye strain, and a nice keyboard. Also stick to Microsoft Word, it's the industry standard. Those other writing apps are so gimmicky and your publisher will most likely want the final output in a Word doc (if you're writing books, etc.).

The Samsung Series 9 screen is magnificent.

 

[Cool Story Bro]

Hi all.

I've been lurking for a while but thought I'd finally register so I could post here. This topic caught my attention as I'm a writer, as well.

I write screenplays (optioned, but haven't cracked that six-figure sale, yet!) and use Apple hardware exclusively. Prior to, I was a Sophocles user on Windows until they canned the product.

These days, I use a combination of things for writing and writing-related-tasks: Final Draft 8, Scrivener, iA Writer, Highland and Bronson Watermarker on my MBP and Mini; FDX Reader, iA Writer and Index Card on my iPad.

When I'm not procrastinating and actually writing, I've usually got 2 FD8 windows up side-by-side. I have my outline on the right, and my draft script on the left. I use Scrivener to keep track of other things: brainstorming notes, character writeups, loglines, synopses and sometimes a narrative version of my screenplay. iA Writer (particularly on the iPad), comes in handy when I don't feel like schlepping around the MBP. I'm comfortable with the Fountain markdown syntax for screenplays, and when used in conjunction with Highland, I can convert the plaintext work product back to FDX format or vice-versa. Index Card for IOS (used in conjunction with Scrivener) is great for rearranging scenes, and I use it to keep track of companies I'm pitching to, and the notes they've given me.

Hardware-wise, my main machine is a mid-2009 15" MBP 2.6Ghz C2D, with 8GB of memory and a hybrid SSD/DD. For longer writing sessions at home I have a similarly-equipped mid-2009 Mac mini hooked up to a 27" display, and use an Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. My iPad is 2nd generation wifi-only unit. I live in NYC and frequently have Skype meetings with people in LA, and I use a Logitech C910 1080p camera, since my built-in webcam is of lower quality.

I've always been a tech geek and in my younger years made many an irrational purchase. I've been 'good' for the past 3 years by holding onto this MBP, but the upgrade bug has bitten me and I'm really considering a maxed-out 13" MBA or 15" cMBP with the hi-res antiglare and a RAM/SSD self-upgrade. I've researched and played with the rMBP for a bit, but don't think it's ready for primetime just yet. It took me a long time to realize though, that your tools are not indicative of your skill level (or vice-versa), and that from a technical perspective our computing needs aren't that demanding.

Glad to see there are a few other writers on these boards, and am looking forward to reading up on what others are using and doing.

 

[aaronvan]

That sounds great, amazed you can fit all that on a small screen. So you are looking down all the time when writing, with the MBA in your lap? The ergonomics sound bad but you must have worked out ways around that.

----------



Are you a scriptwriter.... ?

Aren't we all?

Not a WGA member and never sold anything...so I guess not!

 

[OnceYouGoMac]

I use M$ Word 2008 on my MacBook Pro and LibreOffice on my Air. I usually save files in .doc in case I have to email them to anyone. It ensures they don't have trouble opening it. I hate the .docx format though.

 

[Nychot]

For my eleventh non-fiction book, and now beginning my twelfth and for journalism i've been using the mac mini from 2010 with the superdrive, 4gb ram, attached to a 23 inch non-glare hp monitor that does both landscape and portrait, the apple bt keyboard and the apple bt trackpad. Word 2004 and snow leopard. I have a wifi brother printer that does about 30 ppm. I email my copy. To sometimes escape being tied to my desk i have a 2012 base 13" macbook air with lion and word 2011 (very compatible with word 2004.). I wrote my first book years ago using an apple 2c. Many apple and macs along the way to the present.

 

[nightlong]

Interesting new posts.

A few questions. After a lot of research on threads here, I have finally ordered my MBA 13 with 8 gb/256gb ...

Are those running ML still okay, though I haven't been searching for it I'm still coming across lots of drama with computers freezing or crashing.

Also, quite a few people having trouble with Word 2008 and 2011, and have had to delete certain fonts and do other fixes they've found in help threads. Anyone here having trouble with Word?

Picking up on a question in an earlier thread by Ibamac, anyone who prefers Pages to Word ... Can you tell us why?

 

[nightlong]

Unfortunately I don't make any money from writing (well, not strictly true, as the day job requires me to write the occasional white paper etc) although I'd love to jack in the 9 to 5 and release the inner novelist.

With a full time job, wife and 2 kids though, it's never been easy to start writing outside of work. I started blogging and that went pretty well but I still needed more motivation to dedicate more time to writing.

So I went completely over the top and bought a 13" Air which, in theory, was unnecessary.

I don't think it is so much time as giving yourself permission to take seriously something that you haven't yet proved to yourself you can do, and it's also about head space.

Time: remember some major authors got their first novel written by just getting up at 5am, just 2 hours to write before getting their kids to school and then to day job. A bit hazy but I think Toni Morrison started like this.

Permission: at first, being a freelance journalist used to working very fast and efficiently, churning out a substantial feature story in the morning, writing invoice in afternoon, then rewriting it all or in part to sell the story again to a different not competing publication .... So, not so easy to give myself permission at first to spend days on something I'd more likely throw away. Hey, when exactly will we be writing an invoice for all this???.

Head space: you can have heaps of time but still not get any good writing done if your brain is full of other stuff, or worried or preoccupied, etc.

So I think buying a computer, that you didn't otherwise need, for writing is a great big giving yourself permission step.

 

[jojoba]

Interesting new posts.

A few questions. After a lot of research on threads here, I have finally ordered my MBA 13 with 8 gb/256gb ...

Are those running ML still okay, though I haven't been searching for it I'm still coming across lots of drama with computers freezing or crashing.

Also, quite a few people having trouble with Word 2008 and 2011, and have had to delete certain fonts and do other fixes they've found in help threads. Anyone here having trouble with Word?

Picking up on a question in an earlier thread by Ibamac, anyone who prefers Pages to Word ... Can you tell us why?

I had one instance of connectivity issues after downloading ML, but nothing after that. No crashing or freezing or anything like that.

I have the latest version of MO installed on my Air, I have had some issues with it but I think that has a very particular reason due to a corrupted installation file from my uni, so really nothing that should apply to you.

I work in a Windows environment so will have to stick to Word for a significant part of my work, but I'm thinking of getting Pages and transferring parts to that, primarily because it should sync wirelessly with my iPad.

 

[nightlong]

Thanks, and glad to hear you are not being plagued with crashing/freezing, I've been reassured by a few people that these ML problems are rare.

 

[PDFierro]

Good thread here. I completely get the point of it, too bad some don't.

I write screenplays daily, but I currently use a Windows laptop. But I love Apple products and will be picking up an Apple laptop or iPad really soon, just my budget is kind of limited right now. I hate writing on Windows, to me the software and the device you are writing on can really help your process.

I haven't tried Scrivener, but have heard good things. I use Final Draft. Both of those are going to be coming out with an iPad app by the end of the year, which is pretty exciting. Final Draft already has a reader app out, but being able to use the same program on the iPad and the desktop will be really cool.

I'm looking at going towards a low-end MacBook Air or the rumored iPad Mini. I don't think I would lose anything writing on an iPad with a full-featured Final Draft app if I decided to go that away opposed to a Mac.

 

[nightlong]

I love the iPad, it's brilliant providing you've got a computer to handle all the things iPad wasn't designed to do. I don't think I'd like a screen size smaller than what it is now though, for writing.

 

[nightlong]

Reference apps/sites

What are your favourite reference apps/sites, general and also specific to your genre or area of writing?

 

[eclipse]

* I'm thinking about moving to a portable solution like an iPad, and I'm after a writing app that can save to .doc so I have flexibility in moving back to other software if I become dissatisfied with this one.

* I'd like a great Thesaurus and Dictionary.

* I'd also like to be able to store images that inspire parts of my story. (Like actors faces that remind me of what I want my characters to look like).

* And, if possible, I'd LOVE a drop and drag wiki / database for this fantasy world's encyclopaedia. When creating alternative worlds, it is very useful to have interactive wiki's that let you easily change a major name, and it automatically changes all references to this name through all the sub-wiki's for you.

Is there anything like that?