A very interesting thread, indeed.
I never really thought of myself as a writer, but looking back, my memories prove me wrong. When I was 16, I edited many small newspapers for the street where I lived, though I never distributed them. I also edited the newspaper in our class. After my studies, documentation in all forms has always been a large part of my job. In the end, I've written about computer software and hardware, Zen Buddhism, company organisation and many other topics.
I have been considering a book or two for at least a year, but the project seems a bit too overwhelming, which is a great way for me to start postponing the writing. So I set my targets lower, as far as the length is concerned. I have nearly 10 subjects that I can write an essay on. The idea of an essay of 5-15 pages came while reading the interesting Aeon magazine online.
Because I get distracted at home (by forums like this), I decided to take the plunge and to splash out on an MBA 11" 8/256. It's more than I need for writing only, but I will use it for some coding, too, and I might need a virtual machine from time to time. I was considering the 13" rMBP. The main advantage is, obviously, the screen. The disadvantages are: more weight, more expensive and more fragile. I read that the glass of the screen is really rather thin. Since I travel mostly by bicycle, I don't want to break an expensive computer by strapping it on the luggage holder. The 11" is so small and light (and doesn't require an adapter all day) that I can just put it in my shoulder bag.
I've used Scrivener on my PC for some time, but I haven't purchased it yet. I don't know if I'll need it for the shorter format I'll be working on. I can try it out on my Mac as well and I should really go through the tutorial. Particularly the compile stage is pretty complicated. For most work, I think I'll be using a distraction free writing tool, preferably freeware. I have an MS Office license that I need for professional assignments, so I can format documents in Word. And the Mac comes with a free copy of Pages, which I'm looking forward to try out. To work out my ideas into a structure and an argument, I used to use outliners but now I've reverted back to pen and paper. It goes quicker for a real structure. Outliners work great for lists, though, like the topics for essays.
So, a new toy to look forward to, it comes a new way of working for me: I'm trying out coffee shops and coworking spaces. The 11" will get a lot of work that way!
I basically agree, I think Scrivener combined with a distraction free app offer the best of both worlds. I used to mostly use iaWriter and then switched to Byword due to the publishing feature. Now Ulysses might take the place of those, I'm not sure yet - primarily due to the combo of database organisation and distraction free environment. I've taken to writing more on my MBA and less on my iPad, though. I think that's because even when I write 'distraction free', I frequently consult sources or data and so on, and that kind of multi tasking is just much easier on the MBA.
