Hey writers ... What do you use?

[Writergirl7]

I'll wait until I get my new computer before I download Scrivener but I was wondering if you can use it to create mind-maps in any form. Or if you cant, can you use a different mind-mappping tool (any suggestions?) then import the mind-map into Scrivener so you can see it next to the text like you can with your research?

 

[nightlong]

I'll wait until I get my new computer before I download Scrivener but I was wondering if you can use it to create mind-maps in any form. Or if you cant, can you use a different mind-mappping tool (any suggestions?) then import the mind-map into Scrivener so you can see it next to the text like you can with your research?

Have you seen Scapple? See my post a few back .... There's a video tutorial on literatureandlatte.com

 

[eclipse]

Have you seen Scapple? See my post a few back .... There's a video tutorial on literatureandlatte.com

Freemind is free Open Source and work OK on Mac, but for $20 you could use Mindnode Pro which feels a ton more Mac. Then, if you ever have to, you can save from Mindnode Pro back to Freemind compatible files.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

But when I consider the money people waste on their gambling hobbies etc, I don't mind paying a mere $20 something bucks for my writing hobby to get mind maps that look nice.

http://mindnode.com/

 

[Writergirl7]

Have you seen Scapple? See my post a few back .... There's a video tutorial on literatureandlatte.com

Thanks, Nightlong. Scapple looks ideal for my current project - a novel set in a particular geographical location - with a particular timeline - and with historical elements.

Makes me want to get a really big screen though

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Freemind is free Open Source and work OK on Mac, but for $20 you could use Mindnode Pro which feels a ton more Mac. Then, if you ever have to, you can save from Mindnode Pro back to Freemind compatible files.

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

But when I consider the money people waste on their gambling hobbies etc, I don't mind paying a mere $20 something bucks for my writing hobby to get mind maps that look nice.

http://mindnode.com/

Image

This looks good too but for creating a timeline and linking events to locations Scapple seems ideal.

 

[Writergirl7]

Air plus monitor vs iMac resolution

Also, can anyone tell me how the resolution / text readability of the current 21" iMac compares with the Air connected a midrange 24" screen from say the Dell ultra-sharp series or similar? Or is that like asking how long a piece of string is (depends on which monitor...)? .
I'm assuming the iMac is better but how much?

 

[nightlong]

Also, can anyone tell me how the resolution / text readability of the current 21" iMac compares with the Air connected a midrange 24" screen from say the Dell ultra-sharp series or similar? Or is that like asking how long a piece of string is (depends on which monitor...)? .
I'm assuming the iMac is better but how much?

I can't compare the current model iMac, or not side by side. I have a Dell U2412, which I use either with the Air or as dual screen for my 2007 iMac.
According to several posts on this forum, the Dell is similar spec to the iMac screen. It has severe anti-glare coating which some people love and some don't.

I think the iMac is a bit sharper for text and also more dynamic, but this may be because I am so used to glossy Mac screens, and my eyes go through quite an adjustment when using dual screen mode from super gloss to super matte. The matte is less tiring, without reflections etc, but I prefer the iMac screen.

But the Dell is a lot cheaper than Apple monitors, and has heaps of ports, and swivel mode for portrait/landscape, and good warranty. Yes, it looks and feels cheap compared with Apple but, until the mortgage-inducing large retina screen is available, i can live with this compromise and it is at least not worse than the Air's screen.

 

[Writergirl7]

Thanks, Nightlong

What do you think of the new MBA? If it had a HD screen that would have tipped the balance for me - but it doesn't. Might be leaning towards the iMac now... But great battery life in the Air... Will need to trot down to the Apple store on the weekend and make a decision!

 

[nightlong]

Thanks, Nightlong

What do you think of the new MBA? If it had a HD screen that would have tipped the balance for me - but it doesn't. Might be leaning towards the iMac now... But great battery life in the Air... Will need to trot down to the Apple store on the weekend and make a decision!

It is a pity that the MBA didn't get a screen upgrade, but I think battery technology will have to take a quantum leap before they could run a retina or even just a better screen on that. Here's what I want ... A quantum leap iPad that retains all the best of its form factor but has evolved just enough so that I don't need a computer or an iphone either, and can plug into a 21" retina screen when I want more screen space, but all this at the same price, so every 4 years I spend only $1000 to upgrade an ipad, not $3000 for a powerhouse computer i don't need. Is that so hard Apple?

 

[jakeOSX]

just thought i'd throw in my two cents to the orignal question.

at first i was strictly NeoOffice for my writing, back in the G4 days.

now i have an air and an ipad and an iphone. for the most part i have converted to byword + dropbox for my scribbles, allowing me to work whereever. i use evernote for quick things or notes on characters and such.

the air was an amazing upgrade to my writing life. the difference between it (i have the 11inch) and the 15 inch macbook pro was one of portability. the 11 inch air is about the size and weight of a notebook. like a paper notebook. keeping it on me at all times was a no brainer.

i went from scribbling notes to myself at lunch time, to actually writing on my breaks. so, i do recommend the air.

byword is great because it allows me to sync between my devices, and since it is just a TXT file, i don't have to worry about file conversions. i've been burned from WPS to LWS to WKS to SWF to ODT to... you get the idea. (this is one of the reasons I only use pages for final layouts, the .pages format) I even find myself writing on my phone when i have some spare moments.

side note: i used storymill for a while, and i have such a weird relationship with it. i absolutely love this program for laying out and writing a novel (or even something longer) and find myself never using it. i don't know what that means, but i suspect the lack of cloud is what is doing it for me.

so the air + full screen writing has been my choice for now. byword is simple and elegant, and does what i want.

that being said, Scrivener is on my 'to see' list.

 

[roadbloc]

I use a wide range of hardware and software. It is annoying having several parts of a chapter scattered across several devices in several formats but I find it refreshing to change interface.

I'll list what I currently write on and the software I use.

iMac G4 - Microsoft Word 2004
Custom built PC - Microsoft Word 2013
Toshiba Satellite - Microsoft Word 2010
MacBook Air - Microsoft Word 2011
IBM RS/6000 - Vi
Thinkpad 560E - Microsoft Word 5.5
Thinkpad X11 - LibreOffice
Chromebook - Microsoft Word Web App
Raspberry Pi - Vi

 

[Writergirl7]

I use a wide range of hardware and software. It is annoying having several parts of a chapter scattered across several devices in several formats but I find it refreshing to change interface.

I'll list what I currently write on and the software I use.

iMac G4 - Microsoft Word 2004
Custom built PC - Microsoft Word 2013
Toshiba Satellite - Microsoft Word 2010
MacBook Air - Microsoft Word 2011
IBM RS/6000 - Vi
Thinkpad 560E - Microsoft Word 5.5
Thinkpad X11 - LibreOffice
Chromebook - Microsoft Word Web App
Raspberry Pi - Vi

I'd get lost if I wrote in so many different computers!

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It is a pity that the MBA didn't get a screen upgrade, but I think battery technology will have to take a quantum leap before they could run a retina or even just a better screen on that. Here's what I want ... A quantum leap iPad that retains all the best of its form factor but has evolved just enough so that I don't need a computer or an iphone either, and can plug into a 21" retina screen when I want more screen space, but all this at the same price, so every 4 years I spend only $1000 to upgrade an ipad, not $3000 for a powerhouse computer i don't need. Is that so hard Apple?

Haha! It seems very reasonable to me

I love my iPad for web surfing (including research) and email but for some reason I haven't enjoyed writing on it - even with a BT keyboard. The screen is a bit too small maybe... I guess it's all personal preference in this game.

 

[PDFierro]

I'm looking forward to trying some writing apps that are Mac-exclusive. For my field (screenwriting) many times they only release them for Mac, because that's what everyone uses obviously.

I'm dying to get a Mac. I was hoping to buy a new rMBP, but looks like that won't be out until the fall.

Do any writers in here use the Retina screen? I'm actually quite fond of the 11-inch Air, but I think the Retina screen would make a big difference while I'm reading/writing.

I don't think I can wait anymore, so my options are buy the new MBA or get the rMBP that's out now. Awesome.

 

[eclipse]

I'm looking forward to trying some writing apps that are Mac-exclusive. For my field (screenwriting) many times they only release them for Mac, because that's what everyone uses obviously.

I'm dying to get a Mac. I was hoping to buy a new rMBP, but looks like that won't be out until the fall.

Do any writers in here use the Retina screen? I'm actually quite fond of the 11-inch Air, but I think the Retina screen would make a big difference while I'm reading/writing.

I don't think I can wait anymore, so my options are buy the new MBA or get the rMBP that's out now. Awesome.

Is portability that important for writers? I for one love my iMac and Scrivener. Other than that, I'm an OO man. Scrivener's the only writing software I would pay for, OO will probably do all my other admin needs, and Mindnode Pro for quick plot outlines is the best.

 

[nightlong]

Portability for me isn't just about working away from home but also about freeing me from sitting at a desk too much. I saw this drawing on Facebook a while ago, a skeleton sitting at a computer, the caption said: sitting is the new smoking! It was humorous but not entirely groundless. Sitting apparently does damage to more than your back ... To various organs and increases the risk of bowel cancer, according to a few things I've read, which may or may not be true.

Some people have had desks made to work standing up. Not just recently but long ago, Hemmingway for example. I wouldn't go that far but with the Air and the iPad I have reduced desk time and i haven't had any back problems since then.

I've written about this a few times and I don't wish to make a crusade of it, but for writers it can be a serious issue ... if, like me, you have a tendency to become so immersed that you forget to eat let alone jump up in the middle of a very promising paragraph to rush to a gym or do mind-emptying yoga. Ha ha.

 

[nightlong]

I'm looking forward to trying some writing apps that are Mac-exclusive. For my field (screenwriting) many times they only release them for Mac, because that's what everyone uses obviously.

I'm dying to get a Mac. I was hoping to buy a new rMBP, but looks like that won't be out until the fall.

Do any writers in here use the Retina screen? I'm actually quite fond of the 11-inch Air, but I think the Retina screen would make a big difference while I'm reading/writing.

I don't think I can wait anymore, so my options are buy the new MBA or get the rMBP that's out now. Awesome.

How important retina is depends very much on your eyesight ... I wear glasses for distance but my close range vision is perfect and so the difference between my iPad4 and MBA screens is major, whereas some friends who have defective close range vision don't notice much difference. the difference isn't so great with the iMac as I am sitting further away. Are you near a Mac shop, can you test them side by side?

 

[zen]

I'm a novelist. I do most first draft work on an 11" Macbook Air, using Scrivener and Excel. It's fine, and very small and light for working away from my desk.

However, after a couple of years of use, I'm finding the screen is too small. When it comes time to replace this laptop, I'm going to get a 15" Macbook Pro. I have a feeling the size and weight isn't going to be an issue, because by the time I put the MBA into a case, and then put in the cables, etc, my shoulder bag weighs a tonne anyway!

I'd consider the retina MBP simply for the additional screen real estate when you run it at the highest res - you can always bump the font size or magnification up on whatever document you are working on.

I do also have a Mac mini with a Thunderbolt display. I tend to do most editing here after the first draft, as I find the screen real estate very useful.

I actually use MS Office 2010 for Windows on my Mac, because the Mac version is too unstable, particularly when it comes to track-changes, an essential part of my work. I've lost too much work to Mac Office crashes! Running the Windows version of Office in Parallels with Windows 7 is seamless and has caused no problems - and I can be sure that what I'm doing is 100% the same as what people will see on their PCs.

Edit: Other bits -

Dropbox
Apple BT keyboard for the Mac mini, with a new Razer Deathadder 2013 mouse (best mouse I've ever used)

I did try and edit on an iPad, but gave up, and I only use the iPad for reading material back (although increasingly I use my Kindle for that, given the size and weight).

 

[Writergirl7]

Portability for me isn't just about working away from home but also about freeing me from sitting at a desk too much. I saw this drawing on Facebook a while ago, a skeleton sitting at a computer, the caption said: sitting is the new smoking! It was humorous but not entirely groundless. Sitting apparently does damage to more than your back ... To various organs and increases the risk of bowel cancer, according to a few things I've read, which may or may not be true.

Some people have had desks made to work standing up. Not just recently but long ago, Hemmingway for example. I wouldn't go that far but with the Air and the iPad I have reduced desk time and i haven't had any back problems since then.

I've written about this a few times and I don't wish to make a crusade of it, but for writers it can be a serious issue ... if, like me, you have a tendency to become so immersed that you forget to eat let alone jump up in the middle of a very promising paragraph to rush to a gym or do mind-emptying yoga. Ha ha.

But don't you find sitting in a comfy chair/ sofa/ outdoors is still just sitting? My back doesn't discrimate - sitting is sitting and it doesn't like it. Although I think you mentioned your expensive recliner chair - that sounded like a good option.

Other than the standard ergonomic workstation set up are there any other hints you could give us?

 

[zen]

But don't you find sitting in a comfy chair/ sofa/ outdoors is still just sitting? My back doesn't discrimate - sitting is sitting and it doesn't like it. Although I think you mentioned your expensive recliner chair - that sounded like a good option.

Other than the standard ergonomic workstation set up are there any other hints you could give us?

Standing desks, and even treadmill desks, are increasing in popularity. I'd love one or the other, but I can't fit either in my house.

I have an Eames lounge chair for writing on the MBA downstairs, and an Eames office chair in my office upstairs.

 

[Writergirl7]

I do also have a Mac mini with a Thunderbolt display. I tend to do most editing here after the first draft, as I find the screen real estate very useful.

I read somewhere that the native resolution of the 27" screen made reading font difficult and that you had to jump through hoops to get something you could read. It sounds like your experience is different. Or was that just the 27" iMac?

 

[zen]

I read somewhere that the native resolution of the 27" screen made reading font difficult and that you had to jump through hoops to get something you could read. It sounds like your experience is different. Or was that just the 27" iMac?

The native resolution of the TBD and the 27" iMac is the same - 2440 x 1440. In Word, I usually work at maybe 150% magnification, but that's why things like Word have zoom controls!

 

[PDFierro]

How important retina is depends very much on your eyesight ... I wear glasses for distance but my close range vision is perfect and so the difference between my iPad4 and MBA screens is major, whereas some friends who have defective close range vision don't notice much difference. the difference isn't so great with the iMac as I am sitting further away. Are you near a Mac shop, can you test them side by side?

Yeah, I'm young so my vision is good. I did test both out extensively at an Apple store a few months ago. The MBA screen wasn't bad, but I much preferred the Retina. And I want my text to be as sharp as possible. I've been contemplating an MBA, but I really don't know if I would be happy with it.

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Is portability that important for writers? I for one love my iMac and Scrivener. Other than that, I'm an OO man. Scrivener's the only writing software I would pay for, OO will probably do all my other admin needs, and Mindnode Pro for quick plot outlines is the best.

Portability is important to an extent. However I would never purchase an iMac or a desktop.

 

[Writergirl7]

Word processors on MBA or iMac

Yep, I have another question
I know this is a MBA thread but Nightlong's original post asked what we writers used...
Am leaning towards buying the 21" iMac (at the moment - although I would love the new MBA too ) and I am going to head into town to the New Apple store tomorrow and see what I come home with (or order). Other than Scrivener, which I'm looking forward to checking out, I assume that I will need either MS Office for Macs or Open Office as I can't see myself abandoning Word completely (and I have a lot of documents to be loaded off my old laptop). I have thought of acquiring Parallels or Bootcamp and putting Windows on the machine - but I don't really see the point of that at the moment. So, writers, what do you use for general word processing on these beautiful computers? Is Open Office good enough? Is it stable? What are the downsides? Is it better to pay for Office? What would you recommend?

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I actually use MS Office 2010 for Windows on my Mac, because the Mac version is too unstable, particularly when it comes to track-changes, an essential part of my work. I've lost too much work to Mac Office crashes! Running the Windows version of Office in Parallels with Windows 7 is seamless and has caused no problems - and I can be sure that what I'm doing is 100% the same as what people will see on their PCs.

.

Ah just reread this. So I should go for the windows option? What is the extra cost (approximately)?

 

[nightlong]

But don't you find sitting in a comfy chair/ sofa/ outdoors is still just sitting? My back doesn't discrimate - sitting is sitting and it doesn't like it. Although I think you mentioned your expensive recliner chair - that sounded like a good option.

Other than the standard ergonomic workstation set up are there any other hints you could give us?

I was forced to revise the amount of sitting when, in the middle of a major project, my lower back suddenly went on strike ... So bad, couldn't sit at all or even walk much for weeks, so bad I couldn't even have treatment for 2 weeks. I managed to complete the work horizontal with iPad, at home, painstakingly typing with one finger instructions to staff at office, and with skype.

Major change after that was not sitting when I don't have to ... All the things I can do on iPad .. Internet things, but also revising previous day's writing, and research reading, skype sessions, anything that doesn't require intensive typing. Whereas before after writing for a few hours I would sit longer doing email or reading things, I will now do that with iPad on a hoverbar horizontal. As i am doing right now. and will mix this, and using the Air in reclining chair, with sitting at desk throughout the day. I still do sit a lot, but not relentlessly, if I need to think about something or using the phone for example, I stand up and walk around while talking or thinking.

I mostly work from my home office, but even at my office in town I don't sit when I don't have to, and not for more than 2 hours.

Haven't had any problem, not even the slightest twinge since making these changes.

 

[nightlong]

I do get the occasional crash with MS Office Mac version, but not enough to call it unstable, might not happen in months of regular use. Still using 2008 version.

 

[nightlong]

And, as I said a while back, this thread being in the Air forum was a newbie mistake ... i didn't mean to limit discussion to Air users. At the time I was researching the Air as writing machine.