Happy Belated New Year.
So much has been going on in the virtual eternity since last we met here. Quick recap, November NaNoWriMo was a huge soul crushing failure. I wrote fewer words in that month than any since I decided to throw myself into this novel writing thing. Writing by the seat of the pants is apparently not my method. December was almost as bad. Here in North Texas we were hit by a good size ice storm that resulted in a lot of broken trees. I lost a few days to the clean up only to be hit by the flu followed by an ear infection over Christmas. Stir in A quick trip home for the holidays, and yeah, not much was done in December. The silver lining, I have enough project wood to last a decade.
My lovely wife ordered me a Kindle Fire HD ($99 Black Friday special). Anyone who slums Facebook in my neck of the woods probably knows I intend to use it for writing on the go. I finally got my bluetooth keyboard in, and gang, super excited. Currently having my first go at getting some words bashed into this poor little sub-tablet. I have been reserving judgment on the practicality of doing real writing on this set up until now. I am impressed so far, but there are some concerns.
Room for Improvement
The default dictionary is a joke. Turn autocorrect off. Not a big deal during rough draft. In fact it helps. It does present the challenge of learning to spell, though. Not my strong point.
Selecting/highlighting text is difficult on the touch screen. Single words are no problem, but this thing ain't doing edits. The keyboard didn't help on this. Some of the editing shortcuts are available, but not all of them.
Cursor placement could be easier. Nevermind the fact that my huge calloused hands are more suited to holding a hammer than fine electronic manipulation. Seriously, it is like trying to play operation with a lead pipe. The arrow keys on the new keyboard are a massive improvement.
On the Positive Side
There are quite a few serviceable note taking apps out there. Evernote has impressed me with the cross platform integration. Every device I touch now has a copy. Outlining, research, inspiration, and even whole scenes are fed into notes where they are sorted, tagged, and released into the cloud.
For. Free.
I'm playing around with a few other programs that are closer to a traditional word processor, but so far I'm happy with Evernote. Most of the programs require you to transfer or email yourself each note individually. As each scene gets it's own note, they have to be compiled in your word processor before layout can be done.
I chose the cheapest micro keyboard available, because as you may have ascertained, I don't like spending money. I prefer to barter whenever possible (as I have an aversion to over quantify, classify, deify, and objectify "stuff"). I ended up going with the Fintie 7" mini keyboard off Amazon. Currently $15.99, and it does the job. Again my hobby scared meat hooks present a problem with the compact layout of the keyboard, but I haven't bothered with the home keys since my 6th grade typing class. It has not slowed me down, if such a thing were even possible. I drop a keystroke here and there, but that seems to be user error. If you're interested in one you can check it out here.
Overall the combination I'm going with is working. I can't complain about the speed or responsiveness. The whole package is super portable. One of my favorite places to catch a few words is while stuck in the line to pick the kids up from school. It was quite a feat with the laptop, but now I toss the Kindle on the dashboard and all I have to wrestle with is the tiny little keyboard. I can even hold it up and text type using my thumbs, which is rather handy.
As a bonus it also pairs with my computers. With the word processor open on the desk monitor, I can pace around and thumb type in those ADHD fueled moments when "butt in chair" is much less likely than "hands on keyboard".
Where I Stand
This is a solid option for another way to get words on the page. I don't consider it to be a stand alone option, though. For the author on the go, you can't beat the packability. I'll likely do the majority of my composing with this set up, but it still requires an umbilical cord to the mother ship.
One last note, The Kindle Fire HD is wifi only. Fine with me, Evernote saves my place and syncs itself whenever connected. I don't foresee any situation where I stand to loose large amounts of data do to lack of connection. Plus, who really needs another data plan in there life?
As always any questions are welcomed, as is any advice. Have a favorite app or alternate set up, the rest of the class would be happy to hear about it. With new these new toys... I mean tools, I have no good excuse for not getting back on track in 2014. There are a few carving/smithing/bushcraft projects in progress, so expect updates soon. In the meantime, go make something.
-CrescentSon
