My AlphaSmart
No doubt the best writing tool I’ve ever purchased (besides a good pen and notebook) is my AlphaSmart. It might have been author Camy Tang who first mentioned her AlphaSmart on her blog. Being curious, I googled the term and found this little machine to be quiet interesting.
A few years ago a group of middle school girls that I worked with on a pilot project were using these machines. I remember thinking the AlphaSmarts were great for school districts on a budget. It never occurred to me I would purchase one. Back then, I wasn’t really thinking about writing a novel. I wasn’t writing anything other than my occasional journal entries.
Let me tell you, people LOVE their AlphaSmarts. As a writer, they are the perfect tool. The battery stays charged for up to 700 hours and this thing is rugged. You can take it anywhere unlike a laptop.
I have a laptop, but the annoyance that comes with my, er, um … Internet addiction, especially to social networks was really cutting into my writing time. When I should have been writing, I spent too much time procrastinating online. So last year I finally broke down and bought an AlphaSmart. I needed a way to write without the distractions.
I can tell you the only way I finished my first manuscript was using my AlphaSmart. Also, for my second WIP, all seventeen chapters that I currently have written, were written on my AlphaSmart. I even write my book reviews on it now and what I really love is I can carry it in the car and type anywhere. There’s no need to wait for a laptop to boot-up or wonder how long the battery will stay charged. My work flow and WORD COUNT has increased dramatically from a year ago.
If you are serious about writing, I encourage you to check out the NEO AlphaSmart. It’s well worth the investment in writing time.
I had an AlphaSmart, but I found the keys so noisy and difficult to use—maybe they’ve improved them.
Also, how do you handle being able to see so little of what you written…that’s the other issue I have. I’d love to figure out how to use it because I need to go to a 12-step group for internet addiction myself.
My AlphaSmart caught some serious dust for at least two months. LOL! It does take some time to get used to the screen.
I’ve learned during the rough draft phase to just write. I’m so focused on getting the story down, the screen size doesn’t really bother me.
As an added note, I definitely use Word for major editing. It’s hard to copy/paste and move text around using that tiny screen.