Freewrite

November Writing Challenge: I’m In!

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

A few days ago, I wrote a post in which I said I was thinking about doing some kind of NaNoWriMo-like writing challenge again this year, for the first time in a few years. But I wasn’t sure what I would write, and it’s a little close to November to be coming up with something from scratch.

Then on the way home from church this past Sunday, I was telling my husband about a conversation in that same vein I’d had with a fellow writer that morning, and he low-key told me that he had an idea for what I could write. Now, my husband has been a huge help to me with my writing endeavors in various ways in the past, but the way he said it, I figured he was going to make some joke or give me some random, outlandish story idea (it wouldn’t be the first time). But instead, he said 4 words that left me speechless for a moment…and then got me talking it through for at least 5 minutes (major external processor here). By the time I was done brainstorming, I was sold!

So all of that to say: I’m in! I’m not trying to be coy in not saying what those 4 words were, but at best, no one will understand what they mean, because they directly relate to the book I’m currently getting ready to publish. And at worst, they’d be a little bit of a spoiler for that book.

I am still trying to work out how to navigate and use the site that I am currently planning to use for this (ProWritingAid). And I found out even more recently that Freewrite has their own NaNo-like challenge. Since I own a Freewrite and plan to use it for much of my writing, I suppose that means I’ll be participating in that challenge by default. At least that gives me a chance to check out more than one of these types of programs at the same time.

Even if this isn’t NaNoWriMo and the community is probably pretty scattered, I still plan to blog through the month about my progress. I’ve really enjoyed doing that in the past and also like being able to look back at it in later years. I’ll start writing at midnight (thankfully November 1 is on a Saturday this year, making that much easier) to get some words in before I go to bed and see what kind of a headstart I can get. I’m really excited to get back into this!!

Are you a past Wrimo? Whether yes or no, do you think you might participate in some kind of novel-writing challenge this November?

Tools for NaNoWriMo: Neo

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

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(Disclaimer: Just like most of my posts on my NaNoPrep tips page, this isn’t specific to NaNoWriMo; it’s just a good time to break out tips like this.) A few years ago I came across a crowd-funding campaign for a portable, electric typewriter called a Hemingwrite. It provided a way to connect to your computer and retrieve what you wrote, but while using it, you would be free of distractions, because there was just a little screen for the words to go into–no browser, no social media, nothing that might normally pull you away from your writing. I really liked the idea of it, but it was quite pricey.

I don’t remember exactly how I first came across Alphasmart. I may have read an article about alternatives to the Hemingwrite (by this time called the Freewrite). But I did a little research and found out that the Alphasmart Neo was everything I might want in a portable, distraction-free word processor. The research told me that Alphasmart no longer produced new items, but that used Neos (and other Alphasmart items) could be found for sale on places like Amazon. Sure enough, I found several for an average of $30 a piece.

I dropped the hint to my husband that it would make a great Christmas present (I think it was during November last year that all of this happened), and he came through.

Neo
Just like the reviews said, this keyboard is exactly what I would want it to be! It can store separate files, saves as you go, has (from my experience so far) great battery life, and it runs on AA batteries. It has a small screen, which can be helpful in making sure you don’t see too much of your text at a time, distracting yourself while writing. But there are 5 options for font sizes so you can go from 6 lines with very small font all the way to 2 lines with really big font.

When you’re ready to transfer your writing to a computer, it’s a simple procedure. There’s a cable that plugs into the Neo, and then plugs into a USB port (if the cord doesn’t come with the Neo, it can be purchased separately). You open whatever program you want the text to go into–Word, Google Docs, Scrivener, etc–make sure you’re on the right file on the Neo, and then push the “send” button. It’s not a simple file transfer; it “types” the text onto your computer. The more text you have in the file, the longer it takes. You definitely want to do this when you aren’t going to need your computer for a few minutes, because it transfers it to the active program. If you click away to something else, it will continue transferring, trying to type into that other program. That is one of only 2 downsides I’ve found with the Neo so far.

The other downside is that some of the keyboard shortcuts take a while to get used to. (Note: I’m a PC user, so I don’t know how this is for Mac users.) If you’re like me, and used to using “end” and “home” buttons to quickly navigate your text, you will have to relearn some new commands. “Home” takes you to the beginning of the entire document, not just the beginning of the line. Some shortcuts and commands are on the underside of the keyboard, but I did end up looking up a manual online to find more (mine didn’t come with a manual).

Speaking of commands, the Neo has a built-in spell checker, word count function, find & replace, and other things that can be helpful for writers of all sorts.

I am really looking forward to seeing how it helps my NaNoWriMo next month; it’s already been of great use so far. I haven’t had much occasion to take the Neo away from home to write, mostly because it’s not as imperative to write wherever I am outside of NaNo. I have used it, though, for writing practice, outlining a story over the course of a couple of days, and I’m even writing this blog post on it. It’s more convenient than a laptop if I even just want to go sit on the couch to write, and as much as I enjoy writing by hand, it’s faster (I do still write by hand sometimes though).

How about you? What portable writing devices do you use–whether a laptop, tablet, paper & pencil, or anything else? Does the Neo look appealing to you?