Freewrite Love it or Hate it?

[BookCat]

In another thread, JD Carpe commented:

As a writer, have you heard of the Freewrite? It has a mechanical keyboard, an E-Ink screen, and saves your work to both the device and “the cloud.” It’s like a modern take on an old school word processor, without all the distractions of a modern PC/tablet. Sure, it’s a bit hipster, and somewhat pricey, but it’s something to consider, in any case.

www.getfreewrite.com


And no, I don’t get commission from Astrohaus or anything. I just like the idea of it, and it seems to be a high quality product. Been following their progress since it was only an idea.


(Me again) Freewrite: do you love it or hate the idea?

[skb]

I love the idea but it's priced way too high for me to justify.

So, instead for a fraction of the price, I bought a second hand Alphasmart Neo2 which is same principle but without wifi and the storage is less (but geez, I'd never fill it up).

The Freewrite also doesn't have some of the basic features of a Neo2 (such as arrow keys for moving through text). It looks a beautiful thing, and I would certainly buy one if it wasn't so very, very pricey (for what it can do).

[rcentros]

I can't really say I hate it, since I've never had one, but without the ability to move around in your document it's a non-starter for me. (Well, that and the price.)

I have a couple AlphaSmart Neos and an OTG cable to connect them to my Kindle Fire (for saving my text when away from the computer). With the Fire I can save or send the Neo-produced document anywhere online. Total cost for the Neo, OTG cable and Fire is about $60 (Fire on sale for $30, Neo cost about $20 with s/h). And, with the Neo, I can move around the document and cut and paste to my heart's content.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AlphaSmart-...wAAOSwnONZBiQS

And three AA alkaline batteries last about a year.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by BookCat

In another thread, JD Carpe commented:

As a writer, have you heard of the Freewrite? It has a mechanical keyboard, an E-Ink screen, and saves your work to both the device and “the cloud.” It’s like a modern take on an old school word processor, without all the distractions of a modern PC/tablet. Sure, it’s a bit hipster, and somewhat pricey, but it’s something to consider, in any case.

www.getfreewrite.com


And no, I don’t get commission from Astrohaus or anything. I just like the idea of it, and it seems to be a high quality product. Been following their progress since it was only an idea.


(Me again) Freewrite: do you love it or hate the idea?

Honestly?

Yet another fad item. What's the point? If someone is SO EASILY distracted that they can't use a notebook or laptop or desktop, without SQUIRREL! every 30 seconds, what's the likelihood that they have the attention span and discipline to finish a damn book in the first place?

It's like the 9 billion dedicated "novel writing" software programs, most of which don't do anything special except say "I'm a WRITER!" with this or that sort of foofy appearance.

Save the money, and just CLOSE THE DOOR if you have that many attention deficit issues.

Hitch

[gmw]

My main objection is the same as Hitch's (I think it's a gimmick), but I have others as well:

It does not have a natural keyboard layout, that's an automatic disqualification for me.

I don't have reliable cloud access (I'm lucky if I get text messages here).

I think it's ugly.

I paid less than that for a full Windows-10 tablet/laptop combo thingo. ASUS call it a "transformer" - but it's not a robot (what a disappointment), it is just a tablet with an optional keyboard that folds up like a laptop. No, it does not have a huge clunky, noisy, mechanical keyboard, but since it's not a natural layout either it's fine for the limited use it gets from me. Put on vi or something equally primitive and you can have your Freewrite when you want it, while still having something practical for other uses.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Honestly?

Honestly.

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yet another fad item. What's the point? If someone is SO EASILY distracted that they can't use a notebook or laptop or desktop, without SQUIRREL! every 30 seconds, what's the likelihood that they have the attention span and discipline to finish a damn book in the first place?

The whole point is for those who are easily distracted to move to somewhere (or something) where distractions can't intrude. It actually works. (Not speaking of Freewrite, but of simpler "get the text down" devices.)

For me there's more to it than the lack of the distractions of the Internet, there's also the distraction of worrying about format – what the document looks like, rather than its content. My Alphasmart (or even a simple CLI text editor) gets me past that. If the "trick" works, it's more than a "fad."

Originally Posted by Hitch

It's like the 9 billion dedicated "novel writing" software programs, most of which don't do anything special except say "I'm a WRITER!" with this or that sort of foofy appearance.

Actually, it's kind of the opposite of those "foofy" "'novel writing' software programs" – as mentioned above.

Originally Posted by Hitch

Save the money, and just CLOSE THE DOOR if you have that many attention deficit issues.

That's the point. Something like the AlphaSmart Neo (and for some, apparently, the Freewrite) is "CLOSING THE DOOR." Closing the door to distractions.

Not everyone is the same. If it works for some folks (like me) more power to them (or us).

[skb]

As a foofy aficionado, I still use my Neo2 in addition to Scrivener (the Foofy Benchmark software). It weighs a lot less than a laptop and I too enjoy the no toolbar (actually...no nuthin') 'just text' non-feature.

I've got to say though that the Freewrite isn't as attractive (in the cool cat groovy hipsterish way that I totally am) as it's first incarnation which was...exactly like an old style typewriter (or am I imagining that?).

Because of the incredibly long battery life (another thing it's better than the Freewrite) and general robustness, my Neo is more or less the replacement for "beside the bed" notebook. The trouble with pen & paper is that eventually you have to retype it all which I was very bad at remembering to do.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by skb

[...] The trouble with pen & paper is that eventually you have to retype it all which I was very bad at remembering to do.

That's where people get it wrong. There's a rule (though I can't remember the details) that if a piece of paper hasn't found a home in x months then it's home is automatically the WPB*. The wonderful thing about scribbled (pen and paper) notes is that you only bother to transcribe those parts that are useful, the rest gets consigned to the WPB and is no longer a burden on your resources. Whereas, if you're at all like me, all those old digital files hang around forever because they are - in theory - no bother to keep; the problem being that - in practice - they're just more clutter to wade through looking for actually useful stuff.


* Waste Paper Bin

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by gmw

That's where people get it wrong. There's a rule (though I can't remember the details) that if a piece of paper hasn't found a home in x months then it's home is automatically the WPB*. The wonderful thing about scribbled (pen and paper) notes is that you only bother to transcribe those parts that are useful, the rest gets consigned to the WPB and is no longer a burden on your resources. Whereas, if you're at all like me, all those old digital files hang around forever because they are - in theory - no bother to keep; the problem being that - in practice - they're just more clutter to wade through looking for actually useful stuff.


* Waste Paper Bin

First rule in "the rules of the best method of creative writing" ... there are no rules. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. Unless there is absolutely no other option, I don't pen notes for stories (haven't for years now). That process is handled in my head, I "think out" the story bit by bit when I have the time. So when I sit down to a keyboard I know what it is I'm going to write -- by that time there's almost no waste -- I just type the story. Usually in a couple hours it's all there. So an AlphaSmart Neo is about perfect for me. If I do think of something for the story (or another story) while writing, I can just hit one of the File Keys, type my idea in a sentence or two, and then go right back into the story I was writing by hitting the File Key where it's stored. Very efficient.

I do, sometimes, come up with an idea, while riding in a car or waiting somewhere. In that case, I just open up SimpleNote on my Blackberry Q10 and type a few words to remind me what the idea was. When I decide to write that story (if I do) I start the "thinking it out in my head" process again until I'm ready to write the story.

I should mention that I write short stories and short scripts. If I was writing a full script or novel, obviously there would be more planning involved. But I still see no reason to go to pen and paper for any part of the process.

[skb]

Originally Posted by gmw

That's where people get it wrong. There's a rule (though I can't remember the details) that if a piece of paper hasn't found a home in x months then it's home is automatically the WPB*.

Good grief, if that were the case, I'd never get anything done. I have two notebooks in my purse/handbag and stuff goes in them as I see something or think something. One day, when I've run out of things to procrastinate about, I go through the notebooks and type the notes into my Foofy Misc file (unless they obviously belong in a current WIP). Things that I type into the Neo just get slurped directly into the Foofy Misc file or WIP as appropriate.

The Foofy Misc file has some gems in it. Some might never be used. Some I've suddenly realised that they belong in a WIP. Some I use as "prompts". I don't throw out anything.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by rcentros

[...] I just type the story. Usually in a couple hours it's all there. [...]

Groan. Not another one. Do you have any idea how jealous that makes me? Even my (rare) short stories don't come out that easy. Whenever I try to push things along I look over the result and think, "Blurgh! I'm not making anyone read that crap, not even me!"

But none of my difficulties come from distractions on the screen, which is one reason why I find it difficult to see why someone that can write a story in a few hours should need a specialist device just to write on. ... But, whatever works for you.

... As long as it does work for you. The proof is in the results. If something makes a tangible difference then by all means ignore the sceptical voices and hang on to it with two hands (and both feet, and probably your teeth too), we're just jealous because we've never actually found a device or cute piece of software that made a significant difference to our output.

[skb]

Originally Posted by gmw

Groan. Not another one. Do you have any idea how jealous that makes me? Even my (rare) short stories don't come out that easy. Whenever I try to push things along I look over the result and think, "Blurgh! I'm not making anyone read that crap, not even me!"

I'm glad it's not just me. And yes, I'm jealous too. I'm still working on stuff from 2007 (literally).

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by gmw

Groan. Not another one. Do you have any idea how jealous that makes me? Even my (rare) short stories don't come out that easy. Whenever I try to push things along I look over the result and think, "Blurgh! I'm not making anyone read that crap, not even me!"

Maybe my standards are just a whole lot lower. It's not like any of my crap has sold for much (the very few stories that have sold at all). I just have fun writing.

I figure whatever works, works. I've read that George R.R. Martin will only write with WordStar 3.3 (3.1?) on an old PC. I've never read or watched any of his stuff (zero interest), but if that's what works for him, who's to argue?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by skb

I'm glad it's not just me. And yes, I'm jealous too. I'm still working on stuff from 2007 (literally).

I'll sometimes have a story "stewing" in my head for five months or so. So it's probably not the most efficient way to write. And it's not like I'm a great writer or anything. It's just that I don't think there's any one way that works for everyone.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Honestly?

Yet another fad item. What's the point? If someone is SO EASILY distracted that they can't use a notebook or laptop or desktop, without SQUIRREL! every 30 seconds, what's the likelihood that they have the attention span and discipline to finish a damn book in the first place?

It's like the 9 billion dedicated "novel writing" software programs, most of which don't do anything special except say "I'm a WRITER!" with this or that sort of foofy appearance.

Save the money, and just CLOSE THE DOOR if you have that many attention deficit issues.

Hitch

Hahahahaaha!!

So true! So true!

Let's hope these easily distracted people don't become Air Traffic Controllers!*



* = Not that there's anything wrong with easily distracted people.
* = Not that there's anything wrong with Air Traffic Controllers.