Who writes on an e-reader? Asking advice.

[deleted]

Hello writers!
Does anyone write using an ereader?
Primarily, I mean writing drafts in cursive style but I'd like to hear from those who type onto an ereader too.


I write non-fiction short stories...
I do the first two drafts pencil on paper.
I used my ereader for copy-editing purposes. But as I've broken the screen on my old device, I'm excited by the potential to write on the ereader (I'm particularly considering Onyx Note Pro).

My work flow involves writing on the right hand side of a notebook, and keeping the notes that related to my writing on the left hand page. Many ereaders nowadays have the split screen function. I wonder if I can copy my method with an ereader...

I've seen many promotion type videos over the years of people writing on ereaders, but the fact that the videos show people writing gigantic letters has left me harbouring disbelief as to whether anyone actually does use an ereader this way.

Is the aforementioned practical?
I've got concerns about the user friendliness of the filing system, how notes are stored etc. And just using the device to write in general.

Can anyone enlighten me?

[JSWolf]

Why would anyone use a Reader to write a book? It's highly inefficient if it could even be done.

[deleted]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why would anyone use a Reader to write a book? It's highly inefficient if it could even be done.

Are you aware that there are ereaders designed specifically for writing? Personally, I'm not sure whether they are gimmicks or not - it's one of the reasons I'm asking.

You may have noticed that I write by hand [because I said so above] and this does mean it's slow for me to produce things [which is true of writing in any case]... however, I find the slower more meditative process of hand writing better for tapping into creativity and cutting out the garbage that comes when one can type faster than one can think...

Well, in short, it works for me, and from that point of view it's more efficient. People were writing by hand for over a thousand years after all. It worked v.well.

Why an e-reader? Because I can backup all my writing and not lose it; the usual, 'won't have to carry half a dozen different note pads'. I could also potentially use the hand writing to ascii function which would cut out a step in my process. Basically, use technology to aid what I already do.

But your question is a tangent anyway... back to mine. Who wants to bite?

[rjwse@aol.com]

I am currently doing quite a bit of writing using the calibre editor. When done, it is already (of course) a finished epub. To print it out is a matter of conversion to Pdf. I have arrived at this circuitous route via many, many years of other methods. I began with Gregg stenography and manual typewriter with (quite literal) cut and paste. I visited Bell Labs near Holmdel New Jersey in '68 and saw the first forays into UNIX. Before DOS I wrote one of the owners' manuals for the Texas Instruments early computers, then later taught the very first relational database at a college near NASA. CPM advanced the Wordstar diamond pattern at this time, requiring one 8 inch floppy to load CPM, a second to load Wordstar, a third to load the formatter. The business world flocked to the non-camel case, crippled MS DOS. The advent of ALT and function keys (added to the one and only Ctrl key) killed off the diamond, but -- believe me -- many successful professional writers still use the Wordstar command set. I remember when Borland came out with "choose your own menu" for all of its products and Microsoft sued them. Think about it: their own spreadsheet was the marketplace failure Multiplan. Does anyone use Word Perfect? Ironically, Microsoft purchased DOS, Excel. It is a convoluted world and you get to vote with your feet. For now, calibre is a real good 'word processor' for making epubs. Why use a middleman? The answer is 'what ever works for you.' Best regards, Pop

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by deleted

Are you aware that there are ereaders designed specifically for writing? Personally, I'm not sure whether they are gimmicks or not - it's one of the reasons I'm asking.

I know there are some e-ink devices that are meant for note taking, possibly writing, like Sony's Digital Paper Tablet or the reMarkable device but I would not call those ereaders. I'm not even sure the Sony supports epub or mobi files.

I have considered getting something like one of them for note-taking in meetings but the price tag is way too high for me to justify that. If the original NoteSlate concept had panned out I might have done that though.

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/05/so...essive-beasts/

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by deleted

Are you aware that there are ereaders designed specifically for writing? Personally, I'm not sure whether they are gimmicks or not - it's one of the reasons I'm asking.

Which Readers are designed for writing? If there are, they would not be Readers. Readers are designed for reading.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Which Readers are designed for writing? If there are, they would not be Readers. Readers are designed for reading.

Absolutely.
Also all text editors and wordprocessors except line editors designed for teletypes (i.e. everything in the last 40 years except edlin) scroll the user interface and thus are unsuitable for an eink screen.

The eink is lovely to read on. I know you can customise some to be a monitor and buy "monitor" screens, but without special sw they would be horrible.

I write on an LCD laptop, brightness carefully adjusted. No reflected light and no daylight. I read and annotate on the eink ereader. It's MOSTLY reading, so I don't hugely miss having a decent keyboard.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I know there are some e-ink devices that are meant for note taking, possibly writing, like Sony's Digital Paper Tablet or the reMarkable device but I would not call those ereaders. I'm not even sure the Sony supports epub or mobi files.

The Sony models are purely to annotate EXISTING PDFs. Not for content creation or editing.

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by deleted

Does anyone write using an ereader?
Primarily, I mean writing drafts in cursive style but I'd like to hear from those who type onto an ereader too.

I've seen the occasional e-ink tablet/laptop pop up on The Digital Reader:

https://the-digital-reader.com/2020/...hone-and-more/
https://the-digital-reader.com/2018/...-e-ink-screen/
https://the-digital-reader.com/2019/...up-march-2018/

Unsure of how they work in actual practice. Doubt it would be a very good experience because of low DPI+CPU+refresh rates.

Back in 2017-2018, he wrote articles about Remarkable (e-ink tablet):

https://the-digital-reader.com/2017/...dy-prime-time/
https://the-digital-reader.com/2018/...-party-hacker/
https://the-digital-reader.com/2018/...g-ocr-feature/

Seems like he actually owns one, so perhaps he'll be willing to give an update if you contact him?

Originally Posted by deleted

Is the aforementioned practical?

I've got concerns about the user friendliness of the filing system, how notes are stored etc. And just using the device to write in general.

From what I gather, it would probably be more effective purchasing an actual tablet.

Then you have the backing of actual Android/iOS, access to all apps (not locked to a handful of clunky ones on the device, etc. etc.).

[Quoth]

Android is worse than Windows 2.x when it comes to support for storage and printing. Depends on Android version AND app version, if SD card can be accessed. The files of some apps can't be accessed at all via USB, Wireless, BT etc.
No printing on most apps.

Apple iOS wants you to do everything via their Cloud and Apps.

The Fire is a locked down, walled in, crippled version of Android for their store.

There may be some eInk devices that use a Linux, but not much like any desktop Linux. Some use a customised Android, which is a bit crazy as the Android GUI and App programming system is unsuited for eink, but it means they don't have to develop much and can claim you can install Android apps (such as Kindle).

No, use a laptop with MacOS, Windows or Linux for content creation unless you want text editing not much more than 1991 Windows Notepad.

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Android is worse than Windows 2.x when it comes to support for storage and printing. [...] The files of some apps can't be accessed at all via USB, Wireless, BT etc.

What? Android's filesystem can be accessed completely like a USB stick.

[Quoth]

Also I've never ever found a decent BT keyboard for phone/tablet. They tend to sleep and lose the first letter or two typed. Or want paired.
Even cheap USB mini-keyboards are better.
My ancient Android Sony-Ericsson has HDMI out and USB2G, so as an experiment I added a hub, 17" HD screen, HDD, mouse and keyboard. All worked for a given concept of work.

Now no-one puts HDMI. My 10" tablet has the horrid Screencast Wireless that degrades the WiFi. Also works best with ANY USB keyboard, but correct layout can be a problem.
Also the old 7" tablet had a separate power jack. The current 6" phone, 7" tablet and 10" tablet can't at all be charged if in host mode. Only a very tiny number of tablets have a special non-standard USB that can take a Y cable for power and USB2Go host at the same time.

Real laptop. Non-Glare Matt screen.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Tex2002ans

What? Android's filesystem can be accessed completely like a USB stick.

No, depends on the version. Also on SOME versions of Android and SOME versions of Apps, there is NO SD card access for particular apps. If it's got an SD card slot, it probably needs it.
Fortunately the version on my 10" tablet and the Jota and the ebook reader app I have DO let me use the 256 G micro SD card £38. Also all the internal storage DOES appear on the host.
It's absolutely not true for every Android version, gadget or app.
There is a weirdness that some Android devices must not be automounted to the desktop, because only one application can access, and the desktop sort of means the default file manager has it and then Calibre can't see it. Other Android gadgets work differently.

The iOS iThings are a whole separate can of worms. Do install non-Apple music players and ebook readers and photoviewers while your gadget's iOS is supported. Because the Apple ones will often not work direct over USB without any Apple App, but for example VLC for mp3s or videos will.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Absolutely.
Also all text editors and wordprocessors except line editors designed for teletypes (i.e. everything in the last 40 years except edlin) scroll the user interface and thus are unsuitable for an eink screen.

The eink is lovely to read on. I know you can customise some to be a monitor and buy "monitor" screens, but without special sw they would be horrible.

I write on an LCD laptop, brightness carefully adjusted. No reflected light and no daylight. I read and annotate on the eink ereader. It's MOSTLY reading, so I don't hugely miss having a decent keyboard.

Yeah, I gotta ask...does this mythical beast exist? I mean, you guys know, I'm on eInks all day long. I live and die on 'em, but man, I do NOT NOT NOT want to try to write on one. I guess if you are handwriting your work (god help you anyway--if I was going to go THAAAT SLOOOOW, I'd just use Dragon nat speaking), and all that...I guess h/w recognition could be good but I just admit, I can't see it.

I can most surely say that the PPW family of Kindle devices has the WORST predictive tech of anything I've seen. Amazon should kiss the Goog's ass and borrow theirs, because I end up with incoherent notes and quality reports to Kindle, due to how their typing/texting works.

I'm not saying that such a creature doesn't exist, but...not that I've seen. OTOH, I'm not the end-all, know-all Queen o'Tablets, either. Tex and Quoth would both know more than I, on this front. I'm on a desktop PC most of my working day.

Hitch

[deleted]

I don't want to be rude but I'll just point out that the culture here seems a bit unusual. I asked a question, stated my use case, and specified who I wanted to hear from: people who write on ereaders.

I didn't really expect to begin by second guessing everything I've asked about or wade into the question of whether it's conceptually possible to write on an "ereader" - that's what the New Thread button is for.

I write by hand. I've been copy-editing manuscripts by hand on an EREADER for 4 years.

Remarkable is an ereader; it has an e-ink screen and it can read ebooks; however, writing is its specialty. So is the Sony DPT, however it is limited to PDF (which, when you get down to it, is an electronic book format).

The best example, though, is perhaps the Onyx Note / Max series. Which run on Android and are both very competent as readers and writers - yes, it's possible. Why wouldn't it be? If you can write on it, the hardware at least, supports reading by necessity.

I happen to be interested in the Note Pro.

There are many other new devices that do the same thing; it's something of an emerging market - there are more on the horizon; and yes, as TEX2002ans pointed out you could also use a tablet.
And there are the people who connect BT keyboards to ereaders as well.

I suppose I should be grateful to receive so many replies, as so far (besides rjwse perhaps (is Calibre on an ereader?)) noone has admitted to writing with one. I know these people do exist because I found some on Reddit yesterday (actually, I still have my doubts))!