Best writing hardware - recommendations?

[OldCorpse]

I find myself not liking to write (screenplays, novels, short stories etc.) at my desk anymore. That means a desktop (currently a 27" iMac) is out. I like the idea of writing on the go wherever I may find myself - literally. It could be the park, a cafe - or my bed! I find that a laptop is just somehow not convenient, what with it being somehow unergonomic, ungainly, long to start up (that's definitely a drag!). Maybe a laptop is OK in a cafe, but not in my bed, or when I'm just sitting on a park bench or on a couch. I don't know, but somehow a laptop is awkward.

I thought of an iPad - but while it solves some problems with laptops, it seems mostly good at reading, not as good at writing. The keyboard is an issue - definitely feel the lack of a physical keyboard, and getting one of those external keyboards seems to mostly duplicate some of the laptop problems.

To tell the truth, what's most convenient is writing longhand on legal pads - but I'm too lazy and just bad at it these days... I've been typing for so long, my hands just aren't used to writing, plus now I get hand cramps if I write too long, my handwriting has gone to he||, and editing is not as convenient, obviously.

So how do you guys solve these issues - does someone have a good system? I'm all ears!

 

[Paul F]

There's that balance between portability and usability. On a 15 day tour of Europe with just a backpack, I used a tablet with a chiclets keyboard built into the cover. The keyboard was terrible. But the portability was excellent. I haven't had a need to use it since then. But if I found a decent chiclets keyboard, I think the tablet with keyboard built into the case (which includes a way to prop up the tablet at the correct viewing angle), would be satisfactory for me when going on trips. A laptop would have been too much.

I find going to coffee shops and the like helps a lot to write. But in those cases, when not traveling, I'd much rather use a laptop. I find a 13" laptop is just right.

[edit] - terrible meaning that some keys didn't always take. I had to hit them over and over. The space bar often needed several hits to be recognized. But the layout and feel of the keys was adequate.

 

[jcs]

I find myself not liking to write (screenplays, novels, short stories etc.) at my desk anymore. That means a desktop (currently a 27" iMac) is out. I like the idea of writing on the go wherever I may find myself - literally. It could be the park, a cafe - or my bed! I find that a laptop is just somehow not convenient, what with it being somehow unergonomic, ungainly, long to start up (that's definitely a drag!). Maybe a laptop is OK in a cafe, but not in my bed, or when I'm just sitting on a park bench or on a couch. I don't know, but somehow a laptop is awkward.

I thought of an iPad - but while it solves some problems with laptops, it seems mostly good at reading, not as good at writing. The keyboard is an issue - definitely feel the lack of a physical keyboard, and getting one of those external keyboards seems to mostly duplicate some of the laptop problems.

To tell the truth, what's most convenient is writing longhand on legal pads - but I'm too lazy and just bad at it these days... I've been typing for so long, my hands just aren't used to writing, plus now I get hand cramps if I write too long, my handwriting has gone to he||, and editing is not as convenient, obviously.

So how do you guys solve these issues - does someone have a good system? I'm all ears!

You can use a small bluetooth keyboard on any portable device, even a phone. Hand cramping- try dictation- works amazingly well these days!

 

[OldCorpse]

You can use a small bluetooth keyboard on any portable device, even a phone. Hand cramping- try dictation- works amazingly well these days!

Good point! I see that I was slightly unclear - I don't so much get cramps while typing, only when writing cursive by hand. But very interesting point about the dictation - I last checked it out long ago, and it wasn't very good, maybe time to revisit, though dictation isn't always ideal; I sometimes like to read in bed when I can't sleep - my wife is next to me, so I can't make noise though, if I wanted to write. But yeah, blutooth keyboard is an interesting idea.

 

[Paul F]

A Bluetooth keyboard is what I used on my tablet. I don't know what made it unreliable, so do good research before making a selection. The one good thing about it is a charge lasted for a very long time. I didn't have to charge it on my 15 day trip with it always on. I don't know how long it lasts. This is what I used - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JZM7T2Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

One of the stupid things about this unit is that with the tablet properly installed, the USB port could not be used for charging because it is on the bottom by the keyboard (Android tablet). So I installed it upside down, which made access to certain buttons not possible. That's a detail to keep in mind if you go this route. Hopefully, Mac models did it right.