Portable writing alternatives

[andrewmck]

Lately, I've been finding myself away from home and with the time to write. I don't have a laptop, so that sort of portability is out for me and I'm looking at other alternatives.

Probably the most obvious choice is GoogleDocs (http://docs.google.com), or a similar web-based word processor. My question is - is anyone else out there using GoogleDocs, or another web-based processor? And, how successful (or unsuccessful) has that been for you?

Comments

[chrisbarnes.livejournal.com]

I can't help re web-based word processors, but if you're after a cheap very portable laptop, quite a few people are singing praises to the Asus Eee mini-notebook PC lately. $500. Keyboard's very small so mightn't suit if you're a touch typist, but is apparently OK for two-finger typing.

[ashr501.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Chris. Not sure if the small size would suit me. I can't seem to get used to a standard laptop keyboard, let alone one of those little Asus ones!

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

we use them a lot for all our projects, mostly spreadsheets but sometimes people send me word docs that way. Really really really useful for coworking on documents and also for accessing whereever you are.

[ashr501.livejournal.com]

Thanks, GJ! I was sort of thinking that its 'sharing' facility might to a useful tool for my 'first readers'. That way they can just edit and add their comments online rather than having to send me back the document as an attachment. Sounds like it might be the right tool for what I need.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

a fat steno pad and a couple of pens works well too, and when you transcribe you also rewrite.

[ashr501.livejournal.com]

I can't seem to actually 'write' longhand any more. I used to, but I've become so used to typing that writing is so much slower that it can't keep up with my mind. I still do all my 'thinking' and planning on paper with pen or pencil, but once I actually get down to the nitty gritty of writing, opening the WP is the definitive step for me to actually completing a story.

[phillberrie.livejournal.com]

Hi AShR,

If you do end up trying Google Apps let us know how it works out for the writing process. Fairly obvious that it would be a good for collaboration.

Phill.