I got it off eBay, and it still works fine. Of course, the problem is it doesn't use a rechargeable battery. I have to keep feeding it batteries or get recharge-ables and a charger for them. But I must admit, since I broke this old laptop out of storage and started using it, I don't use the Alphasmart anymore. Somehow I have enough discipline to just not even switch on a web browser while using it for writing.
It has a very small screen, you can only see 3 lines of type at a time. Keeps you 'in the moment' so to speak. But the really fun part is, when you connect it to the computer to download what you wrote, it does it character by character at high speed. You see each letter appear, and then disappear if you deleted them. It's a real trip.
I was going to say that my school never had anything like that back in the day, but then I remembered how some of the special needs kids did have a few. From what I remember, they could save essays, class notes and other assignments on them. Only problem was, at the end of the semester when the time came to grade those assignments... no one could ever figure out how to print or download the data from them. Hehe, oops.
Huh, weird. I have no problem with it. Maybe the school had nobody knowledgeable about all this new digital tech.
I'm sort of loving the handwriting. It's sort of became part of my routine by accident. My trick is writing in those really expensive notebooks or journals. I write my best and I have this desire to fill them up which I have been. The import parts get typed up and really polished so I do use both. There are times when I just want to type, when it's easier that way or feels easier that way. Yeah, I sort of go with my gut when it comes to the laptop or the notebook with gold-edge pages. And lately I've just been digging some writing by hand.
I have worshiped at the fount, and once I learned the beauty of free-flowing ink I got myself some rollerball pens, or whatever they're called, that put ink down wet (unlike ball points and gel pens). I love writing with them, you can go so much faster, but it tends to splotch and go right through the page in places. I also love fountain pens for drawing, but they're hard to maintain and so many things can go wrong.
I’ve used fountain pens for about fifteen years. I have about fifteen of them, from very cheap ones to some not as cheap. A couple of vintage pens, including one going back to the 1930s. I’ve never had maintenance issues myself but I do have to make sure I’m using suitable paper so they don’t bleed. I use them at work every day and also in my own writing.
It's a matter of finding the right combination of pen, ink and paper. When any part of the equation goes out you have problems. A lot of my maintenance problems were because of inks claiming to be for fountain pens that really aren't suitable. Things also got better when I learned how to 'reset' nibs by sort of clicking them against the edge of a table backwards. Also certain papers will either soak ink up too fast, let it bloom and splotch, or any number of other problems.
When I first got a fountain pen I bought an acrylic-based ink for it. That caused me a lot of problems and took some cleaning of the nib.
i actually bought a pen that is a ballpoint but it uses fountain pen ink in short international cartridges. I just had to see how i liked it.
I often wonder how well I'd be able to type if I hadn't taken a typing class in high school. I was around 60 wpm in those days. Then I stopped typing for years and when I got back to it after getting a computer I had forgotten how to use all my fingers—I only use my forefingers now. But I don't look at the keys—any time I do it slows me WAAAAAY down!! You need to have key positions memorized and be able to find them automatically. Even though I'm a 2 finger typist now, I'm still pretty fast.
I personally write on my computer but I mostly used to write with pen and paper. (I mean I kind of had to, because I used to write a lot during classes back in middle school and high school, and taking out a computer wasn't really an option.) My hands would always end up aching and I still have this bump on my middle finger from always putting too much pressure on my pen. =) I haven't switched back to paper though I've noticed a bunch of advantages with it. Firstly, it might seem like typing would be faster. But I've learned that when I'm using my computer, I'm more prone to constantly going back to edit what I'm writing so in general, I'm going to waste more time obsessing over writing something "perfect" than actually writing. This is not the case with pen and paper because constantly editing is just going to make things super messy. Secondly, you can't deny that cozy personal feeling a notebook has. You can see your own handwriting and don't even get me started on the yellow-ish scribbly paper aesthetic. There are a few reasons why I'm still using my computer. Organizing my writing on a computer is a lot easier. I don't always write my stories in chronological order. Sometimes I might have an idea for a random death scene and I would just write it down. If I were to keep separate notebooks for death scenes, battle scenes, escape scenes, and random dialogue ideas I would have to keep a bookshelf of notebooks and that's not really convenient. I use Evernote to store my ideas. I have it on my phone and laptop and I can just add my ideas even if I'm not home and I would have my notes everywhere I go which is honestly amazing. Writing on a computer also lets me save ideas or inspirational facts I see online pretty easily. I also like using a dictionary and a thesaurus when I'm writing and a computer makes that super simple. I think there are numerous advantages to using a computer. We just need to look for the right tools. For example, Cold Turkey forces you to write. And here's a video about some good writing tools. You can even add inspiring music (or voice notes) to your writings. You can't really open a notebook, click a button and play relevant music. =) I still keep notebooks though but I mostly use them for sketching things related to my stories and scribbling down unorganized ideas and outlines. You don't have that flexibility with word processors. I sometimes even scan the sketches and attach them to the writings on my computer. (That helps with that desire for personality.) I think you need to find a mix that suits your needs. (But yeah, I get it. Screens could get quite annoying.)
I have to write on my computer, because I feel like my thoughts are much faster than my ability to write by hand. That's why I need the computer. Also, the computer is much more effective for deleting / re-writing lines.
I like both, but sometimes my stories have a habit of being more one or the other. Like, I have one story that I write in a notebook at work, and literally never anywhere else. Other stories, like my choose-your-own-adventure, are difficult to do off-computer, though I'll sometimes write a chapter or two in a notebook. I've found that notebooks help me concentrate, and are much more convenient than bringing computers everywhere. However, it does add the extra steps of copying into a computer, and...well, trying to interpret my own handwriting. This problem is sort of solved by getting a cheap computer (gift from my dad who for some reason always ends up with computers), an HP Stream, and installing Linux Mint on it. I need the computer for nothing else besides writing and its zip drive function, so I can leave my better laptop at home while I travel around with the little one. Also, LInux Mint is very nice and small, 2GB, and looks more or less like a fusion of Windows 7 and XP, the best Windows OSs. Also I have a story I'm writing on my phone, but that's just whenever I'm in a situation where I have nothing else to do. It's an improv story that I just keep going with and never edit, so who knows how it'll turn out?
My preference is handwriting (pen to paper). My gripe is that most people, when watching me, are wondering what I'm writing about &/or wanting to read what I write. With most of my writing, it's personal. Of course, then there is "general" writing which has notes, references, etc etc. As for typing on a computer, I'm quite fast (90-100wpm) so I've no problem there . . . still, prefer the pen (pencil) and paper
Maybe don't do personal writing in public? I had problems like this when I used to draw outdoors. I took a drawing class at the zoo once and people would come up and gawk at what you're drawing. I didn't mind that as long as they remained polite (and the drawing was coming out good), but kids and some adults start asking questions or bumping against you or rubbing their fingers on the drawing. Sometimes greasy fingers.
People are fascinated by creative processes, perhaps especially when they believe they aren't creative themselves. They want to see the magic of drawings appear, vicariously experience a new story, watch a sweater appearing from a strand of yarn. It's basically the same urge that makes people want to touch pregnant tummies: something amazing is happening right before their eyes and the wonder of it draws them in.
This is the big reason why I don't write anywhere strangers can see me do it. I used to, because that's a thing people do, but i discovered really quickly that if someone decided that they should ask me questions--because a cursory glance at a manuscript on screen is instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever written one--the situation would become super annoying at a moment's notice. So I feel you there.
Yes, writing in public is NOT what I do now . . . I write in my own private space ie: in my car, library, open area park, beach
I prefer to write texts by hand, reread and edit on paper. After I like the text, I type this text and receive an electronic version, which I also reread and correct again.
