I did know what category to put this, so I try here. I need a new laptop machine that I will use for writing. I am not on a budget, but I still want a machine that is as good for my needs as possible without costing too much. My main criteria is that the screen is large enough to use a word processor comfortably, that is has a long battery life, and most important of all, the keyboard has to be good for writing, and I absolutely cannot have a touchpad that is placed so that I end up touching it while typing. Anyone got any good reccomendations? I dont care if it is something made by apple, Asus, or any other manufacturer. I just want the best machine for my use, which is writing a novel. All help is appreciated lots
For your basic novel writing, any computer with a word processor should do ya just fine -- whether it's a PC or a Mac. Everybody has their own personal favorites. Some people really like using a program called Scrivener to use while writing a novel, and it was originally designed for Macs, but is also available on PC, so either will work for you. There are folks who love their Macs and never want to use anything else. They tend to like all things Apple. I am among this group. However, there are others who like the PCs, because they find that they have fewer problems as far as document compatibility if they're sending stories for critique, contests, etc. I haven't encountered any problems that weren't fixable, but others seem to have found this more problematic. Also some have said that if a Mac completely crashes, it tends to be more catastrophic than a PC crash. In either case, though, you should always be sure to back up your work. So, if your novel is a regular word-based novel (i.e. isn't some kind of graphic heavy project) I don't think there's a lot of difference between the two. As far as your specs re: the touchpad and such, I think you just have to go to a store and test it out for yourself.
there is an easy way to overcome the awkwardness of a touch pad and the tiring placement of the keyboard, for typing hours on end... i always use a peripheral keyboard that doesn't have the calculator on the side, so my reach for my plug-in mouse is minimal... i've been using laptops like this for many years and recommend the same to anyone who'd be using a laptop for long periods of time... if you want to know which brand i've also been using all these years [i'm on my 4th upgrade], you can email me, since i can't endorse a product here... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
After buying a new laptop and getting back into writing afterwards I have a few things to recommend: 1. Get a laptop with keyboard lights! I can't stress this enough, because there will come a time when your brain will get an idea and you will want to type it down quick and if you can't see the keys it will make it difficult to type everything down before you forget it. 2. Make sure you get a laptop with a good bit of Ram because most likely you will have several things open at once while you search for reference materials and basically other information for your novel. 3. Good battery life, if you mean to travel and write that is. This will be very essential to you. I got around 4 and a half with mine which is more than enough time for me to get down a grand or so before retreating to the plug. Hope this helps
