Writing on the Go

Last Monday I had two doctor appointments in the same area. It would have been burdensome to drive back home between them, so I had to stay. I worried that because a good portion of the day was going to be spent waiting for these appointments, I was losing writing time. Sure it was a teacher’s planning day and I had taken the day off, but days off means writing for me. Yet these appointments were a time drain.

So that morning I downloaded the Pages app onto my iPad. I usually look for free apps for my iPad, and this was the first time I paid for an app. The Pages app transfers documents to and from your iPad. So I loaded some Word documents related to my WIPs onto my iPad hoping I’d write a chapter or two during my appointments. Then I stuck the device in my purse.

While I sat in lobbies and waiting rooms, I was able to type out two-thirds of one chapter, but it was not easy at first. I had to get used to the virtual keyboard. I’ve had my iPad for a while, but I was really just using it to read books. Now I was typing on this thing. And I kept accidentally deleting chunks of fresh writing by hitting undo. Because I didn’t know where the redo button was—but later on I found it—I was retyping paragraphs at a time, frustrated that with each step forward I fell one step behind.

I eventually got the hang of the keyboard. I didn’t write as much as I wanted to before and after my appointments because of my initial clumsiness, but I did get something done. At home I found a better way to use the app in conjunction with another device I had. I had my outline open on my iPad while I typed chapters of my draft onto my AlphaSmart. The AlphaSmart’s physical keyboard made writing twice as fast compared to the iPad, while the iPad was handy for having my outline open—with no distracting internet, I was typing like a speed demon. I’ll still use the Pages app since the iPad fits into my purse—while the AlphaSmart does not—and I’m sure I’ll be less clumsy the next time I write on it. I thought about getting a keyboard for my iPad, but according to reviews that makes iPads bulky, and the whole reason I have an iPad in the first place is to avoid the bulk factor.  

Overall, I like having these devices because of the portability and their lack of internet. Do you use any writing devices that making writing faster, easier, and/or portable?  

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