Aug 15, 2008

Where do you write?

I mostly agree with Dorthy, "There's no place like home" when it comes to writing. However, lately I found due to my home & home office set up, a nearby coffee shop offering free wi-fi often is the better choice.

My bedroom doubles as my home office which doesn't allow much room to spread out with my books, laptop, notebook, & magazines - however, the coffee shop down side is that they are filled with distractions of other people, not to mention the loud coffee grinders. My laptop cart is too high for the chairs in my living room & my coffee table is too low for my couch, so I end up sitting on the floor & lean against my couch which doesn't feel too good on my back after awhile.

Some people can simply take their notebook & write. This doesn't fit me, I type faster than I think, not to mention my handwriting is terrible.

While taking a vacation at Epocot, I saw a demonstration of Word's Speech Recognition program which is similar to Nuance - Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 - (It is like having your own personal assistant type what you say.)

Another good tool is a digital voice recorder. This is great for those quick ideas in the car or around home. I have a few notebooks around home with plenty of nearby pens around to record those random book titles, character names, & plot ideas.

Writers/Readers: Where do you write best & what tools do you find the most helpful?

Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner has this blog post: A Room of One's Own

Below are links to software programs you may have never heard of.
Writing software
Digital Voice recorders & voice recognition

Writers Bookstore:
A Writer's Space by Eric Maisel

1 comment:

Chad Bishoff said...

I think for most of us the days of grabbing a notebook and pen are over. Especially for any writer delving beyond random daily thoughts and emotions.
Finding the perfect spot to write in peace can be difficult but for those with a vision and determination blocking out back pain and hurtles pales in comparison to the constant mental road blocks we endure during the creative process. Me personally, I write best where inspired. Though most days its at the desk, bed or couch. For the times I'm unable to sit a write, the iphone iRecorder has been my savior.