My working day hasn’t grown less complicated over the decades. I used to openly mock techniques invoked in the service of productivity, but because of the temptations and interruptions of our connected lives, I now embrace them.
That includes my writing tools – a subject that remains at the core of writer geekhood.
One of the losses I experienced in my switch from Windows to Linux was the Q10 “clean screen” text editor (Windows only). It offered not only the dark, “no distractions” screen, but also a target word count and yes, a typewriter noise on every key click.
After testing the Linux-ready jdarkroom editor (which I didn’t like), I found Pyroom, which lacks the panache of Q10, but not its basic usability.
The Pyroom Clean Screen editor: Not many choices, but zero distractions.
Once I customized the colors to reflect an orange-on-black “Halloween” color palette that I found very easy on my eyes, I was off and running.
Even Old Writers Can Learn New Tricks
In my less tolerant moments, I’d tell you real writers don’t need gimmicks to put words on paper.
Today – in my more realistic moments – you’ll find me writing with distraction-free writing tools. (Hypocrisy, it seems, isn’t wholly the province of politicians and Wall Street.)
It wasn’t that many years ago that I wrote everything in MS Word, switching to OpenOffice after yet another expensive MS Office upgrade disappointed.
Today, 80% of my copy is written in a programmer’s editor or something equally simple (like Pyroom, which sadly lacks a spell checker).
I could go on and on about the reasons for using distraction-free writing tools, but the best is the simplest; I get more words written in Pyroom than in a word processor.
Words are the writer’s equivalent of a home builder’s pine two-by-four, and the more you get nailed together in worthwhile fashion, the happier you’ll be.
Those who haven’t headed off into the unknown with Linux benefit from a lot of choices surrounding distraction-free editors, some of which you’ll find profiled at the Bad Language blog, here at the Linux & Friends blog, or this at the Loose Wires blog.
Keep writing (any way you can), Tom Chandler.
UPDATE: For the hardcore among my readers, there now exists a computerized typewriter analog – with no ability to backspace or edit what you’ve written. Thanks, but no thanks.
Comments 16
Ahh, the familiar glow of amber on a deep black field of nothingness. Amber, over green, was my choice, as well in the old days.
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MS Word (for Mac) does not distract me. But I do find that on most flatscreens, I need to write in 9 point Verdana 9 with the document set on ‘normal view’ at 125%. This makes the letters stand out crisply but is still small enough to read-at-a-glance.
Once the font gets too big, you have to read line by line and you are prone to lose track of the flow of the text.
Or is it me?
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Sure, but you probably still use Wordstar keyboard shortcuts (I was always partial to WordPerfect).
Frankly, I’m impressed by the variety of schemes employed by writers to get exactly the display they want. One size doesn’t fit all.
Hey, don’t knock WordStar. It was a seamless transition to writing HTML. :)
Roberta Rosenberg’s last blog post..Action Success Summit 2009 – Grab the Maven and her mp3
I’m curious; do you still customize your word processor to match any Wordstar key commands?
No, not specifically. But I do use a lot of keyboard shortcuts rather than using the mouse. So I’m thinking that’s a bit of a holdover.
When it was time to (tearfully) to say goodbye to WS, I had to choose between Word and WordPerfect, the latter at the time a huge player. I chose Word because I figured Microsoft would be around a long time and I wouldn’t be stuck with another orphaned product.
Roberta Rosenberg’s last blog post..Action Success Summit 2009 – Grab the Maven and her mp3
Ahh, so you were one of the turncoats that killed off WordPerfect. Damn you.
Um, don’t I have to be a user before I’m branded as a turncoat? Or am I just splitting the proverbial hair …
just saying.
Roberta Rosenberg’s last blog post..Action Success Summit 2009 – Grab the Maven and her mp3
PyRoom is open-source; it can never be ‘orphaned’. At least, the speed of development will continue, or might even get new masters when old go away. Better than really getting something orphaned.
Besides, it’s not like there’s a new Word version every two years. Old ones go get orphaned.
Wow! I had never seen programs like these before. I’ve been mucking around with text editors trying to find the right one to keep me focused, but this is a major leap forward! Thanks, Tom.
Give ‘em a try, though recognize they’re best viewed as a starting point for getting words written.
Only wish I could get Q10 running on Linux (a no-go with Wine).
The XT machine look. Heavens!
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Hey, we successfully avoided the “PC Jr” look. Whatever it takes to get it all done…
I’ve recently downloaded ‘Liquid story binder’, not for the lack of anything but for the ability to have multiple thingies open at once!
Unfortunately I haven’t had time to really explore it, so the demo will probably run out before I can decide.
What I want is something with my swipe files down one side, my notes about the specific project down the other and the salesletter in the middle…
If I have to minimise Word (I use Open Office, which I hate but damned if I’ll spend $$$ on Word) then invariably I’ll find myself browsing through emails, forums, news etc.
The other software I’m using is ‘Chaos Intellect’, as a replacement for Outlook. Handy for building up complete files on my clients, complete with schedules etc.
On the main topic, yes, I agree 100% that focussing on only one task at a time works best. You simply get more done like that, and you know it’s done right.
Alan C
That’s the polar opposite of a clean screen editor, but it’s also something of a holy grail for writers.
I’ve heard good things about Scrivener (Mac only) and its ability to keep research handy while writing, but don’t know if anything similarly successful has come into being for Windows.
Thank you, Tom.
I am sure Q10 is going to help me run from a trot..
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