Do you yearn for a more romantic style of writing – one where you pounded out your award-winning novel on your trusty manual typewriter, then flew to Paris to start drinking your way through your next book?
Well, pine no more, Undergrounders. We bring you news of a product sure to make you shrug and go on with your day: The USB-enabled Manual Typewriter:
Frankly – given the world’s oversupply of unused manual typewriters and shortage of working iPhones – we’re amazed nobody thought of this before (after all, phone reception on one of these couldn’t be much worse than an iPhone 4).
Now all those tech bloggers – who struggle to write their never-critical-of-new-technology blog posts on their tiny iPhones and iPads – can take command of a full-sized, calorie-consuming and (dare I say it) man-sized keyboard, courtesy the USB Typewriter site:
The USBTypewriter™ is a new and groundbreaking innovation in the field of obsolescence. Lovers of the look, feel, and quality of old fashioned manual typewriters can now use them as keyboards for any USB-capable computer, such as a PC, Mac, or even iPad! The modification is easy to install, it involves no messy wiring, and does not change the outward appearance of the typewriter (except for the usb adapter itself, which is mounted in the rear of the machine). So the end result is a retro-style USB keyboard that not only looks great, but feels great to use.
At this website, you can buy buy a USB Typewriter of your very own, or you can buy a kit to make one yourself. You can also send me your typewriter to customize.
Proving once again that writers are never above peeking into the next stall, Writer/BoingBoing co-editor Cory Doctorow recently published a geeky introspective about the software/hardware tools he uses, and I hope his sizable audience takes note.
Doctorow showers Ubuntu Linux with abject fanboy love, and frankly, I had to agree.
Ubuntu Just Works. I recently had cause to install Windows XP on an old ThinkPad and found that it was about a hundred times more complicated than getting Ubuntu running. When I transitioned to Ubuntu from the MacOS, I had a week or two’s worth of disorientation, similar to what happened after we renovated the kitchen and changed where we kept everything. Then the OS just disappeared, and it has stayed disappeared, breaking in ways that are neither more severe nor more frequent than any other OS I’ve ever used.
Two years ago I ran an Ubuntu Linux “trial” installation on an ailing PC notebook. I’ve never looked back.
All three of my machines run Ubuntu, and my business is now entirely Linux powered.
And doing just fine.
Doctorow neatly parrots what I tell those willing to listen: The operating system just disappears.
Work happens. And then disappears down the pipe with a minimum of wasted (and irritating) clicks.
That wasn’t the case with Windows Vista – the operating system that was so burdened by fluff, maddening dialog boxes and a mother-in-law interface it essentially drove me from the platform after years of… well… tolerating it.
Productivity Really Is The New Black
Remodeling my career – from a writer of mostly print projects to an online copywriter (and now online marketing consultant) – has pushed me into tools which do their job, but otherwise stay the hell out of the way.
It’s a recurring theme among my little pack of writer friends; simpler (and faster and easier and directer) is fast becoming the new black.
That’s why this is being written in a programmer’s editor (a tarted-up version of the very simple Gedit), stored in a text file (where any other editor can reach it), and why I rarely touch a “real” word processor any more.
I could rave on about Ubuntu and its collection of open source applications which have streamlined my workflow (actually improving my productivity in the process), but the larger picture intrudes.
As the cloud grows, its apps become increasingly powerful at aggregating content – especially disparate kinds of content.
What’s left is the relatively simple job of creating that content, which may happen faster on Linux than on a smothering Windows platform (the Mac seems to have an edge in video creation).
Keep writing (and paring away the useless bits), Tom Chandler
The League of Moveable Type offers up a heaping helping of quality open-source fonts – and regular news updates on the state of typography online. And yes, their elegant home page drops you right into the typographical mosh pit with:
We’re done with the tired old fontstacks of yesteryear. Enough with the limitations of the web, we won’t have it. It’s time to raise our standards. Here, you’ll find only the most well-made, free & open-source, @font-face ready fonts.
Like any revolution, we aim to make progress, and we need help. If you want to be a part of this free, open-source type movement, you should join us and contribute. If you have any questions about The League or the movement, get in touch.
Naturally, they offer up a much longer manifesto, but you might already get their drift.
I admit to few addictions: my new daughter, fly fishing, arranging words in pleasing sequences, wild places, and fonts.
The loss of real typography online gutted text-based marketing of it’s often-pleasurable nuances. The imminent return of typography to marketing (the technology’s finally catching up) fills my heart with joy.
I often hear “I can’t read longer articles on the Internet” from friends. While that’s clearly due (in part) to the low resolution of PC monitors, frankly, most ad-supported sites are hideous.
Blinking, flashing and talking banner ads compete for our attention, and even if you stave off the need to click, you simply can’t avoid seeing the stuff out of the corner of your eye.
That’s why the Readability browser add-on caught my eye. An arc90 “labs” project, it strips away everything but article itself, shearing away the distractions and leaving only the story.
Example?
Here’s a screenshot of your average New York Times story:
The ad at the top is animated, and yes – it’s designed to interrupt your visit to the page. As is pretty much everything else.
Install the Readability add-on (you drag it to your browser toolbar), click, and this appears:
It’s a nifty tool – especially if you’re reading longer articles online.
It’s also another example of an attempt to de-clutter an increasingly cluttered online environment.
Most writer’s blogs have at least one post dedicated to things like clean-screen text editors, and eliminating distractions in the midst of the writing process.
Why not afford your reading time the same courtesy?
A “Clean Screen” Internet?
In the same vein, the always-provocative (and thoughtful) Carr wondered if the in-story hyperlink wasn’t the bounty we assumed it was, and asked if it shouldn’t be relegated to the end of the article.
Interestingly, the Readability folks incorporated just that suggestion into their tool, which will gather all the links and place them at the end of the story if you’d like.
The reaction to Carr’s suggestion wasn’t exactly what you call wholly positive, though it’s hardly surprising that a-list bloggers would resist such a change.
For many on the Internet, a link isn’t information as much as it is currency; a way for a less-trafficked blogger to gain the attention of an alpha dog, who can then return the favor.
In the larger sense, perhaps it’s time we recognized the limits of hyper-connectivity (and hyper-clutteritis).
You’ll note I didn’t gather the links at the bottom of this post. I think it’s an excellent idea for longer, less “how-to/what-to” pieces, but not really needed in a short, 500-word article.
Social media, blogs, enewsletters, websites and other forms of online marketing are evolving faster than you can say “Tweet me.”
Evolving right alongside them are the tools developed to help online users get the most from the online space.
With one critical exception.
Where are the modern word processors for today’s online copywriters and marketers?
The simple, intuitive Bluefish editor interface.
Where is the text processor designed specifically to help today’s online copywriter craft web copy, blog posts, enewsletters, landing pages, tweets, online articles and other projects – and then get it where it needs to be with a minimum of fuss?
Where is the ultimate online text processor?
In case you’re wondering, that editor would include features like:
Speed
Toggled HTML markup (toggle between code and live views)
Toggled “cleanscreen” for fire-hose writing
Enough formatting to prettify documents for clients (including sample landing/Web pages with graphics represented)
File and project management (“projects” or “sessions” are a good start)
Live word/character counts
“Post to blog” feature (including category/keyword/SEO stuff)
I suggested the programming editor’s lightning-fast response, simple HTML markup tools and the “session” feature – which opens and manages multiple files at the same time – offered online writers the best tool available.
It’s still true.
Which is really too bad.
We need something we can call our own.
Blog editors help make blogging easier, but fail everywhere else.
A programmer’s editor makes online writing easier (basic HTML tagging), but they’re not aimed primarily at writers, and it shows.
And full-blown word processors format your text nicely, but are essentially closed systems, and do a poor job of preparing copy for the web.
They insert all sorts of web-unfriendly formatting codes, and their reliance on a “paper” model doesn’t really meet the online reality.
In simple terms, they’re great writing tools – and they were perfect when I wrote copy and sent it to clients, who printed it and passed it around – but increasingly, they’re becoming relics of the paper era.
Which is not what this post is all about.
The ugly truth is this: Writers have yet to see a single “online writer’s editor” that offers everything really needed by today’s online copywriter.
It Almost Exists… Almost.
All the above bits and pieces already exist.
Just not in the same piece of software.
Komodo Edit is the closest I've come to a real online copywriter's editor
For example, Windows Live Writer is a good blog editor (despite a funky interface).
Yet it falls far short for most other tasks (like writing website copy).
Some word processors can act as virtual databases for the files, notes and links related to a single project (Scrivener on the Mac), though they seem better suited to longer works (like novels or white papers) than online copywriting.
Hosted processors (like Google Docs) offer some of the above, but I find them irritatingly logy at times, and lacking in the text-manipulation power features I’ve come to love.
And while programmer’s editors (I’m writing this in one) offer many of the target features, they’re often complex, offer features writers don’t need, and lack refinement (you can’t send a client a formatted .rtf document for review).
And I haven’t found one that simplifies posting directly to a blog or microblogging service.
In other words, we’re not there yet.
The Power of Projects For the Online Writer
Most programmer’s editors offer a “Project” or “Session” function, which allows you to define groups of files, opening them all at once.
That’s incredibly useful for today’s online projects, which are composed of many discrete bits of copy.
I recently worked on a product/web launch project, and as I wrote new copy for the project (or added notes from meetings), I’d add the new file to the project.
In the morning, I’d simply open that project, and voila – every file associated with the project opened in its own editor tab.
I didn’t have to dig for notes, or to see what I’d already written – a huge timesaver over the course of the project.
I could even keep multiple projects open in separate editor windows.
Is There a Future For the Online Writer’s Editor?
Of course, no writer thinks their word processor/editor/pen is ever exactly right, which is one of the neuroses that defines us as writers.
(That’s just the way it is.)
And since I run my writing business on Ubuntu Linux (instead of Windows or Macintosh), my choices are limited compared to most.
I can’t guess at the size of the online writer’s market, though I have to believe there’s potential for some entrepreneur – or a truckload of good karma for some group of developers who go the open source route.
And the person that gets there first will enjoy an early adopter bonus.
Here’s What I Want
When I write a blog post (or email, or web copy, or landing page, or…), what I really want is something that stays largely out of the way – until I need some help.
In other words, I want to write the text quickly (maybe on a cleanscreen), massage it, quickly insert HTML tags where needed (including formatting, links and images), and get the text where it needs to be.
That copy could be cut and pasted into a web page, posted to a blog, or turned into a passably attractive pdf file for a client.
If it’s an article, then I want – with a click or two – to record the date it was submitted (maybe to a magazine, but possibly to a group blog).
Along the way, I’ll want to quickly check my notes and related files.
Perhaps use some of its more powerful features (macros, snippets, etc) to edit the text. Even add ideas I stumble on along the way to an idea “tickler” file.
And then record the time invested writing it.
The tool to do all that simply hasn’t been invented yet.
And I’m starting to wonder if it ever will be.
And in truth, I’d be satisfied with a text editor that toggled between HTML code/live views, made applying formatting easy, helped me manage project files, and then simply got out of the way.
A Few Programmer’s Editors
I’m writing this post on Cream – a friendlier version of the very-hard-to-use, steeper-than-Everest learning curve VIM text editor.
Cream does many things wonderfully, largely adheres to modern interface standards (like command keyboard shortcuts) and it’s fast.
It also can’t quite hide the powerful-yet-user-hostile VIM engine underneath the hood, so it’s not exactly user friendly.
Old school, but powerful: the Cream editor puts a friendlier face on VIM.
In fact, it’s decidedly old school in function and appearance – not a deal-breaker for old geezers, but a tougher sell with today’s crowd.
Active State’s Komodo Edit: Komodo offers many of the bullets listed above, though at the expense of speed and footprint (it’s a little slower, but can be configured to do almost anything).
Komodo’s available on Mac, Windows & Linux, and like Cream, it’s free. (Gotta love open source.)
Bluefish (Linux/Windows HTML editor):A fast, easy-to-use html editor with a streamlined, intuitive interface, Bluefish might be the best choice for writing posts and web pages.
Kate Editor (Linux only): Writers using the KDE desktop in Linux might find exactly what they need on their desktop; the Kate editor is a sweetheart, but a powerful one.
I’ve also tested the low-cost UltraEdit(another cross platform programmer’s editor) and found it a good choice (lots of folks love it).
Some jokers will no doubt suggest the granddaddies of powerful text editors: the original VIM or EMACSeditors. Admittedly powerful – and configurable enough to do almost anything – both offer what I’ll term “user-hostile” interfaces along with a learning curve you’ll appreciate the very first time you fire one up.
In other words, we’re still waiting.
Today’s online writers and copywriters desperately need something that’s keeping pace with our changing needs. When will we see that editor?
Keep writing, Tom Chandler
An “I Forgot” Update: Matthew Stibbe of Bad Language also touched on the editor vs Great Big Word Processor subject a while ago, and pointed to the blog of a noted sci-fi author who uses a programmer’s editor, went astray, but now finds himself back behind the wheel of Vim (the text editor running beneath the Cream editor mentioned above).
Satire remains one of the only truly effective methods for dealing with hype, and if it’s one thing that needs a healthy dose of satire, it’s corporate-and-guru-driven webspeak.
Of course, satire’s most effective when it’s only one step removed from reality, which is why the Web Economy Bullshit Generator (at dack.com) offers so much entertainment value for so little time invested (it’s a synergistic hyper-relateable entertainment technology):
It automatically generates gibberish corporate-speak phrases (the button actually says “make bullshit”), including doozies like:
disintermediate proactive technologies
matrix virtual infrastructures
strategize 24/365 web services
incentivize plug-and-play infomediaries
architect one-to-one infrastructures
synthesize impactful channels
grow cross-media infomediaries
Sadly, you could pack a corporate pitch/report with fertilizer like this and do just fine. But remember: That way lies madness.
In fact, the Undergrounders should feel free to add their own real-life corporatespeak phrases in the comments section (use fake names if you feel the need to protect yourself).
Me? I’m heading off to innovate enterprise functionalities so I can seize synergistic paradigms for my clients, who are currently incubating end-to-end user experiences.
Storyboarding is an essential part of the creative copywriter’s process; every commercial I ever wrote first came to life as a storyboard.
But don’t think the storyboard’s utility is limited to video. Even if you don’t make movies, a storyboard can quickly become an essential tool when developing animated ads, web site sliders, podcasts, video and other “rich” media.
All require planning.
All involve movement, time, a sequence, and graphics, type or sound elements.
And all benefit from the application of a simple storyboard.
For example, on a recent Web project, I used a simple storyboard to plan the order & content of the site’s home-page sliders.
I was happy I did.
Originally, the concept in my head seemed lucid and logical. But getting it on paper made it clear my “lucid” idea was muddled and out of order.
Score one for storyboarding.
Storyboards: Care & Feeding
Storyboarding doesn’t require a lot of instruction; it’s about as intuitive as it gets.
You simply use the solid-line boxes to represent the visual elements, and add directions in the box below.
Those directions can include:
Copy
Transitions (like “fade to black”)
Voiceover directions
Music
Visual ideas
Actor’s direction
Whatever the heck you want
A Few Helpful Hints
Don’t overthink the details on your first pass.
Getting your concept down on paper – in broad strokes – is more important than sewing up every detail.
And you’ll be amazed at the number of times you realize – after storyboarding your drop-dead solid idea – that you’ve gotten it all wrong.
Also, some folks – who feel they can’t draw – won’t attempt a storyboard.
Which is a huge mistake.
A storyboard’s screen is not the place for a detailed drawing (unless you’re making a movie).
Use an oval to represent a face. A square to represent a book. In other words, use symbols.
You need a visual representation of any graphic element, but mostly to offer a reality check on size, movement, etc.
In other words, if you’re using a human face to convey an emotion, that face better be big enough to “read.”
In the same vein, storyboarding an animated 125 x 125 banner ad could make it clear you’ve got too much happening in too little space.
Finally, don’t be hemmed in by your storyboard. It’s a rare concept that can’t be improved by more thought, so don’t narrow your vision simply because you’re working within little square boundaries.
In other words, live a little (creatively speaking).
Templates? Did Someone Say Template?
In the past, I used a storyboard I created in a graphics program – complete with rounded corners on the screen – but found it too specialized for today’s online work.
It’s nothing fancy – it represents the storyboard stripped to its bare essentials – but it’s the perfect all-around storyboard for the all-around copywriter.
A Word of Warning
You might be tempted to storyboard on your computer.
Don’t do it.
At least not on your first draft.
You’ll find yourself contaminating your “big think” time with details.
Get the concept roughed out using broad strokes, refine it – and only then move to a computer storyboard.
I’ve used computer generated storyboards in the past, but in the client pitch stage, where the time invested finding photographs or drawings (and the readability of computer-set type) really pay off.
An Old Tool For New Media
Given the “rich” nature of today’s media channels, a storyboard could easily become one of the modern copywriter’s most useful tools.
Download it, save it, print it and use it whenever you’re working on a sequential, moving project.
It will help you get your head into the game. And your concept in order.
With at least some of us still smarting from April 15 (that’s tax day to my non-USA readers), it’s a good time to look at my favorite kind of software:
Sure, Google Docs, OpenOffice and Zoho all made the “office” list (as did the interesting Windows text editor Notepad++). But nowhere did I see a hint of the text processor for the modern online writer – a breed of editor so advanced, it apparently hasn’t been invented (more on this soon).
Otherwise, it’s a mix of the usual suspects and some intriguing newcomers, in categories like:
Anti-Malware
App Launchers
Audio
Backup/Synch/Storage
Blogging
Browsers
Calendar/PIM
Conferencing/VoIP
Displays
Email
File Transfer/Sharing
File Viewers/Converters
Finance
Fun/Home
Graphics
Instant Messaging
Maps
Media Manager
Networking
Office
Operating Systems
Printing
Process Monitors
Remote Access
RSS Readers
Search
Security/Encryption
Social Networking
System Utilities
Video
What’s “Free” Really Good For?
I run my business atop Ubuntu Linux, so my hard disk is largely populated with free software.
Which works extremely well.
And while the mainstay applications get all the ink (OpenOffice, GnuCash (financial), GIMP image editing, etc), the real benefit of free software is your ability to try new things – without a big investment.
Ever created a podcast? I hadn’t – until a client asked if I was interested in producing a regular segment for them.
I billed them for the hardware and the time, but a fast download of Audacity sound editing software (free) had me underway in literally minutes.
I’ve written plenty of radio, and those skills came back fast.
But I learned a lot.
I learned that podcasts were as easy to produce as everyone said.
And that my voice isn’t suited for broadcast (actually, I knew that already, but forgot).
Of course, the point here isn’t that I have grating, nasal voice.
It’s that I tried something I wouldn’t have attempted had I needed to plunk down a couple hundred dollars.
The same is true of video editing (OpenShot video editor), mind mapping and a few others.
Free software offers more than a product at no cost; it’s a chance to try something new sans the barrier of a sizable investment.
I wrote my first copywriting projects on a typewriter (I should be posting this on GeezerCopywriter.com), and while that late 70′s electric hardly qualified as an antique, I’m like most writers – I get a shiver up and down my spine when I see a really old typewriter.
For those stuck on the machines writers formerly used to put words to paper, this site represents the motherload. It’s somebody’s antique typewriter collection, lovingly photographed and put on display for all to see.
In an era when novels are being written on cell phones, big, mechanical, clunky typewriters have undergone a transformation.
From the machines which are recognizably “modern” in design to the oddball constructs, typewriters no longer bear the burden of useful tools; they’ve become little mechanical works of art, and I simply can’t look away.
For those who have never done it, writing on a typewriter demands a level of commitment word processors don’t require.
And while I wouldn’t trade my out-of-control text processor addiction for a typewriter (I can stop anytime I want), I admit writing’s current “fire hose” approach to productivity lacks the elegance of thinking first, and writing second.
It’s every writer’s “gotcha” moment. You’re in a hurry, yet you’ve written a comment/review/post so brilliant, it’s likely you’ll win the Pulitzer – assuming you’re not made absolute ruler of the planet first.
Except you edited it like you were on crack, mucked it up, and didn’t notice until after you hit “post.”
Damn.
Now it sits for all eternity – an embarrassing piece of text with the name of a supposedly professional writer attached to it.
There is, however, hope.
After The Deadline is a Firefox plug-in that offers “Spell, Grammar, and Style Check” right in your browser.
After the Deadline Firefox plugin
According to the site, it offers a more powerful spell checker than Firefox, and flags misused words, grammar issues, etc. (Remember when browsers didn’t even offer spell checkers? Oy.)
It’s a given that everything that flows from my fingertips is perfect just as it is, yet I installed AfterTheDeadline for testing (everybody has an off day).
It’s too early to rave, but I figure it’s never too early to stop making embarrassing mistakes.
