Comments on: Hi-Tech Lo-Tech: WriteRoom

By: Black Gate » Blog Archive » Write-or-Die Spreads Fear Toxin from Your Desktop

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:36:40 +0000

[...] sheet of typing paper. I’m as devoted this year as I was last year to the Alphasmart NEO and WriteRoom (which has a PC equivalent called DarkRoom), but I had reservations about the third lo-tech helper [...]

By: Write or Die and Dark Room — More Distraction Free Writing — BillWardWriter.com

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:13:54 +0000

[...] more practical nature. Apparently based on a Mac application called Write Room (Ryan Harvey’s blog entry about it on Black Gate lead me to Dark Room, he also blogged about Write or Die here), Dark Room is [...]

By: Black Gate » Blog Archive » Hi-Tech Lo-Tech: Write or Die

Black Gate » Blog Archive » Hi-Tech Lo-Tech: Write or Die — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:01:33 +0000

[...] that I don’t need the artificial stimulant once I start to write; I “trance” quite well using last week’s topic WriteRoom and next week’s topic the Alphasmart NEO. Even a composition notebook has a similar effect. But [...]

By: Judith Berman

Judith Berman — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:09:19 +0000

I’m checking out Scrivener too. It’s interesting how it changes how I work. One of the features is that it allows you to turn any size block of text into a a separate file (your whole novel is actually the file) that you can move around in relation to other such files by changing the order of your index cards on the virtual corkboard. You can start with the index cards and turn them into (attach them to) text. You can move them up and down in your passage-scene-section-chapter hierarchy. Each unit at eachlevel of the hierarchy can have its own corkboard and index cards.

I’m not sure I’m explaining this clearly, but it is worth taking a look! Lots more features, too.

By: David Munger

David Munger — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:05:24 +0000

I’ve been trying out Scrivener, for the Mac. It’s a tool meant to organize notes and research as well as write drafts, and has some neat features including “index cards” with notes on them, which you can easily re-group. Once you get your draft done you can export it to a word processor format. It also has a full-screen mode, which even includes a slider for how opaquely (or not) you wish to hide the rest of the stuff under it on your screen.

By: Bill Ward

Bill Ward — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:05:43 +0000

I’m looking forward to your take on it, Ryan.

By: Ryan Harvey

Ryan Harvey — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:32:04 +0000

The Alphasmart NEO is an upcoming entry in this series, Bill. It’s the inspiration for me doing this, since it’s turned into my constant writing companion. But that’ll have to wait for two weeks from now.

By: Bill Ward

Bill Ward — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:09:05 +0000

Interesting1 I recently went in for a piece of kit on the same principles of non-distraction, the alphasmart neo. It’s a great little tool, but honestly the screen is just too small for anything other than a start-to-finish rough draft and I don’t find myself using it often. I’ll check out that dark room though, sounds promising.

By: James Enge

James Enge — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:40:45 +0000

I have to admit I was skeptical, but a half hour of messing around with WriteRoom convinced me: this “full screen” thing is an awfully handy tool. It’s amazing how many decent words I got down on the “page” just because I wasn’t checking email or the weather or the news or the dozen other things I do when my mind begins to drift.

By: Orako

Orako — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:49:29 +0000

As an aspiring Fantasy writer, and someone who is semi ADD, this is something that peeked my interest. The free writing aspect, of typing on the metro bus ride home, is intriguing.

I have found a PC version called, DarkRoom. I is at this link:
http://they.misled.us/dark-room