Writing on an AlphaSmart
This is my fourth time attempting to write a 50 thousand word novel in a month, via NaNoWriMo.
Every year prior to this one, I’ve used my laptop to write the story. Each day I’ve had a goal of writing at least 1667 words, and every year I would have to write for three (or more) hours, struggling to get those words out of my mind and onto the page.
This year, in only two days I’ve already written 5348 words and it was all done in less than 4 hours, without it seeming like a chore. I have been pleasantly shocked by my performance.
Some people have said that my success is due to my story idea being much better than previous years (which I don’t actually agree with by the way), so it’s easier for me to find the words, but I think it’s mainly due to using my brand new (to me) AlphaSmart 3000.
When I sit down with my AlphaSmart, I can only write. There is no internet calling me. No music to distract me. Nothing else to do but type.
Also, since there are only 4 lines of text readable at one time on the AlphaSmart, I can’t accidentally look up and see that paragraphs earlier there are horrible spelling or grammatical errors that need to be dealt with. Or worse, I can’t start reading what I’ve written so far and realize it’s all been crap and I should just stop now before I kill the written language with my horrible prose. All this can (and has to) be edited later when using the AlphaSmart. It’s just not built to edit stuff.
No distractions and no ability to edit my work means that all I can do is focus on what I have yet to say. And this in turn equals many many words written in a short amount of time. I love it.
Now, after saying all this, I admit that I’ve only been writing for two days, so it could just be a fluke, but I really do think it’s all due to the AlphaSmart and it’s ability to keep me focused.
I recommend writing on an AlphaSmart (or something like it) if you are like me and have problems staying focused (or as my husband likes to say: if you have poor willpower). It might help you focus too. And I don’t see how it could hurt.
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Update: Well, it’s been a week of writing and I’ve consistently been able to write an average of 2,330 words each day even when I’ve not felt very much like writing. I’m almost positive now that it’s due to the AlphaSmart.