garyvarner.com

A four-part series on how I rebooted my toolset and workflows for writing and related activities.

As a geeky writer, not meaning one who writes about geekness, but rather one distracted by bright, shiny geeky objects (especially those offering new procrastinatory reasons), I periodically examine the tools and workflows I use to get things written.

I’ve been writing using my beloved white MacBook for four+ years, with occasional, and begrudgingly reluctant, sessions on my desktop PC (used only for freelance work requiring Windoze programs). But since I’ve rebooted my digital life with an overhaul of garyvarner.com, thought it was time to refresh the tools.

It’s been on my list a long time to work with two computers: a base desktop machine and a mobile solution. I’ve been using the MacBook plugged into a device that allows me to share a large monitor, keyboard, and trackball between the MacBook and the PC. Has worked well, but is cumbersome manually connecting/disconnecting the MacBook with it’s half-a-dozen cables to make it all work when I want desktop Macness.

But no longer.

After a recent research trip to the Columbus Apple Store turned dangerous, my computing/writing setup is completely changed.

My initially thoughts have always been to upgrade the MacBook to a new MacBook Pro, but those MacBook Airs are mighty tempting: portability lightness, and gotta love those snappy SSDs for impatient writers. After all, always in a hurry to get that blank white page up so I can get to staring at it sooner than later. And as long as I’ve been living with a bipolar MacBook (“I’m a portable! No, I’m a desktop!”), I’ve longed for a separate, dedicated Mac desktop to keep life simpler (I’m ignoring the clunker that sits to the side, the one with Windows 7 installed). Thus an iMac has gone off and on the list more times than I can count.

And further to the story, two years ago when I bought my first Kindle, I looked hard at the original iPad in the Apple Store in Chicago, and concluded the keyboard was a no-go for serious mobile writing.

Fast forward to now and to my surprise, my new primary mobile writing gizmo is an iPad2 with a wireless keyboard connected, and a 21.5″ iMac has cured my bipolar MacBook (not to mention cableitis from plugging / unplugging so many cables). Surprised the hell out of me, too!

Wasn’t surprised by the iMac, but I went in thinking MacBook Air, not iPad. But the critter’s not only sleek and lightweight for the nomadic writing life, it’s blown me away as the ideal nomadic device. Falls neatly into the “if you could travel with only one thing…” category.

Some may argue with that, but the iPad’s been such a joy to work with at all levels. As evidence to it’s wowness, after getting home with it and the shiny new iMac, the later remained boxed for two days before I let go of the iPad long enough to notice the big white box silkscreened with an iMac sitting in my study.

There are limitations, of course, to using the iPad exclusively for mobile writing, but not for first drafting or simple writing. I recognize there’s times I need to be in Scrivener working project files, or mass editing of drafts, etc., etc. For the mobile needs I overhauled my old faithful MacBook by changing the upgraded hard drive (320gb) back to the original 80gb for good reason: a) I don’t need the size, and b) the 80 runs quieter and cooler than the 320. Also wiped the drive clean and reloaded Snow Leopard (will upgrade to Lion soon, probably), and reloaded my essential writing programs (more on those in Part 2 – iPad Candy and Part 3 – iMac/MacBook Tools of this series). I’ll take the MacBook along on sojourns where I expect to do post-first-draft writing, but otherwise will try using the iPad for the raw drafting.

Will this Apple overdose and geek refresh help me write more often..or better? Not likely, or at least, not strictly because of the new equipment. But when I do sit butt in chair, wherever that chair is, I’ll have more fun doing so…and that’s a good thing.