Do I Buy An imac, Macbook, or stick with my ol' PC?

January 7, 2009 7:42 AM

Do I really want a new computer if I'm writing a book?

Seeking your writerly advice. I have two old but functional computers: a desktop and a PC laptop (both around 6 years old). I have used the laptop for writing in the past. It has no internet connection.

I'm considering buying a new computer (macbook or imac) to write (and use Photoshop for light graphics later on), but am worried it will just become a shiny new distraction.

I guess this is pretty silly, but do any writers here actually write anything on their macs?!? It seems like I constantly read about how distracting their laptops are. Sounds like I'm going to have to somehow turn off the wireless internet connection/sequester myself in a law library/or do any number of things if I get one of the deliciously pretty machines. The old PC works fine, but I keep fantasizing how nice it would be to write on a new Macbook or imac. Am I just kidding myself?

And if you are a writer who writes on a mac, do you suggest a laptop or desktop?

Your advice appreciated.

posted by uxo to writing & language (32 comments total)

When you say that it would be nice to write on a Macbook or iMac (as opposed to your existing computers), what do you mean?
posted by box at 7:48 AM on January 7, 2009

I think it depends on your style and what you are writing. I have separate machines for separate things, and it's purely for distraction's sake. I don't want to be interrupted by new feeds and emails while I'm trying to work.

I would choose a laptop, if only for the portability. You can pick up and go wherever you need to when the muse strikes.

This seems an apt link: http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary
posted by gjc at 7:48 AM on January 7, 2009

I write longhand, because of the exact situation you've described. It's easy as a writer to focus on the process and not the actual creation.

I wasted god knows how much time using yWriter, Darkroom, and various other programs for writers. In the end, I realized I was just killing time and not doing what I actually set out to do (writing!). So, I ditched the computer and now do all my first drafts in longhand. I'll then edit as I go when I type my stories into something simple like Notepad. I don't mess with formatting at all. I just write the words as they come and focus on getting them down.

If I were you, I'd think about what buying a new computer will do for your writing. If a Mac will make you write more, then get it. If it's only something you want because of the cool writers' programs available on it, then hold off.
posted by reenum at 7:50 AM on January 7, 2009

Good question, box. Just having a nicer keyboard and nicer screen resolution. I don't know if it's my imagination, but some font looks better on the mac vs. windows. Also, I'm not a big Windows fan, though it's serviceable.

(Though, I will say that I have had many more hardware issues with Macs than PC's...)
posted by uxo at 7:53 AM on January 7, 2009

I would think that the old laptop without internet connectivity would be an excellent machine for writing, assuming that you back up frequently, there are no major problems with it, and that you are comfortable using it (e.g. the keyboard is a good size, the screen is bright enough, etc). Separate your wants from your needs here: you need a reliable machine that gets out of your way when you want to write. It sounds like you want something shiny and new, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'm not sure if it will get you where you want to go better than your old laptop.
posted by arco at 7:54 AM on January 7, 2009

Of course writers write on their Macs. I write on my macbook. Yes, the internet is distracting, but that's going to happen on any net-connected computer. Go to starbucks and don't pay for the wireless if it's that bad. Or turn off the router. Or install that firefox extension that only lets you go online for ten minutes out of every hour. (Not that I have had to consider my options or anything.)

But don't tell yourself 'the only reason I'm not writing is because my computer is so old!' That's just procrastination talk and you know it. You could write by chiseling into stone if you really had to, right? So do it. People actually used to write by -- get this -- using typewriters. Ha!

Have you see the website by one of our fellow mefites -- onetwofiver.com? It's set up to get you started a few words at a time. I haven't needed its services just yet but I know the time is coming.
posted by sugarfish at 7:59 AM on January 7, 2009 [2 favorites]

Haha sugarfish. That's a pretty cool website, thanks for the link.
posted by uxo at 8:13 AM on January 7, 2009

But don't tell yourself 'the only reason I'm not writing is because my computer is so old!' That's just procrastination talk and you know it.

Yeah, this. Writing has very little to do with what sort of machine you're using, and shouldn't dictate what computer you buy.

To answer the question, I write on my Mac laptop and it's fine. I'm also often distracted by it. But I imagine that I'd find other ways to be distracted if I didn't have it.
posted by Bookhouse at 8:13 AM on January 7, 2009

I do all my writing on my mac, simply because I can type faster than I can write longhand. I can type close to the speed that I think, which is incredibly helpful to me when I'm writing a first draft. It stops me from doing too much editing at that stage.

If I'm worried about distractions, I used Writeroom, a $25 program that takes over your entire screen, showing you only a cursor and your text.

I am hoping that someone will soon develop a normal-sized keyboard that I can plug into my iPhone. I can't write anything lengthy on the virtual keyboard, but it would be awesome to be able to write anywhere I could carry my phone and a keyboard.
posted by grumblebee at 8:14 AM on January 7, 2009 [2 favorites]

There are many Mac users (including myself) who enjoy using their Mac so much that it does encourage more productivity. (Or, more distraction.)

As with many other activities, having equipment that you enjoy using, even if it's purely asthetic, has value. A good camera that feels good to hold encourages more photgraphs; a nice pen encourages more longhand writing; a nice computer encourages more use. As you mentioned, a nice keyboard and a sharp screen helps avoid cramped hands and eyestrain.

On the laptop vs. desktop angle: I have exclusively used Mac laptops for my own work and play for the last 5 years or more. I don't think I am missing anything by not having a desktop, and I am gaining portability and convenience. And I regularly work with Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and other programs that are way more power-hungry than any word processor. Aside from wanting a 24 inch screen (and possibly price), I can't see any reason to get a desktop instead of a Macbook.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:14 AM on January 7, 2009 [1 favorite]

I wasted god knows how much time using yWriter, Darkroom, and various other programs for writers. In the end, I realized I was just killing time and not doing what I actually set out to do (writing!). So, I ditched the computer and now do all my first drafts in longhand. I'll then edit as I go when I type my stories into something simple like Notepad. I don't mess with formatting at all. I just write the words as they come and focus on getting them down.

Yes, this. I want to chime in and say pondering that this question--and posting it to metafilter--is just a way to hold off writing now. If you want to buy a new computer, and can afford to do so, do it, but keep your laptop around if you've found you write successfully on it. And, you know, go and get some writing done.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:15 AM on January 7, 2009

I did more writing on a beatup 1994 era IBM thinkpad I got out of my ex's Dad's attic for free than I ever have on my shiny 2007 Macbook. Even though I have Scrivener, a bunch of high-tech ways to overcome my horrible procrastination habits (for about 3 seconds until I get around them) and a nice shiny screen.

This Thinkpad booted Windows 3.1, had a dead battery so it had to be plugged into the wall, I couldn't figure out how to connect it to the web even if I tried, it made a sound like a jet taking off when I turned it on and typing on the keyboard was so loud that it used to piss off my flatmate in the next room, but damn, I loved that thing. I wrote over 200,000 words on it in a year.

By comparison, I've maybe written 10,000 words on my schmancy Mac.

If you have procrastination habits, a modern Mac will not help.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:33 AM on January 7, 2009 [3 favorites]

Oh, and those 10,000 words have happened over the last, oh, three years?

Stick with what you've got.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:34 AM on January 7, 2009

1. Get thyself a Neo. (hundreds hours on 2 AA batteries, no cord required). Also pictured extensively here.
2. Write blockbuster novel/dissertation/NYT Bestseller on Neo sans formatting, internet, email, or any other modern distraction.
3. Plug Neo into "real" computer via USB and transfer text.
4. Format text on computer with Scrivener.
5. Sell to publisher and make millions
6. Send small portion of royalties to MeFi user who recommended Neo.

For further info, discuss here.
posted by webhund at 8:35 AM on January 7, 2009 [3 favorites]

Yeah, forgot to say that - I got a Neo because I couldn't get anything done on my Mac.

I'm still waiting for this magic bullet to do its work.


*taps foot, looks at watch*
posted by Happy Dave at 8:37 AM on January 7, 2009

You have a laptop with no Internet? For a writer, I'd think that would be like *gold*. Keep it! Use it! You are blessed!
posted by amtho at 8:51 AM on January 7, 2009

1. Get thyself a Neo.

Even though I love my Mac... that Neo looks like a great idea!
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 9:09 AM on January 7, 2009

This seems an apt link: http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary

gjc, i could certainly use the predictive sentence app. Heh.
posted by uxo at 9:10 AM on January 7, 2009

Thanks Webhund...the Neo looks intriguing. It looks a lot like my label-maker. Perhaps...? (*Looks at label-maker; considers writing 600 page novel on it.*).
posted by uxo at 9:14 AM on January 7, 2009

When I come across advice in writing books from the 1980s on the crucial need for distraction-free place to work, without phones or interruption, I regret the bouncing icons and Growl alerts on my Mac. WriteRoom, suggested above, is a pretty cool remedy.

I wrote my first book on a Mini Mac hooked up to a CRT and a crummy dial-up connection that made it impossible to waste time on YouTube. Your post has me fantasizing about setting up a Commodore Amiga in the next room running Scribble! But on the other hand I can't tell whether writers just make too big of a fetish out of distraction-free software when we could just man up and work on keeping attention focused. As seen in Barton Fink, procrastination is possible at all technology levels.
posted by Kirklander at 9:40 AM on January 7, 2009

The internet is the big difference for me. When I use my MacBook in the internet-less library, I write thousands and thousands of words in hours. At home, I write thousands of words ... into MeFi. And about twenty onto the page.

If yr laptop isn't up to the internet, that should definitely be considered a bonus. I used an ancient PowerBook for that until it died.
posted by bonaldi at 10:49 AM on January 7, 2009

I switched to a Macbook Pro in January 2007, after having written four books on a failing, battery-challenged, letter-missing, freeze-prone Dell laptop. Since then, I have written four more. So having a Mac definitely didn't slow me down. (I am plenty good at finding distraction and indulging in prolonged periods of "pre-writing" without the benefit of new technology...)

In terms of writerly technology, I was very excited to finally be able to use Scrivener once I got the MBP.
posted by mothershock at 10:59 AM on January 7, 2009

I bought an Asus eee PC to write on. If you haven't heard of it, it's a very tiny, inexpensive, minimal specs (although you can get higher ones for more money) laptop that runs Linux and not a hell of a lot else well. I can use Firefox while writing if I need to look something up, and Open Office runs just fine. The screen is fairly small so extended webrowsing is a pain in the ass, which is exactly what I need to deter me.

For a long time I wanted a MacBook Air to write on -- the eee PC is extremely lightweight,as well, this is important to me -- but I realized that any time I write with internet access I essentially don't write.

Everyone is different, though. If the internet is a distraction for you, though, I don't see how a new expensive laptop is going to result in your writing more. The eee PC I bought was, I believe either the cheapest or next-to-cheapest one, and it cost $399. Way less expensive than the Macs I'd had my eye on.

One thing to note, though, is that the eee PC keyboard is very small, so I have to plug in a USB keyboard -- cost me $10 -- to write comfortably. I also got a cheap USB mouse ($5), but sometimes I'm fine with the touchpad.
posted by Nattie at 11:00 AM on January 7, 2009

Thanks for your replies, everyone!

Nattie, I did have an Asus. I loved it but found it never really helped my original problem: this damned distracting internet!!! (Also the keys were a mite small for my hands.)

Webhund, I think I'm gonna try out the Neo. Writers seem to really adore it; it seems like what I need, instead of another shiny toy. I like that it just turns on and off (no booting), has an extra long battery life. And it reminds me of the good old days when I was using an Apple IIe to write stories (yikes, I'm old.)

And yeah, if I get any royalties, I'll remember you! :-) If all goes well, you at least saved me a grand since I'm not going to buy a Macbook.

(Well, maybe I'll buy one in the future, but it won't be for writing.)
posted by uxo at 11:45 AM on January 7, 2009

Have you thought about backups? Hard drives (and computers) can crash so it's impossible to get the data recovered. Loosing months of work just because of a hard drive crash is no fun.
posted by flif at 11:57 AM on January 7, 2009

Also, thanks for the link to writeroom, grumblebee.

It's funny I spoke about writing on the Apple IIe, because that program set up looks exactly like my old computer. Very cool. Thanks.
posted by uxo at 9:44 PM on January 7, 2009

Flif, I'm pretty rigorous about at least having a hard copy of my stuff printed out daily, if I haven't backed it up digitally.

Heard to many near-suicidal stories from authors who didn't feel backups were necessary.

Thanks for the reminder.
posted by uxo at 10:15 PM on January 7, 2009

That Neo does look good.

Scrivener can do the Writer's Room blank-screen-except-for-a-cursor thing.

Try lots of keyboards out! I have an iBook and don't really like the keyboard - the comfiest laptop keyboard I've used is the Lenovo.
posted by Cantdosleepy at 5:10 AM on January 8, 2009

Like several others, I've enjoyed using Scrivener. I like its black-screen thing better than other offerings and it handles footnotes in a way that helps me see them as part of the text. It also exports quite nicely to word so that I can edit pages properly.

Why not give yourself a Mac as a reward for getting the first draft finished? Then you can enjoy the mac as you tear your remaining hair out through several revisions.

Macs are enjoyable to use, for sure, but I don't think that really it adds anything to my commitment to writing something. It's a lot of subjective rubbish, I know, but I do sometimes feel more at home on a Mac; less like like I'm working for The Man. (I know that's rubbish, noone has to point it out). But I do enjoy the feeling of working on a Mac. Great marketing, really.

I think your question is about desire more than utility. Will you really enjoy a Mac? If so, reward yourself with one when you get something done.
posted by aesop at 10:16 AM on January 8, 2009

As Steven Pressfield says in The War of Art, "Resistance is always lying, and resistance is full of shit."

Resistance is your enemy. Not a computer. You could be sitting in a library with a pen and paper and if you don't have a process and you don't have a way of focusing and cutting out distractions, you will find a way to not write.

You want a laptop. You do not want to be tethered to a location. Even if you worked in Walden, sometimes you would want to go to the local starbucks to do research or just see human faces or write in the white noise of a cafe or diner.

I have one of the old black Macbooks that I bought as soon as the new ones came out. I thought about a Neo, and I know many writers who use it and love it. It struck me as a colossal waste of money. But, I also travel to write, and I also write for the web and need the internet/photoshop/etc. and if I had spent the bucks on a Neo and lugged a Neo to Kansas City or wherever and then needed to look up directions to something and couldn't do it - I would be irked.

Are you JUST going to write on the thing? Are you sure? Yes? Get a Neo.
If you have any other uses for the thing? Get a laptop.

I also use Scrivener, which I HIGHLY recommend. I would never ever ever write a novel in anything else, ever again. It has a full-screen mode but I find myself rarely needing it these days.

My dock is hidden. But the most important thing is that I don't connect to wifi when I'm working. It helps that I write in a writer's space that has a wifi password, and you can ask for it or not. I don't ask for it. When I go somewhere else like a residency with freely available wifi, I set a timer and and let myself have a 15 minute increment, and then i disconnect.

I don't stop while i'm writing to research, my process is to keep a running list in a notebook or in evernote that I go back to later (and I sync evernote at the start of each session and at the end). I did that because the first laptop I owned in 2003 had a MODEM and I wrote in cafes.

At this point my process is centered around not having the internet on the thing so even when it's available to me I'm pretty good about not gettng distracted by it. But even if you had a Neo, you could get distracted if you didn't have a process and discipline in place already.

Two novels down, 60k into the third. YMMV.
posted by micawber at 3:37 PM on January 8, 2009

Just as a data point, I bought a Neo-type device (I think it was the AlphaSmart 3000) for fiction writing several years back. It was everything I wanted (ultra-lightweight, battery lasted forever, immediate on/off action), but in the end I was never comfortable writing on it because the screen was so small. I found I really missed the ability to see the last couple of paragraphs I had written at a glance, and scrolling through documents to re-read was tedious.

That might just be an artifact of my writing style, however. I went on to use it for notetaking in college classes, and in terms of just banging out endless streams of information it was a godsend.
posted by brookedel at 5:12 PM on January 8, 2009

You could also get a $300 netbook. Keyboards are 92% smaller.
posted by philosophistry at 8:44 AM on January 16, 2009