# Does anyone write on a tablet?



## Guest (Dec 19, 2014)

I'm curious about how writing on a tablet compares with writing on a laptop or netbook. 

For half a decade, I wrote on my trusty Asus 904HA eee PC, and while the keyboard was a little cramped, I loved how portable it was. I literally took that thing around the world. But it seems that a tablet would be even more portable, and with an external keyboard, writing doesn't look all that uncomfortable.

So how does the experience compare?


----------



## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

I do, sometimes, but it's #%$#&^%*&%&%$%^$#^%*&^ annoying, because of auto-correct, because of the lack of control you have over where you are on the page, and the small size of the screen. And the hell do you copy & paste? I mean I know how, but how many goes does it take you to actually get it right?


----------



## Guest (Dec 19, 2014)

How hard is it to put Linux on a tablet? That should solve the auto-correct problem, so long as the tablet has the resources to run something like LibreOffice. As for copy and paste, can't you just use the keyboard?


----------



## RinG (Mar 12, 2013)

I write on my iPad using Word, and the on screen keyboard. I find writing not too bad, but editing is a real pain because it's difficult to put the cursor at a specific spot accurately. I have actually started to work with autocorrect (especially for contractions, as the apostrophe is hard to access), but it is a pain sometimes! I guess you could turn it off if it got in your way too much.


----------



## RyanAndrewKinder (Dec 14, 2014)

It's a breeze for me. Pop open microsoft word on the ipad and just write with my bluetooth keyboard wherever I am. I tether my phone to my tablet so I have internet wherever I am. It autosaves to the cloud and I can continue on the PC.

By the way, I also connect to my android phone with a bluetooth keyboard, too. A lot of people never think of it.


----------



## Guest (Dec 19, 2014)

RyanAndrewKinder said:


> By the way, I also connect to my android phone with a bluetooth keyboard, too. A lot of people never think of it.


That is a really good point!


----------



## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

Joe Vasicek said:


> How hard is it to put Linux on a tablet? That should solve the auto-correct problem, so long as the tablet has the resources to run something like LibreOffice. As for copy and paste, can't you just use the keyboard?


You try copy & paste, then come back here and report. Oh. The forum doesn't allow swear words. The problem is not with the key actions, but with positioning the cursor, especially if your text doesn't fit on the little screen.

If you did this every day you might get the hang of it. Maybe. I mainly write new stuff and notes on the tablet, because editing is waaaaayyyyy too friggin annoying.


----------



## Guest (Dec 19, 2014)

I use my Kindle Fire with an external keyboard. and a word processing app.
Save files as txt and can use in Scrivener or Word.


----------



## Jonas Cobos (Oct 26, 2014)

I do sometimes with my android tablet, the better option is OfficeSuite. Of course I deactivated the autocorrection stuff. And I used the keyboard on screen. But I just used when I had to go to my other 8 hours job by bus. In the bus was a good option for keepme writing every day.


----------



## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

My son has a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (the little one) and with a Bluetooth keyboard. It's got Polaris Office, which is okay. I've done some writing while on vacation on it. But I couldn't even imagine writing on the onscreen keyboard. First it takes up half the page and second, as Patty mentioned, cursor control is BRUTAL. At least with a keyboard you can cursor around with the arrow keys, highlight text, etc. etc.

Hope that helps!

Rue


----------



## vlmain (Aug 10, 2011)

I've been using my iPhone or iPad, but I don't use the keypad. I use the mic to dictate into Evernote using their app. From there, I paste it into Word. It has helped me a lot and I love that I can dictate on the go, since most of my ideas come to me when I am nowhere near my computer.


----------



## RinG (Mar 12, 2013)

I've gotten better at cursor control with practice. I spent a LOT of time on my iPad (in fact, I'm replying to this on my iPad now), so I guess practice helps. I don't know about other tablets, but on the iPad, if I press and hold, it zooms in so that a little roll of my finger will get it to the print place.


----------



## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

I wrote the first draft of one recent story on my cheap Android tablet. I just used Simplenote and the standard on-screen keyboard. I managed a decent enough typing speed, and I didn't have any trouble with the auto-correct (though the story was contemporary literary fiction, so I was only using words that would be in its dictionary anyway on this occasion). I transferred to my laptop via Dropbox. Simplenote didn't convert very well, but overall I'd use the tablet as a drafting tool again.


----------



## Leanne King (Oct 2, 2012)

Not frequently, but I have been known to bash out 1000 words/hour on an iPad mini using the on screen keyboard, usually on the train. Turning off auto correct certainly helps. Using IA Writer, or any other app with an enhanced keyboard, helps with cursor placement.

I'm looking forward to Scrivener for iOS. I'm keeping the faith that it will arrive one day (I do understand what a huge undertaking it is for the small team at L&L). The mini is a bit small for something like Scrivener, but the Air 2 is a wonderful portable writing and editing machine.


----------



## CEMartin2 (May 26, 2012)

Love it. Toshiba Excite 10 running Android ICS. Works awesome is super light. I use an OTG cable to connect a standard wireless mouse and keyboard.


----------



## Doril (Nov 2, 2013)

I write on my Ipad sometimes but mostly use my iPhone. I wrote 90 percent of To Live Again on my phone (30,000 in a month). I love writing on the go.


----------



## Peter Spenser (Jan 26, 2012)

Doril said:


> I write on my Ipad sometimes but mostly use my iPhone. I wrote 90 percent of To Live Again on my phone (30,000 in a month). I love writing on the go.


You should be pointed to as an example for those who swear that that there is *no way* that a person could write a novel on a phone.


----------



## Walter Spence (Nov 22, 2014)

Peter Spenser said:


> You should be pointed to as an example for those who swear that that there is *no way* that a person could write a novel on a phone.


I wrote a significant portion of _House of Shadows_ on a Treo 700W.

Nowadays I do most of my initial drafts and such on my iPad, then finish up on the regular PC.


----------



## twilcox (Oct 16, 2012)

I'm another IPad user and I got a really nice bluetooth keyboard that attaches and it all folds up like a notebook. I write in my Word app and up until I got my wireless printer, was using Adobe to edit (so I can write on it with my stylus). I love writing on my IPad because my fav place to work is the library, so carrying it is a breeze.


----------



## Bud Bane (Dec 8, 2012)

Just to add my own workflow as another who often writes on my Android tablet, I use a program called Splashtop which let's me remote connect to my desktop in home office and this gives me the ability to write in Scrivener on my tablet. It took a little time to get used to mainly because I zoom way in on screen for easier view so have to slide the screen around to get at sidebar folders and such. It cost me less than $20 for a year of Splashtop and have to say money well spent to have Scrivener on my tablet from anywhere.

I also have a tablet case with hardware mini-keyboard I got from Amazon for a couple dollars. No way I could use the touch screen keyboard for writing for long periods.


----------



## meh (Apr 18, 2013)

My Microsoft Surface Pro, baby. It has the fully Office 2013 on it including Word. And I have GIMP downloaded to it as well. It's more like a laptop but at a tablet size. I take it everywhere.


----------



## Rusty Bigfoot (Jul 6, 2011)

I'm on the road or in the backcountry a lot, so I write with my iPad mini, which can be recharged with my car's 12V cigarette holder thingy. I can't recharge my laptops that way, so often they're not useable. I have a bluetooth keyboard that also acts as a case. I also use the dictation feature on the iPad - I dictate or read my hand-written notes into a file, then cut and paste and email it to myself, then put it into Pages for editing on my Macbook. I agree that it's hard to edit on the iPad because of no mouse. When I have electricity, I use the Macbook exclusively as it's much easier.


----------



## Robert Dahlen (Apr 27, 2014)

I've mentioned this on other threads, but I do the bulk of my writing on my tablet, a Samsung Galaxy 10.1, with Polaris Office. It's a bit of a pain, as others have mentioned, but it's easier to carry than a full-blown laptop. And since I write a lot on my commute, portability is a great thing to have. I crank out first-draft text and basic line edits on the tablet, but for big edits and cleanup, I transfer the file to my desktop and use Open Office.


----------



## antares (Feb 13, 2011)

I tried to write on my wife's iPad with a TacType keyboard overlay (formerly the iKeyboard). Did not like the experience. Back to my laptop.

I may try the Microsoft Surface as a portable system, but the keyboard is a must-have.


----------



## rjspears (Sep 25, 2011)

In a pinch, I've written using my iPad, but without an external keyboard.  I find it frustrating though.  I end up back on my Chromebook.


----------



## LondonCalling (Dec 19, 2014)

I do, on an iPad mini, either on-screen keyboard or bluetooth. I don't edit on it, but it's fine for getting my thoughts down.


----------



## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Rusty Bigfoot said:


> I'm on the road or in the backcountry a lot, so I write with my iPad mini, which can be recharged with my car's 12V cigarette holder thingy. I can't recharge my laptops that way, so often they're not useable. I have a bluetooth keyboard that also acts as a case. I also use the dictation feature on the iPad - I dictate or read my hand-written notes into a file, then cut and paste and email it to myself, then put it into Pages for editing on my Macbook. I agree that it's hard to edit on the iPad because of no mouse. When I have electricity, I use the Macbook exclusively as it's much easier.


Rusty,
Get an inverter. Then you can use the 12 volt system. I don't think they are that expensive. Oh and great to see you.


----------



## Kessie Carroll (Jan 15, 2014)

I write on an ipod. I have one-fingered typing skillz. I do my edits and things on the PC, but the ipod is good for chunks of drafting.


----------



## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

> My son has a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (the little one) and with a Bluetooth keyboard. It's got Polaris Office, which is okay. I've done some writing while on vacation on it. But I couldn't even imagine writing on the onscreen keyboard. First it takes up half the page and second, as Patty mentioned, cursor control is BRUTAL. At least with a keyboard you can cursor around with the arrow keys, highlight text, etc. etc.


I have one of those little guys. Last year, I was overseas and wanted to apply for a grant. I had the application nearly finished (I thought) but didn't have a chance to complete it before I left. I figured I just had to read it over and send it. On the read over, I realised I needed to rewrite chunks of it. I managed to do it, using the onscreen keyboard that actually covers most of what you are writing. I'd got one of those keyboard cases for it but my tablet got so hot with it that I didn't want to use it.

It was a nightmare trying to get it done though. I ended up emailing each section back to my sister to read over and fix because editing was near on impossible.

I would like to get a decent bluetooth keyboard for it though because I've travelled with it a lot and it's so convenient. I'm not the type of person who would go and buy a new device when I have something that is completely functional. I'd much rather try to find a decent workaround. If only I could find the right keyboard.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

I used to use a lovely little Asus Eee -- but I started having shoulder problems which they tiny keyboard right next to the screen made worse.

I now use an iPad with a Logitech bluetooth keyboard. (This one at Amazon - I don't know if there are different versions for Android or iOS.)

I love it. There is no problem with cursor position and editing if you use the arrow keys when you need precision (i.e. touch the screen near where you want to go, and then arrows to get it right.) However, I don't use it for editing. Just for out of the house composition.

I do not use Word or try to sync the document: I use the Notepad for raw composition. I usually make the first line of the "note" the date and something to indication what I'm working on (i.e. "Dec 6 - blog post" or "Dec 19 - Title of book") because that will be the header on it if I email it to myself. (Which is the easiest way to get text from my iPad to my computer.)

I have a folder called "iPad Dumps" where i throw the emails, and then I can grab them and copy and paste into the main document at will.

Camille


----------



## thewitt (Dec 5, 2014)

I use my iPad and Mac, both running Storyist.

Sync between the two is trivial.

Storyist can expert ePub as well as Word or a number of other formats.

Brilliant combination for a writer.


----------



## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

I use an iPad Air with an external Logitech Bluetooth keyboard. It works great. I think of it as my George R.R. Martin Wordstar machine, since it's single window and allows me to focus on just writing. Yes, you can go to some other distraction app, but it's not as easy as when you're on a laptop or desktop.

In any case, I also use Word for the iPad, which allows me to jump back and forth between my iPad and laptop with no file conversion issues (since it's Word on both ends). The file lives in the cloud via OneDrive (or DropBox), so it's available anywhere and everywhere.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

I wrote an entire novel on the iPad using Daedalus app along with a Bluetooth keyboard. Could I do it again? Sure. Would I do it again? Probably not. I'm a fountain pen and notebook and dictation at the desktop guy now. It is very doable though.

I never had any trouble whatsoever with cutting and pasting and page navigation. On the iPad at least, you can use all the keybindings to move around character by character, word by word, paragraph by paragraph.


----------



## Simon Mapp (Dec 7, 2014)

Since buying my first iPad a couple of years ago, I've always written on it. I've used Final Draft for scripts (once they brought out the app after dragging their feet - in my experience, none of the other scriptwriting apps was worth the effort and even FD isn't brilliant) and Pages and Writings for prose. The latter of these is a very simple wp app and is very good just for writing without distractions. I usually edit on my laptop - in Final Draft 9 or Open Office, depending on what I'm working on.


----------



## Axel Blackwell (Aug 10, 2014)

I write first drafts on my kindle with a bluetooth keyboard, but that is because I write everything while sitting in my truck, and it's difficult to type when the laptop is wedged between me and the steering wheel. I do my edits and rewrites on the laptop because less typing is required and the laptop is much better suited for editing. 
Cinisajoy's comment about the inverter is spot on. I bought one at the local truck stop for $20. It plugs into the cigarette lighter and keeps my computer powered up as long as the engine's running.
As for autocorrect, it can actually improve a story sometimes, or at least send it in an unexpected direction.


----------



## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

kathrynoh said:


> I have one of those little guys. Last year, I was overseas and wanted to apply for a grant. I had the application nearly finished (I thought) but didn't have a chance to complete it before I left. I figured I just had to read it over and send it. On the read over, I realised I needed to rewrite chunks of it. I managed to do it, using the onscreen keyboard that actually covers most of what you are writing. I'd got one of those keyboard cases for it but my tablet got so hot with it that I didn't want to use it.
> 
> It was a nightmare trying to get it done though. I ended up emailing each section back to my sister to read over and fix because editing was near on impossible.
> 
> I would like to get a decent bluetooth keyboard for it though because I've travelled with it a lot and it's so convenient. I'm not the type of person who would go and buy a new device when I have something that is completely functional. I'd much rather try to find a decent workaround. If only I could find the right keyboard.


Finding a keyboard was definitely a challenge! We bought one that worked all right until the case started to fall apart. The keyboard still works, but the case is toast. Second case we bought seems to be better quality, but the tblet is prone to falling out of it. Wish Zagg made one that fit (like the 8 and 10 inch models). :/

Rue


----------



## Evan of the R. (Oct 15, 2013)

Doril said:


> I write on my Ipad sometimes but mostly use my iPhone. I wrote 90 percent of To Live Again on my phone (30,000 in a month). I love writing on the go.


Wow, truly.

Using an external keyboard, or just the phone by itself?


----------



## Amanda Hough (Feb 17, 2014)

This is why I love this board. I wouldn't have thought to use an external keyboard for my Kindle Fire. I'm absolutely going to start using that when I'm stuck at a six-year old's birthday party for three hours.


----------



## Chinese Writer (Mar 25, 2014)

A good 20-30% of my novel was written on my phone. I always look like I'm texting. Sometimes I hook an external keyboard to it when I'm home and too lazy to drag out the laptop. I have a tablet I bought for writing, but my 3 year old somehow claimed it for streaming PBS.


----------



## Flopstick (Jul 19, 2011)

Almost all of Fair Trade and probably about half of Ashes were written on my phone.


----------



## Guest (Dec 20, 2014)

So from what I'm hearing, tablets are great for writing, so long as you've got an external keyboard but not so great for editing. Is that about right?


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

Joe Vasicek said:


> So from what I'm hearing, tablets are great for writing, so long as you've got an external keyboard but not so great for editing. Is that about right?


Pretty much, though if you have a keyboard, there shouldn't be any trouble editing either. (Arrow keys are your friends. Also, shift+arrow keys. And other keyboard shortcuts for copy, paste, etc.)

The only reason I don't edit on the iPad is because I don't use a cloud, so I don't deal with the original document when I'm out. (I DO extensively edit things like blog posts that I write whole on the iPad.)

Camille


----------



## Mike McIntyre (Jan 19, 2011)

I travel a lot and write on my iPad when away from my office. I don't mind the keyboard since I can't touch type and look at the "keys" anyway. But I agree that editing on a tablet is clunky.

Someone upthread complained about autocorrect. I don't know about android tablets, but on an iPad autocorrect is easily turned off: Settings > General > Keyboard > Autocorrect (toggle OFF).


----------



## Rue Hirsch (May 4, 2014)

Robert Dahlen said:


> I've mentioned this on other threads, but I do the bulk of my writing on my tablet, a Samsung Galaxy 10.1, with Polaris Office. It's a bit of a pain, as others have mentioned, but it's easier to carry than a full-blown laptop. And since I write a lot on my commute, portability is a great thing to have. I crank out first-draft text and basic line edits on the tablet, but for big edits and cleanup, I transfer the file to my desktop and use Open Office.


This for me as well. They keyboard is wicked small but at least I have tiny hands.  What I love is just being able to slip the tablet into my purse and carry it around with ease. I do love that thing but I long for the day I can just own a small laptop instead. And I can do my editing on there instead of needing the boring old desktop to do it.


----------



## Rusty Bigfoot (Jul 6, 2011)

cinisajoy said:


> Rusty,
> Get an inverter. Then you can use the 12 volt system. I don't think they are that expensive. Oh and great to see you.


Thanks! I have an inverter that connects to my trailer battery, but it suddenly died - I think it was that Bigfoot's electrical field - you know, the one that follows me around. )

My two Macbooks won't run on a car inverter, though I have one. They need more juice or something, and Apple says it's a no-no. My trailer inverter is a pure sine wave so I won't fry them. I need to get it fixed (it cost $300), but so far I'm happy with the iPad and bluetooth keyboard. I may need to practice editing on it more so I don't need my laptop as much.

BTW, I've discovered that you can dictate on it and have been trying that out with moderate success.


----------



## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

Peter Spenser said:


> You should be pointed to as an example for those who swear that that there is *no way* that a person could write a novel on a phone.


Japan has long (in ecommerce terms) had an entire literary platform for phone composed works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_phone_novel


----------



## lvoynich (Jun 5, 2010)

ゴジラ said:


> That was my experience, anyway. I didn't have an app that would let me review Tracked Changes from my editors (does such a thing exist? I have no idea) so I literally could not do the bulk of my editing on the iPad. Twas a pain.


Pages has Track Changes. I use it instead of Word now. I can review changes on my iPad, my iPhone, or my MB Pro.


----------



## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

lvoynich said:


> Pages has Track Changes. I use it instead of Word now. I can review changes on my iPad, my iPhone, or my MB Pro.


Will it import a docx with track changes? I'm just wondering in that I imagine few editors run two systems, most of them probably run Word on a PC?

Interestingly - the small presses I've worked with prohibited use of track changes. Editors had to use strikethrough (for deletions) and blue text for additions because, with MS Word, at least, track changes can bite you (hard) in the bum upon conversion to the ebook formats. I've learned that internal document tracking performed by the software can bite you in the bum without ever engaging track changes, which is why I had gone to hand coding the html prior to getting my mac and writing in Pages.


----------



## Mark Philipson (Mar 9, 2013)

I use an iPad for portable use. I like the the auto save feature of Plain Text and synch to drop box through Scrivener. I ran a jailbreak and downloaded the fast select keyboard app. Makes precision editing and selecting easier. If I'm at home and I don't want to write in the office, I'll pair the bluetooth board to the iPad and compose at the dining room table.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

A question for all you cloud users: 

I never really liked the concept of cloud computing, so I never paid much attention to one service over another.  I get why people like the Cloud, though, and I'm thinking of playing with it for some editing projects. So I'd just like to hear what people have to say about their favorite Cloud service.  I've heard about Apple, Google and Amazon all having various services.

I'm looking at very simple usage: put a project up on the cloud and edit it from my computer or iPad until it's done, then pull it down. 

Two problems:

1.) I don't pay for G3 - I just have vanilla wifi access from my iPad, so I don't always have access to the cloud.  Not too much of a problem, though, because I don't object to treating treating the cloud like a server, where I just copy up and down, and work locally.

2.) It would be really cool if I could edit audio on my iPad.  (With Audacity, though I would pay for an app that let me do it in two places.)  Anybody have any experience with that?

Camille


----------



## RyanAndrewKinder (Dec 14, 2014)

My iPad is wifi only. What I do to access documents from the cloud is I turn on the mobile hotspot option on my phone and connect my ipad to the mobile hotspot. I'm with T-Mobile and the mobile hotspot option came with my plan. If it doesn't come with your plan, learn how to unlock your phone and set up tethering. This way your ipad will always be able to access and save to the cloud.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

RyanAndrewKinder said:


> My iPad is wifi only. What I do to access documents from the cloud is I turn on the mobile hotspot option on my phone and connect my ipad to the mobile hotspot. I'm with T-Mobile and the mobile hotspot option came with my plan. If it doesn't come with your plan, learn how to unlock your phone and set up tethering. This way your ipad will always be able to access and save to the cloud.


I don't have a smart phone (0r want one). I have a very very old fashioned Nokia (that little blue brick? remember that?).










And, like I said, I don't want to pay for any such 3G or 4G access, and so I don't want anything that depends on it.

In particular, I realize, what I don't want is anything that "syncs" documents. (That's actually the reason I haven't even looked into cloud services. I really hate doc sync-ing and also things like auto-save -- they interfere with my workflow.)

So my question is, for those of you use use various cloud-type services, do you like them for tasks like these? Do you have a recommendation of one over the other for this kind of simple, manual file transfer, etc.?

Camille


----------



## RyanAndrewKinder (Dec 14, 2014)

daringnovelist said:


> And, like I said, I don't want to pay for any such 3G or 4G access, and so I don't want anything that depends on it.
> 
> In particular, I realize, what I don't want is anything that "syncs" documents. (That's actually the reason I haven't even looked into cloud services. I really hate doc sync-ing and also things like auto-save -- they interfere with my workflow.)
> 
> ...


I remember the Nokia, totally. I was a holdout for a long time on getting a smart phone because the "dumb phones" seemed to work better and faster in doing what I wanted it to do: making a phone call. Then I finally caved into smartphones and am glad I did. It has helped with productivity greatly.

As for cloud services and tasks: I honestly love Microsoft Word for the ipad and the home computer. Yes, it autosaves, but I never notice it (it doesn't pause the writing on a modern computer or on the ipad.) Before I used Microsoft Word, I was using Google Drive. It's free, I save documents straight to the "google drive" and I can access them from anywhere that can run google drive. (My phone can run google drive, my ipad can run google drive, the work computer can run google drive.) Essentially, I can pick up wherever I left off.

If you want to be last century about it, you can just get a thumb drive for 20 bucks and carry around your documents on the thumb drive. This wouldn't help with transporting it to your ipad, however. If you don't use cloud services you'll either need to email progress to yourself or connect your ipad to the computer.


----------



## anicolle (Dec 13, 2014)

In the past I've comfortably written several novel chapters on my iPad while on vacation. The trick was using it with a Bluetooth keyboard and an Incase Origami case to hold the keyboard and iPad. The on-screen keyboard is fine for small amounts of text, but you soon get sore fingers with anything more lengthy, not to mention a greatly decreased typing speed.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

RyanAndrewKinder said:


> I remember the Nokia, totally. I was a holdout for a long time on getting a smart phone because the "dumb phones" seemed to work better and faster in doing what I wanted it to do: making a phone call. Then I finally caved into smartphones and am glad I did. It has helped with productivity greatly.
> 
> As for cloud services and tasks: I honestly love Microsoft Word for the ipad and the home computer. Yes, it autosaves, but I never notice it (it doesn't pause the writing on a modern computer or on the ipad.) Before I used Microsoft Word, I was using Google Drive. It's free, I save documents straight to the "google drive" and I can access them from anywhere that can run google drive. (My phone can run google drive, my ipad can run google drive, the work computer can run google drive.) Essentially, I can pick up wherever I left off.
> 
> If you want to be last century about it, you can just get a thumb drive for 20 bucks and carry around your documents on the thumb drive. This wouldn't help with transporting it to your ipad, however. If you don't use cloud services you'll either need to email progress to yourself or connect your ipad to the computer.


Oh, my preference is always to use SD cards -- but iPads do not accept any sort of direct transfer. It's the thing I loved best about my Asus Eeee. And it's the one reason I would consider abandoning iOS. I love my iPad for screwing around, but for productivity, connectivity is more important than any of the nifty features. I just don't need them.

So, anyway, one vote for Google drive.

Camille


----------



## Leanne King (Oct 2, 2012)

daringnovelist said:


> Oh, my preference is always to use SD cards -- but iPads do not accept any sort of direct transfer. It's the thing I loved best about my Asus Eeee. And it's the one reason I would consider abandoning iOS. I love my iPad for screwing around, but for productivity, connectivity is more important than any of the nifty features. I just don't need them.


It's a bit of a messy hack, but you could always use something like this if you want to use with SD cards with your iPad. I've not tried it, I tend to only use my iPad where there's wifi available anyway, so I use Dropbox or Evernote.

Evernote is brilliant for this sort of thing because yes, it is syncing, but it's good at it, and it handles conflicts gracefully should they arise (although in years of using the product, and thousands of notes later, I think I've only ever seen two).


----------



## AuthorX (Nov 11, 2014)

Microsoft Surface Pro- Best investment I've ever made. I gave up my macbook air and my gaming computer for this thing. 

Now when I'm home I plug my surface into a monitor and it doubles as a desktop, and when I'm traveling I take my whole life with me and can still write! Built in bluetooth, so I use a special bluetooth mouse and keyboard instead of the built in touch pad and typecover, but when on the road the typecover works fine. It's traveled with me all over the world and has not skipped a beat.

It's powerful enough that I can run Photoshop as well to create my covers. I run scrivener, watch movies, manage music... hell, everything with this baby. And I still have the old Surface Pro 1. The new Surface 2 and 3 are even more powerful. In my opinion it's just totally epic all-in-one tablet. I will never go back to a laptop or bulky computer again, and the surface makes the iPad look like a child's toy. The gaming performance could be a little better, but hell... It's like 3 pounds, so I can't expect the moon and the stars.

I'm not worthy of my surface pro


----------



## Chance (Jul 2, 2014)

I don't have a tablet, but I do have a Moto G 1st Gen Android phone. I recently used it to type up my stories, or doing freewrites, or even read on the go with it. 

It's not as "convenient" as using a laptop because the small screen + keyboard typing via thumbs isn't a comfortable experience for writing, especially when typing at a certain pace. I made many more typos via phone than laptop.

But it does allow me to do the work on the go, as I would like to simply walk out to a nearby coffee shop or even drive to the park so I don't go nuts being inside all the time. 

Even more recently, I've bought a bluetooth keyboard to go with it. It did wonders in terms of inputting speed.

To make the phone a bit accessible in regards to multitasking, I've got a couple of apps to aid that. I especially loved Floating Apps - multiwindows for internet browser, notepad app to type up stuff, etc. It's not ritzy or special, but it gets the job done for me.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

Pelagios said:


> It's a bit of a messy hack, but you could always use something like this if you want to use with SD cards with your iPad. I've not tried it, I tend to only use my iPad where there's wifi available anyway, so I use Dropbox or Evernote.
> 
> Evernote is brilliant for this sort of thing because yes, it is syncing, but it's good at it, and it handles conflicts gracefully should they arise (although in years of using the product, and thousands of notes later, I think I've only ever seen two).


Oh, that's very cool. I might not get it yet, but that's the other thing about iOS devices, you have to hook them up to your computer for so many things. If I want to watch a movie on my ipad, I don't want to have to go find it, hook it up, mess with iTunes. I just want to copy it onto an SD card and play it where I want it.

Of course, I think that's what the clouds are supposed to do. Like Amazon and the Kindle cloud -- but there are barriers to anything that isn't purchased form them -- just with all the iOS and iTunes stuff. They've made things easier to use what you're "supposed" to use. But it's not as easy and transparent as sneaker net and universal format files.

Camille


----------



## shadowfox (Jun 22, 2012)

daringnovelist said:


> In particular, I realize, what I don't want is anything that "syncs" documents. (That's actually the reason I haven't even looked into cloud services. I really hate doc sync-ing and also things like auto-save -- they interfere with my workflow.)
> 
> So my question is, for those of you use use various cloud-type services, do you like them for tasks like these? Do you have a recommendation of one over the other for this kind of simple, manual file transfer, etc.?
> 
> Camille


On the windows computer I like Google drive because it just doesn't interfere with your work flow. It only syncs in the background. You continue working on the file without any interruptions whatsoever using your ordinary editing program.

Just don't know how well it works on an ipad though since I don't have one.


----------



## Writer&#039;s Block (Oct 29, 2014)

I started with a laptop using Word, but then moved to using Google Docs, which by definition puts it in the cloud (Google Drive). Then I started to use a Samsung tablet with a bluetooth keyboard for sneaking in a few writing sessions at lunch or on the road. Having all the docs in the cloud meant it worked out great for writing and I could still use my main laptop for editing.
Then I discovered Scrivener right at the time I was having difficulty managing all my numerous docs. I imported the whole lot in to Scrivener and it was magic, except now I couldn't use my tablet for writing as there's no Scrivener for Android.
I ended up getting an Asus Transformer windows tablet/laptop. It runs scrivener, has a detachable keyboard and an 11 hour battery life. All scrivener files are in the cloud so I can pick up where I left off on either my main laptop or the tablet.
Regarding cloud services I use dropbox. I've also tried Google Drive and Microsoft One Drive -- Dropbox is the best, in my humble opinion.


----------



## Howietzer (Apr 18, 2012)

The iPad worked good in a pinch when I would take my son to swimming or karate practice. Everyday use however, I didn't find it very effective and ended up getting an Asus netbook (affectionately named my MacBookChrome). Since I use Google drive to do all my first and second draft writing it only made since for me to get a netbook. Editing, formatting, and cover design are all done on a desktop.


----------



## delly_xo (Oct 29, 2014)

I don't really do this because I just really like having my laptop (she's a 13.1 in macbook air with a blue-green case named Estelle) however I HAVE seen the new MS Surface Pro with it's bluetooth stylus and I must say, if I was tempted to do it, I'd use that. 

I have tried getting the bluetooth keyboards and using with my ipad mini, ipad, and phone, but for some reason, there seems to be a stall or delay when typing and it really bothers me so I gave up.


----------



## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

I still have a folding keyboard for my Palm Pilot... somewhere.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

shadowfox said:


> On the windows computer I like Google drive because it just doesn't interfere with your work flow. It only syncs in the background. You continue working on the file without any interruptions whatsoever using your ordinary editing program.
> 
> Just don't know how well it works on an ipad though since I don't have one.


Syncing interrupts my workflow. It doesn't matter how "invisible" it is. But here's the thing: if it only "syncs" with the iPad, that's not a problem. That makes it a virtual thumbdrive for my iPad. (Which is exactly what I want.) I assume I can freely copy the file at will to my computer, without having the computer sync.

Camille


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

555aaa said:


> I still have a folding keyboard for my Palm Pilot... somewhere.


I LOVED reading on my Palm devices (I had many generations of them, including a Handspring Visor and a Sony Clie), but I never did get a keyboard or writing device I liked well enough. (Kinda like my Kindle, now that I think about it.)

Camille


----------



## Alexander Rodgers (Aug 17, 2014)

judygoodwin said:


> My Microsoft Surface Pro, baby. It has the fully Office 2013 on it including Word. And I have GIMP downloaded to it as well. It's more like a laptop but at a tablet size. I take it everywhere.


I second this. You'd have to pry my Surface Pro out of my cold dead hands.... unless you replace it with a newer Surface Pro. Then we're good.


----------



## H. S. St. Ours (Mar 24, 2012)

ゴジラ said:


> I have a MacBook Air now and it's perfect. Still teeny tiny so I can carry it around in my purse, but I can write AND edit comfortably on it. Also, Scrivener for Mac rocks so much harder than Scrivener for Windows. It's also a device that can publish directly to Apple's iBooks.


This is my solution now also. Until the Scrivener app for iPad drops. Then look out world!


----------



## shadowfox (Jun 22, 2012)

daringnovelist said:


> Syncing interrupts my workflow. It doesn't matter how "invisible" it is. But here's the thing: if it only "syncs" with the iPad, that's not a problem. That makes it a virtual thumbdrive for my iPad. (Which is exactly what I want.) I assume I can freely copy the file at will to my computer, without having the computer sync.
> 
> Camille


Really confused at why you think it'll interrupt your work flow.

In 8 months of using it, it's been purely invisible to me. I've NEVER noticed it. Not once. As far as I'm concerned it's like saving to any other folder. All the google drive gubbings happens behind the scenes when you're not using the file.

Autosave I notice.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

shadowfox said:


> Really confused at why you think it'll interrupt your work flow.


Not everyone has the same workflow. Just because it's invisible to you, doesn't mean it's going to be invisible to everybody.


----------



## shadowfox (Jun 22, 2012)

daringnovelist said:


> Not everyone has the same workflow. Just because it's invisible to you, doesn't mean it's going to be invisible to everybody.


Which is why I asked you what in particular it is about syncing that you think will disrupt your work flow.

Sigh.

I have no idea what your work flow is, so it seemed like a reasonable question to ask.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

shadowfox said:


> Which is why I asked you what in particular it is about syncing that you think will disrupt your work flow.
> 
> Sigh.
> 
> I have no idea what your work flow is, so it seemed like a reasonable question to ask.


I don't think it's unreasonable to ask. I have a complex workflow which integrates a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with anything here. I don't want to go into it. Let's just say I use an iterative file management system, and I don't want ANYTHING to be updated behind my back ever.

But here's the thing. It's a miscommunication thing that happens on forums all the time. Somebody posts: "I don't want to do X, is it possible to do Y without doing X?" And a whole bunch of people post answers that basically say "X is wonderful, here's how you do it." Or "Well my method of doing X is not bothersome at all." It's kind of like the Monty Python Spam Sketch, where, if you ask for a breakfast without spam in it, you get offered "Spam, egg, toast and spam, which doesn't have _much_ spam in it."

I do it too. I think it's human nature. It's just annoying to be on the receiving end.


----------



## shadowfox (Jun 22, 2012)

daringnovelist said:


> I don't think it's unreasonable to ask. I have a complex workflow which integrates a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with anything here. I don't want to go into it. Let's just say I use an iterative file management system, and I don't want ANYTHING to be updated behind my back ever.
> 
> But here's the thing. It's a miscommunication thing that happens on forums all the time. Somebody posts: "I don't want to do X, is it possible to do Y without doing X?" And a whole bunch of people post answers that basically say "X is wonderful, here's how you do it." Or "Well my method of doing X is not bothersome at all." It's kind of like the Monty Python Spam Sketch, where, if you ask for a breakfast without spam in it, you get offered "Spam, egg, toast and spam, which doesn't have _much_ spam in it."
> 
> I do it too. I think it's human nature. It's just annoying to be on the receiving end.


Honestly, it sounds like you just want to use Google Drive the same way I used it for years before I went all out on it 8 months ago.

Just have an empty folder, and whenever you want to transfer a file from one computer drag it and drop it into the folder. Do whatever you want to in your normal file system and programs and simply use it to transfer the files.

Perfectly feasible and I did it for years.


----------



## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

shadowfox said:


> Honestly, it sounds like you just want to use Google Drive the same way I used it for years before I went all out on it 8 months ago.
> 
> Just have an empty folder, and whenever you want to transfer a file from one computer drag it and drop it into the folder. Do whatever you want to in your normal file system and programs and simply use it to transfer the files.
> 
> Perfectly feasible and I did it for years.


Yes, exactly. Use it as a "thumbdrive" for my iPad. Reading around the edges, it seems like Google Drive might be the best option for that. I next need to test it with Hokusai sound editing software, to see if I can edit a .wav or similar file when on the run, but then pull it down to my computer for finishing up in Audacity.

Editing -- whether it's text or sound -- is one of those endless and annoying tasks that are really suited to doing on the run.

Camille


----------



## Dave Dutton (Sep 23, 2011)

I write on my iPad Air by mainly dictating into it on Pages.I find that it's about 95% accurate most of the time and saves a lot of fingerwork. I then email it to myself a chapter at a time and finish it off on the computer with Word.
I've almost finished writing my autobiography this way. Just needs tweaking and editing now. It's been emotional!


----------

