Thread: Writing and the iPad

Although I own an iPad, I don't use it for much beyond reading ebooks from various sources and being able to quickly look up information rather than having to turn on my laptop. However, I recently discovered an app for writers called Storyist and I was wondering if any one here has heard of it or already uses it. Perhaps it will even be something useful to you if you already have an iPad and wanted to use it for writing. Apparently it's for the Mac OS platform, so if you have a Mac but not an iPad, this could still be useful for you.

The iPad is a social device, not useful for serious writing. After 5 minutes the onscreen keyboard would annoy the hell out of you, then there's the problem of the filing system..... there isn't one, everything goes into the same pot, so no way of filing drafts in one dedicated file by date/number order. Then there's printing, or not. The iPad is great at what it was designed for, selling in high numbers based on lifestyle rather than function - Web browsing, emailing, Facebooking, Tweeting, Youtubing, BBC iPlayer, reading e-books etc., but I wouldn't want to try writing even Haiku on it let alone sonnets or, heaven forfend, a book. I have tried writing a 4 line poem which I know by heart, and it took several minutes; I'm sure I would get faster with practice, but nowhere near as fast as a proper keyboard.

When you see journalists using them then they may have got them right, but remember, Apple don't reccommend them for business/authorial purposes (At least, not at my Apple Store).

If you must use an iPad, use it for notes, and for goodness sake, remember what you called them or you'll spend hours trying to find them again!

The iPad is whatever you want it to be. I know of plenty of people who will use it in place of a laptop. I am well aware of the onscreen keyboard's capability, as I previously stated I own an iPad. I bought a regular word processing app to use and have had no trouble with it at all. I can even create folders within the app to file documents. But the point of this was not to discuss the merrits of using an iPad for writing. The app, as I mentioned, is usable on both the iPad and Mac computers.

My daughter is set to beta-test the iPad for cyberschool. We'll have the laptop as backup, sounds like that might be a good thing.

I'll try to remember to post here again after we see how it goes awhile.

Looks like it's a good app.

I do not recommend, however, writing a 50k words or more novel on a digital keyboard, you might get your hands seriously injured (tendon injuries rarely heal completely, btw). If you want to go through with this, use a hardware keyboard to do the writing.

I don't intend to buy it. I am satisfied with the word processing app I have and I bought an external keyboard to use when I want to do more than peck out something on Facebook or email or something. I just wanted to share with others who may or may not be interested.

This is how I manage my writing:

1. I have a iMAC, Macbook and an ipad
2. I have a free dropbox account (2GB) where I keep my writings.
3. If I need to WRITE and RESEARCH (for facts and information) at the same time, I will either use my iMAC (at home) or Macbook (Library or public places)
4. If I only need to write without RESEARCH (using Safari), I will only bring my ipad + APPLE external keypad to the library.
5. For s/w, I use DocsToGo, it also integrates my dropbox account inside. This means that wherever I go, I will have the latest copy of my writing. (Using 3G or wifi)

If i do not feel like writing but just read, I will bring my kindle (unfortunately, my daughter wants to use it, so I have less time with it... )

One more thing, if I am waiting to pick my wife up from work, I can use my DocsToGo app on my iphone to vett my latest writing. I can even do minor changes on it and saved it on the dropbox. When I reach home, I can go back to my iMAC and access the latest copy of my writing via dropbox.

Someday I will be able to have all that Bobby. Don't have enough funding for the iMac and Macbook. Have you looked into getting the Kindle app for your iPad? Then you could still read stuff you buy for your Kindle and your daughter can use your Kindle.

I've actually been writing my current project exclusively on the iPad since May, using the Manuscript app coupled with Dropbox sync, e-mail back ups, and weekly printouts of the WIP manuscript.

There are some limitations (for example I wish Manuscript allowed for italics, the developer has stated that these and other enhancements are forthcoming), but all in all I think the utility and ease of use make it a marvelous option. Certainly much better than sitting at my desk hammering away at Word 2010 all day, although I know eventually I'll have to put it on Word and format it up before I think about making agent inquiries.

The biggest obstacle is learning to use the virtual keyboard. I bought an app that gives "glass" typing lessons precisely so I could teach myself to write with the iPad. I don't write as fast on it as I do with an external keyboard, but it's close and I've only been using it a few months as opposed to using externals since 1st grade typing class. It's a skill like any other really.

Just to show how used to it I am, I'm writing this post from my desktop and find myself constantly double tapping the spacebar, expecting there to be a period (which is how it works on the Pad).

Wow Anjelus, I had no idea there were apps for learning how to type on that keyboard. Would you mind giving the name of that app? It sounds interesting. I think if I were going to dedicate myself to truly learning how to type on that keyboard, I would need to quit letting my nails grow long. Still, it would be interesting to see.

As far as an app's limitations, that's the best part of how apps work: you can get in touch with the developer and communicate your needs/interests directly.

When my wife was in the hospital, I wrote most of an 1800 word short story on a blackberry. My thumbs hurt for a week.

Originally Posted by Anjelus

The biggest obstacle is learning to use the virtual keyboard. I bought an app that gives "glass" typing lessons precisely so I could teach myself to write with the iPad. I don't write as fast on it as I do with an external keyboard, but it's close and I've only been using it a few months as opposed to using externals since 1st grade typing class. It's a skill like any other really.

While Joseph's case of writing a short story in a blackberry is rather extreme, writing an entire project on a hard glass surface, and without ergonomic support can seriously hurt your tendons and wrists. You should buy a bluetooth keyboard and use that instead when writing for prolonged amounts of time.. Remember, tendons are irreplaceable.

Originally Posted by Offeiriad

As far as an app's limitations, that's the best part of how apps work: you can get in touch with the developer and communicate your needs/interests directly.

How's that different from computer applications? Same thing. The only difference is that word, being managed by a huge corporation, is unlikely to let you speak directly with the developers. That said, there are many, many programs (open source) that allow you to report and suggest things, help solve problems, and even add your own features if you're a programmer.

@elite...

If the iPad is laying completely flat, there is no issue. I have also seen a case/protector that elevates one side of the device about 1", mimicking the angle of a keyboard, so I don't see how there's going to be that much of an issue.

And as far as contact with developers go, how many non-programmer people really use open source programs? I use Open Office, but none of my friends do. I've been on their forums and most of the conversation is amongst people who can tinker with the source code and fix the issues themselves. So a non-programmer-types like me feels unwelcome.

I replied yesterday with the name of the app but for some reason the message hasn't shown up! It's called TapTyping. Before I started using it I was typing about 30 - 40 wpm, it was very helpful in getting me using all my fingers correctly and writing much quicker.

That was late May or early June. Right now I type 110wpm on the iPad, but that is not all thanks to TapTyping of course. That's just muscle memory coming into play after months of work drafting and revising an 85k word manuscript. I type about 120wpm on an external, but I gladly sacrifice the difference in speed for extra comfort. Plus I have a feeling I'll be typing on glass much faster in the future, considering I've been using externals for 17 years and virtuals for 3 months.

As far as the ergonomics goes, no complaints. I should have mentioned that I use a leather case which allows me to reposition and align the screen at whatever angle I want, I never use the naked iPad.

Wow! That's pretty cool. I'm nowhere near 120 on a normal keyboard, but I would like to be better on the virtual one. Will look into that app.