Thoughts on a Hybrid Writing Process

With the basis for a hybrid writing process defined, let's compare the better known AlphaSmart Neo with the Advanced Keyboard Technologies (AKT) The Writer Plus.



Either device would be sufficient for merging with a typewriter into a hybrid creativity system, were it not for the connectivity issue evident with The Writer Plus device. Perhaps some enterprising person will create a replacement, that will keep the used market for these devices viable as tools for creativity. Regardless, the easier to connect Neo is still readily available in the used online marketplace.



I like the idea of restraining the use of the computer for as long as possible in the writing process, to minimize its distractions. These keyboard text editor devices seem to be a reasonable way to bridge the gap between typewriter and word processor, by employing the necessity for first-draft revisions into an opportunity to keyboard the typewritten text into digital format. I especially like the convenience of these devices, their immediate boot-up and remarkable battery life.



How far into the writing process a person chooses to use a typewriter is up to them. At the minimum, I'd expect vignettes, character studies and rough ideas to easily be documented to paper via typewriter, which has the benefit of inspiring much openminded creativity, considering the physicality of the mechanical device in conjunction with the medium of paper.

There's an obvious practical limit to a paper-based writing process in this day, but these dedicated writing keyboards might serve to bridge the gap between the two. I'm hoping to do more of this hybrid writing for myself in the near future, and also as a way to thoroughly test both the Neo and The Writer Plus (along with a third machine I've yet to mention) in a longterm comparison test. Stay tuned.

Post-Script: The text of this article was written with, and beamed from, The Writer Plus.