Writing at Starbucks and the AlphaSmart Neo

Family Guy spoofed it. I’ve read lots of snarky bits over the years and I say it’s time to end the discrimination. I have a dream! I’m sick of your facile condemnation so I’m coming out and I’m not ashamed. So here goes…I write at (choke) Starbucks. Don’t judge me! It’s the only coffee shop I know where I can sit for hours at a time and nobody’s going to give me a dirty look for loitering. I get away from the kids a bit (love ’em, can’t get much done with them wanting to play on Wii) and I get stuff written so come down from your throne you %!!&! snobs!

Here’s a couple of things to consider: I write with an Alphasmart Neo and I really love it. You’ve seen it advertised in Writer’s Digest etc.,… It’s a tough little keyboard so you can just stuff it in a backpack; it runs for 700 hours on three AA batteries; you can download to it and from it; it doesn’t heat up like regular laptops do and it’s cheap.

Best of all, it has the same virtue that Starbucks has: no distractions. In my home office I can get sucked into all the wonderful distractions that home offers. There are games and internet surfing to do on the home computer. The Neo is just a keyboard. No games, no e-mail, no net. It’s just a glorified typewriter. Yes, I wish it had a mouse sometimes, but for just raw sitting down and burning through, the Neo is your baby. 

*The Second Cup is okay, too.

Filed under: Rant, writing tips, AlphaSmart Neo, Writing at Second Cup