Re: [NTLK] writers and newtons

From: Edward Humes (ehumes_at_mac.com)
Date: Wed May 14 2003 - 10:41:21 PDT


On Wednesday, May 14, 2003, at 05:04 AM, Jeff Abbott wrote:

> But I have to ask: can you write as fast on your Newton as you can on
> paper? In making copious notes for a new book, I started off using the
> Newton but just found my Newton writing couldn't keep up with my
> brain--I went back to using mostly paper for this. I got tired of
> having to correct words so often

I'm still in the early, experimental stages of making the transition
to Newton notes from paper note taking, and I'm going slow. Also, my
perceptions may be colored by the gee-whiz factor that still hits me
every time I pick up the Newton. But with those caveats, I have to say
that, so far, writing in cursive, the Newton does keep up pretty well
with the speed of my writing and my brain. Not as fast and effortless
as pen and paper (on the "front end" at least; I'll get to the "back
end" in a moment, where the Newton really shines). But it comes close,
with some fiddling to the handwriting accuracy/speed balance settings.
I also have been cobbling together an analog to standard shorthand that
takes advantage of the expander function and really speeds things up,
using short letter combos for common words (a t- for "the," a w- for
"with," a s- for "said," and so on. I learned shorthand in high school,
so this feels very natural).

For notetaking, I pretty much ignore whatever's happening with the
recognition until I'm done putting down what I have to say. I have
handwriting prefs weighted toward accuracy rather than speed, but I
find this to be a plus, not a negative -- I can write a full line or
so before it disappears and becomes text. I've also experimented with
just using inktext with scaling and deferred recognition (which means
I don't have to worry about errors until later, and can then catch them
all at once), but the real-time recognition seems to me to be a bit
more accurate. I'm not sure why that would be the case, unless scaling
interferes with recognition somehow. I think time and more usage will
reveal whether there are shortcomings I haven't noticed or that haven't
gotten on my nerves yet.

I agree that oftentimes there is no substitute for scribbling on real
paper (or envelope backs or napkins or whatever I can grab that's
nearby) with real ink -- that's not something I could ever do without
as a writer, nor would I want to. I do not see myself writing
significant portions of my manuscripts or articles on the Newton,
either. For that, I prefer a large color display where I can open
several windows at once -- two or three separate documents containing
notes, and the doc I'm actually writing on. However, I can see myself
writing the occasional passage on the Newton when inspiration strikes
and I'm out and about, or when I need to get away from the desk and
clear my head.

Where I have found the Newton most useful is in observational and
interview note-taking. I have just completed a very long project
researching a book about life in a top public high school.Over the
course of a year, I accumulated a huge stack of yellow legal pads
filled with notes, and I confess that I was not terribly efficient
about transcribing them at the end of the day (when, after a full day
of school, there were so many other things to do). This, of course, is
the dreaded "backend" of paper note taking that I mentioned above. At
the end of my research phase, I faced a monumental organizational (not
to mention deciphering) task. I'm hoping use of the Newton will make
these tasks a good deal easier over time, and may well be worth slowing
down (and improving!) my handwriting a bit on the front end.

So that's my two cents. Good luck with your writing, Jeff -- paper and
digital!

Regards,
Ed

p.s.
I'd love to hear from any other writers on the list who care to share
their positive or negative experiences using the Newton, or provide
some tips for a newcomer.

p.p.s.: to Bill Miranda. Your book is in the mail! sorry for being so
slow... I should have left a to-do reminder for myself on my Newton!

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