I do most of my writing on a PC desktop that’s at one end of our living/dining room. It’s a bit old and creaky now (I would definitely like a new monitor), but it’s where I feel most at home when it comes to writing. I’ve got an ergonomic mouse and keyboard, as well as notebooks, pens and snacks to hand. I use Microsoft Word for editing and most writing, though I also use Google Docs for writing snippets or shorts.
My work laptop is a Mac and I sometimes write on this during lunchtimes – and for actual work, of course. It’s great, but I have to use a proper keyboard with it or my wrists start to hurt. Because it’s a work device I can’t really install anything on it – otherwise I’d use Scrivener.
Aside from these two main machines, I also have a few others to hand. One is an Asus netbook. It doesn’t get used a lot now I have the work laptop, because it’s only got a tiny screen (7 inches) and it’s Linux-based and I’m finding it hard to update. When it was in use, I loved the fact it was so small and light and often sat with it perched on my knee, watching tv and surfing the net instead of writing…
Which brings me to my Alphasmart Neo. This is a basically a keyboard with a tiny screen. It saves every word as you type and you can easily upload data to your computer via usb. It’s got no internet – in fact no distractions at all. It’s really just a lightweight keyboard. Perfect for writing out a first draft, useless for editing. I haven’t used it in a while but will definitely return to it when I start the next book. It helps that three AA batteries last about a year on it (no exaggeration).
Lastly there’s my iPhone. Can’t say I do a lot of writing on it, but I have been known to make notes and access my Google Docs files when I’m stuck with no other computer in sight.
If I had more money, I’d probably have a new netbook and/or tablet, plus maybe an iMac instead of my PC. But I don’t… So there you go – what do you use?