Writing while on the road — how I do it 
In a previous post, I threatened to discuss in a little more detail the workflow that I developed for writing while traveling. And here it is. This workflow is based on the assumptions that 1) you don’t have your own computer with you, and 2) you have some sort of reliable Internet access. It can also work if you have a laptop with you and are afraid of losing it or it being stolen.
This workflow came about by accident. I was recently on vacation and checked my email (through my Gmail account) in an Internet cafe. One day, I received a message from a client who I sometime work with asking if I could write some copy for her. It was an easy assignment and one which paid decently. And let’s face it: extra money always comes in handy.
But how to do it? I wasn’t using my own computer. Luckily, I’m familiar with a number of online tools. I’d been threatening to stress test an online word processor for a while, so here was my chance. While I could have chosen any number of online word processors (like Writely, YourDraft, or WideWord), I opted to use Writeboard. It’s a simple tool to be sure, but one that gets the job done.
One of the reasons that I like Writeboard is that it lets me write. I don’t worry about formatting or anything else, just putting words on a screen. (You can find some thoughts on this here.) You can also save Writeboard documents as text or HTML, which makes them very portable. On top of that, you can email the contents of a Writeboard, or share it with someone else. Not only for collaboration, but also for that person to pick up the finished document. They can either copy and paste the text, or save it.
I told the client my situation, and she agreed to give this mad scheme a whirl. The first thing I did was set up a Writeboard. I won’t bore you with the details; you can learn more at the Web site. Over the next day or so, I jotted down an outline and notes for this project in my Moleskine notebook and on some hotel stationery. I could have used an online tool like Sproutliner or Tada List for building the outline and taking the notes, but I was on vacation and wanted to spend as much time with my wife and daughter as I could. And sitting in an Internet cafe in Beijing was not the way to do that! In the future, though, I might use an online note taking tool.
Once I had a enough information and tight enough structure, I sat down and wrote the first draft. As I mentioned, Writeboard enables me to write without distractions. And that allowed me to quickly bang out the text. After some editing and reworking of certain sections — as well as adding some basic formatting, which Writeboard supports — I invited my client to collaborate on the document. Then, I went off to do some sightseeing.
When I checked my Gmail a day or so later, and there was a message from the client. She wanted a couple of small changes and additions, which she noted in the Writeboard document. So, with an hour to kill until I had to hook up with my wife and daughter, I made the changes and additions. When I was satisfied with the results, I emailed the contents of the Writeboard to my client. She was happy and the cheque is on the way.
That wasn’t the end, though. I always log my article submissions and other writing assignments in one of two spreadsheets. I keep them online using Google Spreadsheet, which is perfect for this sort of thing. With that done, I was free to enjoy the rest of my vacation.
Remember that you’re not limited to the tools that I mentioned in this entry. There are a large number of Web-based applications that are perfect for writers. Not just word processors but note taking tools, outliners, and spreadsheets. If anyone is interested in a list of these tools, please leave a comment. I’m (slowly) putting together a list of such tools and a little prodding will force me to finish that list and post it here.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
[...] able to convince an editor or client to use an online collaboration tool — I discussed that here. The other times I tried, the people I was working with dug in their heels. Since they were paying [...]