Thoughts about using a distraction-free editor
Posted in opinion, technology, writing on September 1st, 2010 by scott – Be the first to comment
As it turns out, I’ve written quite a bit about distraction-free text editors (also called full-screen editors) in this space — here, here, here, and here if you’re curious. In some circles, these apps are very trendy. In others, they’re buried under a pile of scorn.
I find them to be indispensable tools. Why? Distractions are everywhere, and can crop up when I least expect them. One of the biggest sources of distractions is the computer desktop. Things like email notifications, instant messenger windows, a Web browser, even your wallpaper.
When I want to focus on writing and not have my attention pulled away by email, RSS feeds, or anything else I fire up a distraction-free editor — either TextRoom or PyRoom. My screen goes blank, and I have an empty page on which I can type. My goal is to fill that page with words. And that’s what happens.
Going this route works very well for me. But I keep hearing one complaint (if you want to call it that)
I admit it. Blame it on the foolishness of youth. A foolishness that’s been tempered by something resembling maturity.
As part of a larger personal project, I’ve been shifting more and more of my day-to-day computing to the Web. Aside from the project I mentioned in the last sentence, there are a number of other reasons why I’m doing this. Reasons that I won’t go into right now.
Information. It’s the stock and trade of the professional writer. Notes. Facts. Quotes. Sundry bits and pieces that help us when it comes time to write.